Nearly all United States-allied forces were armed with U.S. weapons including the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, M14 rifle, and M16 rifle. The Australian and New Zealand forces employed the 7.62 mm L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle as their service rifle, with the occasional use of the M16 rifle.
The PAVN, although having inherited a variety of American, French, and Japanese weapons from World War II and the First Indochina War (aka French Indochina War), were largely armed and supplied by the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and its Warsaw Pact allies. Further, some weapons—notably anti-personnel explosives, the K-50M (a PPSh-41 copy), and "home-made" versions of the RPG-2—were manufactured in North Vietnam. By 1969 the US Army had identified 40 rifle/carbine types, 22 machine gun types, 17 types of mortar, 20 recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, nine types of antitank weapons, and 14 anti-aircraft artillery weapons used by ground troops on all sides. Also in use, mostly by anti-communist forces, were the 24 types of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, and 26 types of field artillery and rocket launchers.
Communist forces were principally armed with Chinese and Soviet weaponry though some VC guerrilla units were equipped with Western infantry weapons either captured from French stocks during the first Indochina war, such as the MAT-49, or from ARVN units or requisitioned through illicit purchase.
By Autumn of 1967, all Viet Cong battalions were reequipped with arms of Soviet design such as the AK-47 and the RPG-2.Template:Sfn Their weapons were principally of Chinese<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref> or Soviet manufacture.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The period up to the conventional phase in the 1970, the Viet Cong and NVA were mostly limited to mortars, recoilless rifles, and small-arms and had significantly lighter equipment and firepower relative to the US arsenal, relying on ambushes, with superior stealth, planning, marksmanship, and small-unit tactics to face the disproportionate US technological advantage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Many divisions within the NVA would incorporate armoured and mechanised battalions including the Type 59 tank, BTR-60, Type 60 artillery, and rapidly altered and integrated new war doctrines following the Tet Offensive into a mobile combined-arms force.<ref name=":9">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref> The North Vietnamese had both amphibious tanks (such as the PT-76) and light tanks (such the Type 62) used during the conventional phase. Experimental Soviet equipment started being used against ARVN forces at the same time, including Man-portable air-defense systemSA-7 Grail and anti-tank missiles including the AT-3 Sagger.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1975, they had fully transformed from the strategy of mobile light-infantry and using the people's war concept used against the United States.<ref name=":9" />
The American M16 rifle and XM177 carbine, which both replaced the M14, were lighter and considered more accurate than the AK-47 but in Vietnam was prone to "failure to extract", in which the spent cartridge case remained stuck in the chamber after a round was fired, preventing the next round from feeding and jamming the gun.Template:Citation needed This was ultimately traced to an inadequately tested switch in propellants from DuPont's proprietary IMR 4475 to Olin's WC 846, that Army Ordnance had ordered out of concern for standardization and mass production capacity.Template:Citation needed
The heavily armored, 90 mm gun M48A3 'Patton' tank saw extensive action during the Vietnam War and over 600 were deployed with U.S. forces. They played an important role in infantry support though there were a few tank versus tank battles. The M67A1 flamethrower tank (nicknamed the Zippo) was an M48 variant used in Vietnam. The use of this euphemistically nicknamed tank should not be confused with the widespread use of actual Zippo lighters to burn villages, which gave rise to the nickname of "Zippo squads". (Far from all such squads fielded the tank.) The Zippo nickname was also applied to man-portable flamethrowers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> Artillery was used extensively by both sides but the Americans were able to ferry the lightweight 105 mm M102 howitzer by helicopter to remote locations on quick notice.<ref>Hagerman, Bart. USA Airborne: 50th Anniversary. Turner Publishing Company, p. 237.</ref><ref name="Tolsonarmy">Template:Cite book</ref> With its Template:Convert range, the Soviet 130 mm M-46 towed field gun was a highly regarded weapon and used to good effect by the PAVN. It was countered by the long-range, American 175 mm M107 Self-Propelled Gun (nicknamed Miller).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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The United States had air superiority, though many aircraft were lost to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. U.S. airpower was credited with breaking the siege of Khe Sanh and blunting the 1972 Easter Offensive against South Vietnam. At sea, the U.S. Navy had the run of the coastline, using aircraft carriers as platforms for offshore strikes and other naval vessels for offshore artillery support. Offshore naval fire played a pivotal role in the Battle of Huế in February 1968, providing accurate fire in support of the U.S. counter-offensive to retake the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Colt Commander – used by US military officers and US Special forces.
