Vietnam War Basics
1950s – 1975
• Vietnam – along with neighboring Laos and Cambodia –
was France’s colony called French Indochina. Vietnam’s
• The Vietnamese, led by Ho Chi Minh, tried to fight off History
French rule.
• Ho Chi Minh felt the way was through a Communist revolution.
• During WWII, Japan drove the French out of Indochina.
• When the war was over, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam
independent.
• France insisted Vietnam was still a colony.
• Vietnam warned France to leave them alone.
• France ignored Vietnam’s warning and moved to retake
Vietnam; fighting broke out.
• President Eisenhower gave money to support France. Why?
• Domino theory à If Vietnam falls to Communism, all of SE Asia
might fall.
• The Vietminh, the Vietnamese fighting force, had many victories.
• France surrendered on May 7, 1954.
Geneva Accords
• Geneva Accords
• The day after fighting stopped, an international
conference addressed the future of Indochina; they
created the Geneva Accords, which temporarily divided
Vietnam into two.
• North Vietnam à Communist state led by Ho Chi Minh
• Ended up being very popular with his people
• South Vietnam à Democracy led by Ngo Dinh Diem
• Ended up being very dishonest, brutal, and despised
• Free elections were supposed to happen in July
1956 to reunite the two. https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photos/5453754/17th_
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Then, It Gets Complicated…
• In 1956, the elections that were supposed to take place never happened. Why?
• South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem was afraid he would lose to the Communist
government in North Vietnam; he refused to let South Vietnam take part in the elections.
• The US backed his decision.
• Diem then tried to squash support in SV for NV by arresting thousands of SV
citizens; by this point, many SV citizens were joining a group – called the
National Liberation Front – to fight Diem’s government.
• This group of SV citizens was backed by a SV communist fighting group called the Vietcong.
Vietminh Vietcong
• North Vietnamese Communist force • A Vietnamese force (supplied/funded
• Loyal to Ho Chi Minh by North Vietnam) that fought the
South Vietnamese government of
Dgo Dinh Diem
• Against any of Diem’s supporters (ex:
the US)
The US Gets Even More Involved
• As fighting between the Vietcong and Diem’s forces grew worse, President
Eisenhower sent more aid and advisers to South Vietnam.
• By the end of 1960, about 900 US military advisers were stationed in South Vietnam.
• When John F. Kennedy became president, he sent additional advisers as well
as 400 Special Forces soldiers in May 1961.
• By the end of 1963, about 16,000 US military personnel were serving there.
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Diem Loses Even More Vietnamese Support
• Diem’s government was losing power despite the
US’s help.
• Diem’s popularity dropped further when his
soldiers fired on Buddhist demonstrators; some
monks then set themselves on fire as protest.
• These images appeared on TV and helped turn many
Americans against Diem.
• Believing Diem’s unpopularity was hurting the war
effort, a group of SV generals took over the https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-burning-monk-1963-small.jpg
government in November 1963 and killed Diem.
• The situation in South Vietnam grew worse from there.
Continuing US Involvement
• Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963; Lyndon B. Johnson
became president.
• LBJ met with advisers and expressed concern that the Communists would
think that with Kennedy gone that the US would lose its commitment and
show it was giving in.
• LBJ ended up sending increased military support for South Vietnam.
• LBJ heard that some new South Vietnamese leaders wanted to work out an agreement
with the Communists but LBJ refused to accept the possibility of a Communist South
Vietnam.
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions
• On August 2, 1964, it was reported that a US Navy vessel exchanged fire
with North Vietnamese vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin off the NV coast.
• US ships reported that the NV had launched torpedoes at them; the ships were not
damaged, though.
• LBJ declared this attack an act of war and ordered air strikes against the NV bases.
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions (Tonkin Gulf Resolutions)
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• Passed by Congress on August 7, 1964
• Gave the president the power “to take all necessary measures to repel any armed
attack against the forces of the United States” (aka basically a blank check)
• This enabled LBJ to greatly increase US military involvement, which he did.
• But there’s one key detail about this whole situation…
• Investigators later found out that there had been a mistake and no attacks had been
made by the NV on the US ships; by then, though, the GTR had already been passed.
