North Vietnam noun1 •(historical) A former communist state in Southeast Asia that governed Vietnam north of the 17th parallel from 1954 to 1976. The government was first proclaimed in 1945. Official name: Democratic Republic of Vietnam.When we visited Laos, I had lunch with Souvanna Phouma. During the course of the lunch, he said we ought to bomb Red China, that it was the effective way to stop their aid to North Vietnam. — 1976