Browning Hi-Power – used by Australian and New Zealand forces (L9 pistol).Template:Sfn Also used on an unofficial basis by US reconnaissance and Special Forces units.Template:Sfn
M14, M14E2, M14A1 – issued to most U.S. troops from the early stages of the war until 1967–68, when it was replaced by the M16.Template:Sfn
M16, XM16E1, and M16A1 – M16 was issued in 1964, but due to reliability issues, it was replaced by the M16A1 in 1967 which added the forward assist and chrome-lined barrel to the rifle for increased reliability.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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CAR-15 – carbine variant of the M16 produced in very limited numbers, fielded by special operations early on. Later supplemented by the improved XM177.
XM177 (Colt Commando)/GAU-5 – further development of the CAR-15, used heavily by MACV-SOG, the US Air Force, and US Army.<ref name="Dockery"/>
Stoner 63 – used by US Navy SEALs and USMC.<ref name="Dockery"/>
T223 – a copy of the Heckler & Koch HK33 built under license by Harrington & Richardson used in small numbers by SEAL teams. Even though the empty H&R T223 was 0.9 pounds (0.41 kg) heavier than an empty M16A1, the weapon had a forty-round magazine available for it and this made it attractive to the SEALS.<ref name="Dockery"/>
M40 (Remington Model 700)– bolt-action sniper rifle meant to replace the M1903A4 Springfield rifle and Winchester Model 70; used by the USMC<ref name="Sniping"/>
Carl Gustaf m/45 – used by Navy SEALs in the start of the war, but later replaced by the Smith & Wesson M76 in the late 1960s. Significant numbers also used by MAC-V-SOG, South Vietnamese,<ref name="Dockery"/> and small numbers in Laos by advisors, and Laotian fighters.
MAT-49 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias.Template:Sfn Captured models were used in limited numbers<ref name="Dockery"/>
MP 40 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese forces, supplied by the CIA.Template:Sfn
Owen Gun – standard Australian submachine-gun in the early stages of the war, later replaced by the F1 and withdrawn from combat use by 1971.Template:Sfn<ref name="Sterling"/>
Shotguns were used as an individual weapon during jungle patrol; infantry units were authorized a shotgun by TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment). Shotguns were not general issue to all infantrymen, but were select issue weapons, such as one per squad, etc.
Stevens Model 77E – pump-action shotgun used by Army and Marine forces. Almost 70,000 Model 77Es were procured by the military for use in SE Asia during the 1960s.Template:Sfn Also very popular with the ARVN because of its small size.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Colt Machine Gun – experimental light machine gun deployed by SEAL Team 2 in 1970.<ref name="Dockery"/>
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle – used by the ARVN during the early stages of the war,Template:Sfn as well as many that were airdropped into Laos and used by Laotian fighters.
RPD machine gun (and Type 56) – captured and used by reconnaissance teams of Mobile Strike Forces, MAC-V-SOG and other special operation forces. Also commonly modified to cut down the barrel.Template:Sfn
M15 and M34 smoke grenades – filled with white phosphorus,Template:Sfn which ignites on contact with air and creates thick white smoke.Template:Sfn Used for signalling and screening purposes, as well as an anti-personnel weapon in enclosed spaces, as the burning white phosphorus would rapidly consume any oxygen, suffocating the victims.
M1/M2 rifle grenade adapters – used to convert a standard fragmentation grenade (M1) or smoke grenade (M2) into a rifle grenade when used with the M7 grenade launcher.
