The War in Vietnam

1965-1975

A. Before WWII, Vietnam was a

French colony

During WWII, the Japanese took

Control of Vietnam

After WWII, the Japanese were

removed from Vietnam and France

wanted their colony back

• A Vietnamese communist leader named

Ho Chi Minh and his forces led a fight

against the French to regain control of

Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh and his communist allies had

a decisive victory at Dien Bien Phu in

1954

• As a result, Vietnam was divided in two

with a DMZ at the 17 parallel; North

Vietnam was communist; South Vietnam

was non- communist

• The US helped South Vietnam by sending

military supplies and advisers based on

the domino theory – that if one country

fell to communism, surrounding countries

would fall like dominos.

A divided Vietnam

In early 1960’s North Vietnamese

forces and guerrillas named the

Viet Cong attempted to oust the

South Vietnamese government

• Guerilla: One who engages in irregular,

non-traditional warfare. They usually do

not wear uniforms and use “hit and run”

sneak attacks. The Viet Cong looked like

civilians and used trip wires, punji pits, and

ambushes to attack their enemy

Viet Cong Tactics

Punji Pit and trip wires in Vietnam

• The US continued to send

money and troops to South

Vietnam. People in the US,

including college students

and Buddhist monks,

protested against US

involvement.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident:

• August 1964, President Johnson claimed

that US ships had been attacked in the

Gulf of Tonkin. He asks Congress to

allow him to respond.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin

Resolution” allowing President to use all

“necessary measures” against North

Vietnam

• President Johnson sends combat troops

to Vietnam in 1965 (escalation of war)

US Soldiers and the Draft

• Draft required soldiers as young as 18 to

fight in Vietnam

US soldiers fought in difficult terrain

against the North Vietnamese army

and the Viet Cong

• From 1965 – 1968, the US used

Operation Rolling Thunder, a

series of air strikes to destroy

factories and the Ho Chi Minh

Trail (a supply route of paths and

tunnels from N. Vietnam to S.

Vietnam through the countries of

Laos and Cambodia.

• The US also dropped napalm, a

highly explosive jellied gasoline

used to burn the thick jungle

vegetation, and Agent Orange, a

chemical poison used to kill

vegetation and tree leaves. Later

both of these were found to

cause environmental and health

problems for people in the area

and US veterans.

Agent Orange

• Search and destroy

missions – new fighting

strategy, in which US patrols

searched for enemy camps

and supplies hidden in the

jungle, then destroyed them

with massive fire power and

air raids.

E. More than 2 million soldiers

served in Vietnam. The average

age was 19, younger than

previous wars. Bout a quarter

were drafted, many from minority

groups and poor families.

College students got draft

releases or deferments. By mid-

1967, 300 US soldiers were

dying per week.

Vietnam was the 1st Televised War

The media, especially

television had a huge impact

on public opinion. For the first

time people at home could

see brutal images of war.

Americans are seeing grisly TV

images of war and Americans

becomes divided over the war

• Many older Americans tended to

support the war

• Many younger Americans tended to

think this was a Vietnamese Civil War

and America should not be involved

Anti-war protests erupt on many

college campuses across the US. 4

Protesters killed when Ohio National

Guardsmen Open fire on protesters

at Kent State in Ohio (“Kent State

Massacre”-1970)

Problem: Draft and Voting Age

• Draft Age: 18

• Voting Age: 21

• In 1971, the 26th Amendment lowered the

voting age to 18 and Nixon won reelection

H. Most Americans supported the war until

the Tet Offensive in 1968. On January

30, during Tet, the Vietnamese New

Year, the North Vietnamese and

Vietcong soldiers launched a series of

surprise attacks on a day that was

normally a cease fire. This proved that

we were not close to victory as US

officials had claimed and caused many

Americans to questions whether or not

we were hearing the truth.

I. In the presidential election of 1968,

republican Richard Nixon wins the

presidency.

• Promised to bring “peace with honor” in

Vietnam

• After taking office, Nixon created a plan to

pull US troops out of Vietnam and have

the South Vietnamese take over the

fighting: Vietnamization

Paris Peace Accords: January 27,

1973

• The US agrees to withdraw all troops from

Vietnam

• North Vietnamese and Viet Cong agree to

return all American Prisoners of War

(POW) and to respect the 17th parallel

Despite peace agreement, fighting

broke out between N and S

Vietnam in 1974

• US refused to send troops back

• In 1975, North Vietnam invades the South

• Communist forces capture Saigon in April

1975 -Fall of Saigon

Effects of the Vietnam War

• America divided over war

• 58,000 Americans killed in Vietnam

• 300,000 Americans wounded

• Many veterans treated disrespectfully

upon returning home

• Vietnam becomes a Communist country

• Many veterans suffer from PTSD (Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

begins the healing process