This was essentially due to the fact that the Lao Viet, though they possessed a much larger force, was tied to the road
structure in Laos, and as such had operated primarily as a conventional military force. With the arrival of monsoon rains in May each year, most of the roads turned into a sea of mud, and could not be used until the rains subsided in November. On the other hand, the Hmong guerrillas, despite having an inferior number of men and military equipment, generally fought in their home areas where they knew the terrain well and could use classical guerrilla warfare tactics in the pursuit of their objectives.5