Combat Troops Arrive in Vietnam
• In March 1965, the first US combat troops arrived in
Vietnam.
• Operation Rolling Thunder was ordered that same month.
• Series of air strikes meant to destroy war industries in North
Vietnam
• A way to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• A network of paths, small roads, and tunnels leading from NV
through neighboring Laos and Cambodia into SV
• Major supply route for the Vietcong (though they had a massive
underground tunnel system)
• Hoped this was a way for the US to win the war
• Bombings lasted until late 1968.
• 1 million+ tons of explosives had been dropped, much on SV
• Many Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed
• US efforts did not stop the Communists’ ability to fight http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/fdscontent/uscompanion/us/static/companion.
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Napalm and Agent Orange
• Vietnam was covered with thick jungles.
• In order to better see the Ho Chi Minh Trail,
US planes dropped:
• Napalm à a highly incendiary jellied gasoline
that causes burns, unconsciousness, and death https://www.thephoblographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Napalm-Girl-770x432.jpg
• Agent Orange à a chemical poison that killed
vegetation and trees
• These two substances caused environmental
damage.
• Later, health problems for Vietnamese
civilians and US veterans occurred due to the
use of napalm and Agent Orange.
• The use of these tactics were/are http://s13076.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Agent-Orange-Vietnam-300x198.jpg
controversial.
Escalation
• In the mid-1960s, LBJ sent more ground forces to Vietnam.
• Between 1965 and 1967, the number of US soldiers increased due to a
policy of escalation; most soldiers are being drafted.
• At the same time, the NV Army (NVA) became more involved, In mid-1967, more
sending more of its regular army to fight alongside the Vietcong. than 300 US soldiers
• US tried a new fighting strategy: search-and-destroy missions.
were dying each week
in combat; as the war
• US patrols searched for enemy camps and supplies hidden in the jungle dragged on, support
for it began to drop.
• Soldiers destroyed them with massive air power and air raids
• “The solution is more bombs, more shells, more napalm.” –US general It is also important to
remember all the
• Didn’t work as easily as everyone hoped. Why not? nurses and doctors
• Vietcong and NVA compensated for the lack of firepower with guerilla tactics who served as well.
• Vietcong and NVA had a better knowledge of the local geography (set traps,
mines, etc.)
Pacification
• SV villagers were caught in the middle of the fighting.
• US and SV officials tried to win their support with the policy of pacification.
• US and SV set aside civilians areas guarded by government troops.
• Despite this, the villagers were still not safe.
• The troops stayed in their own camp at night.
• The Vietcong would then come out of hiding and attack people because they believed the
villagers were helping the SV government.
• Even with this policy, sometimes US troops caused the damage and suffering.
• Troops destroyed villages and crops of innocent people, believing the belonged to the
Vietcong.
• Some believed “they are probably feeding the NVA with rice anyway, so therefore they are
the enemy”.
Tet Offensive & My Lai Massacre
• Tet à the Vietnamese New Year
• In prior years, a cease-fire would occur during Tet.
• Tet Offensive à January 30, 1968 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsb0BgKbjdE - Video
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• NV and Vietcong soldiers launched a surprise attack on US forces across southern Vietnam.
• US and SV troops defeated most of the Communists quickly.
• Attack shocked the Americans and changed many people’s opinions on the war
• Most Americans supported the war until 1968; despite seeing the realities of war on TV, the
feel/impression was we were winning/could win and it would all be over soon.
• The Tet Offensive, though, showed that the Communist forces still had a lot of strength to fight.
• Many Americans began to feel that officials were not telling the public the truth about the fighting and
claims of successes.
• When a main general asked for 206,000 more troops (to add to the 525,000 already in Vietnam), people
questioned whether the increase was necessary and if we were truly winning; the request was denied.
• My Lai Massacre/”Pinkville” à March 1968
• One of the lowest points in the Vietnam War, US troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians… and
the army tried to cover it up.
Vietnamization
• Richard Nixon becomes president in 1969; he said he wanted to “end the
war as quickly as honorably possible” but without appearing defeated,
saying, “I will not be the first President of the United States to lose a war.”
• Nixon and his national security adviser Henry Kissinger came up with a
policy to bring about “peace without victory” through “Vietnamization”.
