Vietnamese military ranks and insignia are specified by the National Assembly of Vietnam through Law on Vietnam People's Army Officer (No: 6-LCT/HĐNN7) on December 30, 1981. The Vietnam People's Army distinguishes three careerpaths: Officers (sĩ quan), non-commissioned officers (hạ sĩ quan), and enlisted members (chiến sĩ). Because the shoulder insignia of all ranks are represented by an elongated pentagonal epaulette, they are, hence, either detailed or colour-coded to indicate rank, branch, as well as unit. Ranks can show information about branches of military personnel.