Strengths of North Vietnam

• geographical and cultural:

  Vietnam used to be one unified country which provided advantages for the north Vietnamese:

  • North Vietnamese understood landscape, climate and language of South
  • those who fought French as Vietminh knew locations of tunnels that could be developed and used
  • many north Vietnamese had family and contacts in South
• political and economic:

  • Vietcong were already established in South Vietnam - North Vietnam could supply VC
  • VC were very organised
  • North Vietnam were given over 3 billion in aid from China and USSR between 1954-1967
  • Laos and Cambodia allowed North Vietnamese and VC to use Ho Chi Minh trail
• military:

  • the VC were well organised and experienced in guerrilla fighting
  • they developed a good system of tunnels

  BUT:

  • the North Vietnamese were supplied by China and USSR
  • the VC were badly weakened after Tet Offensive - North Vietnamese troops did most fighting in rest of war
  • the war was won by invasion by North Vietnamese troops - not guerrilla fighting