• Fighting would gradually be turned over to the SV army
• US would continue to provide supplies and training to SV troops even as US troops left
• US potentially would threaten NV with the use of atomic weapons
• Ho Chi Minh died in September 1969, but the NV and Vietcong did not lose
their determination; they vowed to keep fighting to reunite Vietnam.
• US troops began to come home.
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Meanwhile in Cambodia…
• Nixon ordered the bombing of Communist bases in Laos and Cambodia without
telling Congress or the American public.
• Nixon’s goal was to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which had parts in Cambodia.
• Cambodia was also a place where the NV could escape American and SV troops.
• NV responded to this by giving more support to the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian
Communist army.
• On April 30, 1970, Nixon said he would send US troops to protect Cambodia’s
new pro-US government, and ground attacks were made.
• This announcement of an invasion sparked outrage because it looked like the war was
expanding, not leading towards a peaceful end.
• Cambodians took sides, which led to a civil war, won by the Khmer Rouge.
• Cambodians suffered under a brutal reign of terror, forcing millions to work exhaustive
hours, and killing or starving to death over a million people.
• In 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and set up a new Communist government.
Protests & the Pentagon Papers
• Demonstrations, protests, sit-ins, etc. began popping up across the
country.
• Kent State was the location of a protest turned deadly.
• In December 1970, Congress overturned the Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions.
• Pentagon Papers
• The NYT published secret US government documents obtained from Daniel
Ellsberg, a former Pentagon official.
• The Pentagon Papers showed that US officials had been lying to the public
about the progress of the war for years.
• After the report, some Congressmen wanted to cut off all funds for the
Vietnam War.
• Nixon was up for re-election in 1972 and he changed his Vietnam
strategy. https://millercenter.org/sites/default/files/%5Bdate%3Acustom%3AY%5D-%5Bdate%3Acustom%3Am%5D/Times-
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• Ended the invasion of Cambodia
• Became more open to compromise
• Secret peace negotiations began in 1972 between Kissinger and the NV
leaders.
Trying to Make Peace
• Nixon won re-election and peace talks continued but slowed.
• Meanwhile, the US began large-scale bombing of NV in December 1972.
• Peace talks finally began on January 27, 1973. Who’s at the table?
• National Liberation Front, North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, South Vietnam, and the US
• A cease-fire was signed, known as the Paris Peace Accords.
• Called for the removal of all US troops and the return of all US POWs
• Set up a demilitarized zone between NV and SV to maintain peace on both sides
• Communists in SV could participate in politics
• Other decisions about unification were put off until later https://i2.wp.com/militarym
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• War Powers Act was passed in 1973 by Congress.
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• Required president to get Congressional approval before sending US troops to an armed
struggle; the goal was to prevent undeclared wars, such as Vietnam
Fall of Saigon
• In late 1974, fighting broke out again between NV and SV.
• The US made it clear it would not send troops back to SV.
• In August 1974, Gerald Ford became the first unelected president.
• In 1975, large numbers of NV troops invaded SV; resistance rapidly
collapsed.
• By the end of April 1975, the NV had captured the SV capital of Saigon.
• Panic gripped Saigon and people fled.
• On April 30th, the US radio station in Saigon began playing “White Christmas” on
repeat, which was the prearranged signal for Americans to report to evacuation
points.
• A heroic airlift with hundreds of helicopter runs and flights of cargo planes got
about 6,000 Americans and 50,000+ SV allies out of the country.
• NV tanks smashed through the gates of SV’s presidential palace and got into
the US embassy, where helicopters were taking off.
• America had lost.
The War Is Over
• On July 2, 1976, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed; NV and SV
were reunited officially under a Communist government.
• When the Vietnam Veterans came home, unlike in previous wars, they were not
given the respect they should have been.
• People who were angry about the war often expressed their hostile feelings at the veterans.
• Veterans called being sworn and spit at by people who found out they fought in Vietnam.
• Though returns home and deployment were staggered throughout the 10 years of fighting,
there were no welcome home parades, even at the end.
• GI benefits and services that were promised were almost nonexistent.
•
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• It took almost 20 years to start to shift this situation.
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