The People's Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF, known perjoratively as the Viet Cong in western historiography) had a very different, more ad hoc approach to recruitment than the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, the North Vietnamese Army).

Unlike contemporary propaganda that painted the Vietnam War as a people's war, the PLAF resorted both to voluntarily and coerced forms of recruitment. The traditional image of PLAF guerrillas infiltrating a village at night, holding political lectures, perhaps bringing an entertainment troupe, and gathering volunteers certainly holds true. There were those who were motivated by ideological commitment, whether that be to the communist cause of the PLAF or to drive out what they perceived to be invaders, but also those driven by revenge for mistreatment at the hands of the South Vietnamese government, its armed forces, or other 'Free World' forces like the United States or South Korea. Some had family and friends who were already fighting and were thus brought in this way. Others were motivated by matters that had nothing at all do with ideology or revenge; they were more interested in the idea of being soldiers, or the idea of getting out there on an exciting adventure. Others might have been ashamed that they were not pulling their weight in what appeared to be a collective struggle that their hamlet, and even their family, might be involved in. The reasons could really vary from soldier to soldier, but they were drawn to volunteering through personal connection with PLAF soldiers who were actively recruiting. That personal connection is important to emphasize because recruiters (typically PLAF cadres) could show up at the homes of potential recruits, perhaps someone who was close to the age of being drafted for the South Vietnamese armed forces, in order to convince them in person. Yet recruitment could be more violent. As more PLAF soldiers were killed in action, the PLAF resorted to forcibly conscripting men and women in order to fill their ranks. PLAF cadres could show up at a potential recruit's door armed not with convincing arguments and inspirational slogans, but with a draft notice and an assault rifle. Others were outright kidnapped and forced into the PLAF. But not all PLAF soldiers were from South Vietnam. With increasingly thinning ranks that could not be filled with voluntarily or forced recruits, the PLAF bolstered their ranks with North Vietnamese soldiers.

In the case of the PAVN, North Vietnam (in similarity to the United States) introduced a draft law in 1960. All men between the age of 18 and 27 were eligible for a minimum of two years in the PAVN. During the war itself, the draft law was expanded to include all men between 16 and 45 while simultaneously making their service period indefinite in the PAVN. In comparison with the PLAF, there were different reactions to this. There were many who genuinely believed in the cause they were fighting for, who believed in the idea of liberating their brothers in the south. This is often the stereotypical image of a North Vietnamese soldier during the Vietnam War. However, this only tells one side of the story. Like the United States, not all young men who were drafted for the war were supportive of the idea of leaving family and friends behind and go to a foreign place that they might not come home from. Yet while an American draftee could hope to spend only a year in South Vietnam, a young North Vietnamese man could spend a decade or more in the PAVN (if they were lucky enough to survive). Strict control of the movements of recruits and soldiers meant that there were little to no opportunities to escape from this fate. Even if they managed to desert or defect (approximately 2,000 PAVN soldiers defected to the South Vietnamese government), their families back home in North Vietnam could be at risk of retaliation from the North Vietnamese government.