Vietnam+War

The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a military conflict between the Northern & Southern parts of Vietnam between November 1, 1955, & April 30, 1975. Taking place after the First Indochina War, the conflict was fought between the northern communists, the southern anti-communists,& their respective allies. Russia & China were the main supporters of the Vietcong, where as America was the main ally for the southern Vietnamese.

The Tet Offensive American Involvement Vietnamisation Fall of Saigon Aftermath Sources ||
 * The Vietcong

The Vietcong
The Vietcong fought the American & South Vietnames armies by using guerrilla war tactics. Some of the tactics that were used were: building of large conplex tunnel systems, wearing no military uniform, & ambushing in thick jungle landscape. China & Soviet Russia provided large amounts of ammunition & arms to help their communist allies. Helping their fight, was the fact that many of the Southern Vietnamese civilians were angry with their corrupt president, Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem would later be assassinated in November, 1963.

The Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a major turning point launched in the Vietnam War launched at then end of media type="youtube" key="9r4nYeTflSw" height="234" width="384" align="right" January 1968. The Vietcong offensive was not very effective in gaining land; costing high casualties & proving the North Vietnam Army could not fight conventionally. Although they lost physically, they had won psychologically. Video footage of the offensive shocked American civilians. Civilians began to realize that this war would be long & expensive (costing $2000 million a month).

**American Involvement**

America's involvement in the war was supported by Eisenhower's idea of containing communism & preventing the spread of it to other countries. The war in Vietnam was mainly opposed by the American public who staged large peace protests & refused to join the military voluntarily. Despite this opposition, the American Government deicded to stay involved. America's action in the war escalated in 1965 when it started to bomb North Vietnam & largely increase the number of troops stationed there. The American army greatly relied on its air superiority. Tactics that were used were: dropping large explosives, dropping napalm, & using helicopters to swiftly move troops to & from battle zones. The majority of combat operations were stopped in 1973 & in 1975 America truly withdrew from Vietnam with the fall of Saigon. The cost of fighting the communists was around $150 billion dollars.

Vietnamisation
In 1968, Richard Nixon was elected President of the United States. One of his main promises was the policy of 'Vietnamisation'. 'Vietnamisation' was the policy of spending more on arming & training of the South Vietamese army. Over time U.S. troops were to be withdrawn & give the South Vietnamese army more responsibility in fighting the war. Another decision Nixon made, was to bomb the neutral country of Cambodia in order to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This trail was used to bring supplies & ammunition from North Vietnam down to the southern front. Nixon hoped he could bomb the North Vietnamese into a peace agreement.

Fall of Saigon
The fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, marked the end of the war & a new Vietnam. Although it was predicted that media type="youtube" key="IdR2Iktffaw" height="234" width="288" align="right" there would be massive killing with the taking of Saigon, it never happened. Over 600,000 people fled from Vietnam in fear of the new communist government. Soon after the war, relations between China & Vietnam soured. China was mad about the fact that Vietnam joined a Russian economic group called Comecon; this would lead to military clashes from 1978 to 1981.

Aftermath
The use of guerilla tactics, American civilian disapproval of the war, Soviet & Chinese weapon supplies, & the leadership of Ho Chi Minh all contributed to the North Vietnam victory. Although they were successful, it came at a great price. Government reforms & policies would cause an economic depression & military conflicts with bordering countries such as Cambodia & China. The war would also cause the deaths of millions & ravage the environment with deadly chemicals such as Agent Orange. America has still refused to pay reparations for the extensive damage done to Vietnam's ecosystem.