Vietnam war

The Vietnam conflict was fought between 1955 and 1975 in Laos Cambodia and Vietnam. It was fought between communist North Vietnam and anti-Communist South Vietnam allied with The United states. The Viet Cong were southern Vietnam communist who engaged in guerrilla wars with anti-Communist forces. To fight back against Viet Cong guerrillas the US conducted search and destroy missions. The US sent armed forces to Vietnam because they feared that if they let South Vietnam fall to communist rule it could start a domino effect causing more countries to fall under communist control. The conflict was generally unsuccessful and after years of fighting Americans wanted to pull troops out of Vietnam. Several communist losses during the Tet Offensive allowed President Nixon to start a policy he called Vietmanization. The policy involved withdrawing troops and limiting conflict.In the end about 58,000 US solders died.

Vietnam War

Vietnam war was a war that had nothing to do with U.S. in the beginning.  What started everything was French’s attempt in getting back their control over Vietnam.  U.S. supported France with money, as a way to fight communism.  However, that situation did not last long.  In 1954, French surrendered. It was not the end of the war, but the beginning. 

Vietnam divided in half: South are anti-communists, and north are Communists. The northern communist group was known as Vietcong, led by Ho Chi Minh. With support from China and Soviet, the Vietcong was strong.  Johnson was not ready to let the entire Vietnam convert to communism, so he sent more support to South Vietnam as the war went on.  He pushed through the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in 1964, with granted him great military power in Vietnam.

The war was long and frustrating.  Vietcong never backed down no matter how much military forces U.S. put in. With their understanding of the Vietnam Geography, the Vietcong used hit and run strategies.  They dug tunnels, and launch surprise attacks.  The U.S. grew frustrated over their elusive enemy and used cruel strategies too.  The napalm and Agent Orange was used, which wounded many civilians.  Since they could not tell who is involved with Vietcong and who is not,. They simply conducted search-and-destroy missions, in which they kill everyone who is suspected. 

The War was not only horrible at the frontline, but at home too.  With television broadcasts, citizens of U.S. grew unrest.  The nation became divided into two groups, the Doves and Hawks.  The Doves wanted peace and end to the war, while the Hawks think U.S. should put in more powers.  The Students rebelled, and the SDS is formed.  

The longer the war went on, the less hope people have.  More and more people became Doves, and want an end to it all.  It’s not until Nixon became president that the war ended.  U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in March 29, 1973, after much bombing.  However, the war forever left a wound in American’s heart.  The Soldiers who came back suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and many committed suicides.  

South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam in 1975.  The war was a blood bath for both the Vietnamese and Americans.

-Katherine 

Our Boys in 'Nam

Vietnam was colonized by France since 1884, causing the formation of several Vietnamese opposition groups. One such group was the Viet Minh common front formed in 1941, which was controlled by the Communist party in Vietnam. Because France was taken over by the Axis during WWII, the Japanese took over the French colonies. When famine struck northern Vietnam in 1944, the Viet Minh inspired the people to refuse to pay taxes and to raid rice storages. The group recruited many members during this period. In 1945 Japan was defeated and the leader of the Viet Minh Ho Chi Minh declared the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam struggled against the French and finally gained independence in 1954, with the help of the PRC, the Communist party in China, and the Soviet Union. Many Vietnamese were allowed to freely move between North and South Vietnam, separated by the 17th parallel. The Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, governed the North and the Republic of Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, ruled the South. The North Vietnamese army is referred to as the People's Army of Vietnam and the communist South Vietnamese army is referred to as the Vietcong.

The Kennedy Administration grew wary of the spread of communism during the Cold War. However, Kennedy believed that South Vietnam carried much of the responsibilities regarding guerrilla warfare because he was against the deployment of American troops. As Kennedy's advisers pressed for military action, the President stuck with merely giving aid. The Southern government, filled with corruption and poor leadership, eventually required US troops.

President Lyndon Johnson took over the Presidency in 1963. He was initially more involved in the "Great Society." However, he was notified of two attacks on American battleships on intelligence missions near the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964. It was later found in 2005 that there were actually no attacks on the battleships. However, these "fake" attacks allowed Johnson to conduct military operations in Vietnam. The US constantly bombed Vietnam for three years, hoping that it would intimidate North Vietnamese as well as bolster the morale of South Vietnamese. On 1965, the marines were dispatched to Vietnam. There was not much progress however, because of the deadly guerrilla tactics. In 1968, North Vietnamese forces attacked during Tet holiday, the Vietnamese counterpart of New Year's. The attack was devastating to the Vietcong as US forces retaliated quickly.

The Vietnam War concluded during Nixon's presidency. The Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, ending direct US involvement in the war. The treaty ordered a ceasefire between the two states. In 1975 Northern forces captured Saigon, ending the war. Although the North Vietnamese technically won, the war ended up as a stalemate for both powers. The US had no choice but to retreat from the war, failing to enforce the policy of containment, while Vietnam suffered many casualties. Neither countries paid reparations.

Andrew C and Ben H

Vietnam War

This war was between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The war was fought between 1964 and 1975. The United States joined the war to help South Vietnam fight communism. This was a part of the US trying to desperately contain communist. The war took place on the grounds of South Vietnam and in bomb runs over North Vietnam. The Vietnam War was part of a larger conflict between neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos known as the Second Indochina War. About three million American men and women were went to fight in this war. North and South Vietnam fought through guerrilla warfare. The South Vietnamese and the US relied greatly on air superiority and firepower to destroy North Vietnamese operations. The North leadership ordered the vietcong to not pitch fights with the US, instead they were ordered to do hit and runs and more ambushes. The US had spotter planes everywhere and so it was very important to the vietcong to hide their bases in swaps and remote areas. 58,148 Americans died in this war and about 500,000 North Vietnamese died. 

Petra