XM148 grenade launcher – experimental underbarrel 40 mm grenade launcher attached to the M16 rifle or XM177 carbine. Also issued to Australian Special Air Service Regiment in conjunction with the modified L1A1 and Sterling Submachine Gun.<ref>Neville, Leigh Guns of the Special Forces 2001 – 2015 Casemate Publishers, 31 Mar 2016</ref> Withdrawn due to safety reasons.<ref name="Dockery"/>Template:Sfn
M203 grenade launcher – one-shot 40mm underslung grenade launcher designed to attach to an M16 rifle (or XM177 carbine, with modifications to the launcher). First tested in combat April 1969.<ref name="Dockery"/>Template:Sfn
Mark 18 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Hand-cranked, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher used by the US Navy.<ref name="Stoner">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
Mk 20 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher. Used mostly by riverine crews but also by Air Force Special Operations.<ref name="Stoner"/>
Bazooka – The M9 variant was supplied to the ARVN during the early years of the war,Template:Sfn while the M20 "Super Bazooka" was used by the USMC and the ARVN until the full introduction of the M67 90mm recoilless rifle and of the M72 LAW.Template:Sfn
BGM-71 TOW – wire-guided anti-tank missile used in 1972 by the US, and by the ARVN from 1972 to the end of the war.Template:Sfn
L5 pack howitzer 105 mm pack howitzer used by Australia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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MIM-23 Hawk – medium-range surface to air missile used in very small quantities by the US Marines.<ref>Use of Hawk Missiles in Vietnam. // Department of Defense appropriations for 1970, pt. 5, pp. 377–378.</ref>
Agent Orange – While developed to be used as a herbicide to destroy natural obstacles and tree camouflage, it was later revealed that it posed health risks to those exposed to it.Template:Sfn
Agent Blue – Used to destroy agricultural land that was believed to be used to grow food for the VC/NVA.
In addition to cargo-carrying and troop transport roles, many of these vehicles were also equipped with weapons and sometimes armor, serving as "gun trucks" for convoy escort duties.Template:Sfn
LCVP – Landing craft vehicle personnel, some made by the French Services Techniques des Construction et Armes Navales/France Outremer and known as FOMTemplate:Sfn
The geographically dispersed nature of the war challenged existing military communications. From 1965 to the final redeployment of tactical units, numerous communications-electronics systems were introduced in Vietnam to upgrade the quality and quantity of tactical communications and replace obsolete gear:
AN/VRC-12 series (VRC-43, VRC-45, VRC-46, VRC-47, VRC-48)Template:Sfn – FM radios that replaced the RT-66-67-68/GRC (including AN/GRC 3–8, VRC 7–10, VRC 20–22, and VRQ 1–3 sets).Template:Sfn
AN/GRC-106 – AM radios and teletypewriter that replaced the AN/GRC-19.Template:Sfn
Weapons of the PAVN/VC, China, Soviet and North Korea Forces
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The PAVN and the Southern communist guerrillas, the Viet Cong (VC) as they were commonly referred to during the war, largely used standard Warsaw Pact weapons. Weapons used by the PAVN also included Chinese Communist variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. Captured weapons were also widely used; almost every small arm used by SEATO may have seen limited enemy use. During the early 1950s, US equipment captured in Korea was also sent to the Viet Minh.
Mauser C96 – Locally produced copies were used alongside Chinese copies and German variants supplied by the Soviets.<ref name="wwiiGerman">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
Walther P38 – Captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid<ref name="wwiiGerman"/>
Home-made pistols, such as copies of the M1911, Luger<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> or of the Mauser C96 (Cao Dai 763) or crude one-shot guns, were also used by the Viet Cong early in the war.<ref name="wwiiGerman"/><ref name="homemade"/>
Mauser Kar98k – Bolt-action rifle, captured from the French during the First Indochina War and also provided by the Soviets as military aid.<ref name="wwiiGerman"/>
Older or rarer rifles were often modified by the Viet Cong early in the war: Gras mle 1874 carbines were rechambered to .410 bore while Destroyer carbines were modified to accept the magazine of the Walther P38.<ref name="Early VC"/>
Home-made rifles, often spring-action rifles made to look like a M1 Garand or a M1 Carbine, were also used by the Viet Cong.<ref name="homemade">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Submachine guns
K-50M submachine gun (Vietnamese edition, based on Chinese version of Russian PPSh-41, under licence)Template:Sfn
MAT-49 submachine gun – Captured during the French-Indochina War. Many were converted from 9×19mm to 7.62×25mm Tokarev<ref name="Dockery"/>
PPSh-41 submachine gun (both Soviet, North Korean and Chinese versions)Template:Sfn<ref name="NKSA"/>
Smith and Wesson M76 submachine gun - captured from US forces <ref name="Early VC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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MAS-38 submachine gun – Captured from the French in the Indochina War.Template:Sfn
PM-63 submachine gun – Used by tank crews<ref name="MT">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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M56 submachine gun – limited use, received from Yugoslavia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Vietnamese home-made submachine guns, inspired by the Sten or the Thompson, were used by the Viet Cong early in the war.<ref name="homemade"/><ref name="Early VC"/>
Shotguns
Homemade shotguns, some inspired by the BAR or the Arisaka Type 99, were used by the Viet Cong early in the war.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Various models captured from ARVN and US forces<ref name="Early VC"/>
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