"It became very clear that Hanoi was in effect strategically running the Viet Cong operation"

This quote by William Westmoreland suggests that the North Vietnamese federal government in Hanoi was in control of the Viet Cong, a guerrilla force that fought against the South Vietnamese federal government during the Vietnam War. Westmoreland's declaration implies that the North Vietnamese federal government was directing the Viet Cong's operations, offering them with resources and assistance. This would explain why the Viet Cong was able to remain active and reliable despite the South Vietnamese government's efforts to suppress them. Westmoreland's statement likewise recommends that the North Vietnamese government was using the Viet Cong as a proxy force to combat versus the South Vietnamese federal government, allowing them to maintain a degree of deniability. This would discuss why the North Vietnamese government had the ability to remain reasonably unharmed by the war, while the South Vietnamese federal government suffered greatly.