Definition

1. Noun:
   • Puppet troops; quisling troops: "Ngụy binh" refers to soldiers of a puppet army, a military force organized and controlled by an occupying or foreign power, opposing a legitimate national government or people's authority. It carries a strong negative connotation of betrayal and illegitimacy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong chiến tranh, lực lượng ngụy binh thường chiến đấu dưới sự chỉ huy của nước ngoài. (During the war, the puppet troops often fought under foreign command.)
  • Chính quyền cách mạng coi ngụy binh là lực lượng phản bội tổ quốc. (The revolutionary government considered the quisling troops to be a force that betrayed the homeland.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is historically and politically charged, primarily used in the context of the Vietnam War to refer to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) from the perspective of the communist north and the National Liberation Front.
• It is used in official historical narratives, political discourse, and literature to denote the opposing military force in a civil conflict, emphasizing its dependence on foreign support.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngụy quân (Noun): A synonym with identical meaning (puppet army/quisling troops).
• Ngụy (Adjective/Noun): A prefix or standalone term meaning "puppet," "illegitimate," or "false," as in (puppet government).

Synonyms

• Quân đội bù nhìn: Puppet army.
• Lính đánh thuê: Mercenaries (implies fighting for pay for a foreign power, but not perfectly synonymous as "ngụy binh" implies a structured, traitorous force).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Làm ngụy: To serve in or collaborate with the puppet forces/administration.
  • Ông ta bị kết tội vì đã làm ngụy trong thời chiến. (He was convicted for having collaborated with the puppet regime during the war.)

1. cũng nói ngụy quân Quisling troops, puppet troops