vietnam

• The Vietnam War
• Revision Checklist

  • US Involvement in Vietnam, 1954-75
  • The Cold War
  • The End of French Rule in Vietnam
  • The Division of Vietnam
  • Greater Involvement Under Eisenhower (1953-61)
  • Greater Involvement Under Kennedy (1961-63)
  • Greater Involvement Under Johnson (1963-69)
  • US Tactics
  • Vietcong Tactics
  • The Tet Offensive (1968)
  • Vietnamisation Under Nixon
  • Expansion of the War Under Nixon
  • Reactions to US Involvement in Vietnam, 1964-75
  • Reasons for Growing Opposition to the War
  • The My Lai Massacre (1968)
  • The Kent State Shootings (1970)
  • Reasons for Support for the War
  • Peace Negotiations, 1972-73
  • The Cost of the War for the USA
  • Reasons for the USA's Failure in Vietnam
  • Summary of Key Individuals
  • Timeline
• Cold War

  Long period of tension between America and the Soviet Union (USSR) after WW2. The two countries had very different ideas about economics and government.
• Communism

  Where the government controls all businesses and resources, and decides where people live and work. In theory, this means that wealth is shared equally amongst everyone in the country.
• The Cold War: The USA and USSR never actually fought each other – this is why it's known as a cold war. However, they did get involved in other wars between other communist and capitalist countries.
• Capitalism is where people and businesses control themselves, and people decide where they live and work. This might mean that some people in society are very rich and some people are very poor.
• The End of French Rule in Vietnam


  • The Vietminh had the support of local people
  • They had more troops – 50,000 v. 15,000 French
  • They had support from communist China
• Vietminh

  A communist group that fought against the French for Vietnam's independence. It was led by Ho Chi Minh and had the strongest support in the north.
• The Division of Vietnam

  1. The Geneva Accords (1954) divided Vietnam into North and South along the 17th parallel

  2. North Vietnam was ruled by Ho Chi Minh (Communist)

  3. South Vietnam was ruled by Bao Dai (anti-communist) then Ngo Dinh Diem from 1955

  4. A demilitarised zone (DMZ) separated the two countries
• South Vietnam's prime minister Diem refused to hold elections in 1956, because he feared Ho Chi Minh (North Vietnam) would win. As a result, Vietnam stayed divided.
• A group called the Vietcong (Vietnamese communists) began to fight against Diem, encouraging people in the South to support communism. They were supported by North Vietnam, who from 1959 sent troops and weapons into the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
• Domino theory

  The fear that if Vietnam became communist, other countries in that part of Asia would also become communist.
• Diem's government in South Vietnam

  • Diem got rid of Bao Dai in a fixed referendum in 1955, then made himself president
  • He hunted and killed suspected communists in South Vietnam
  • He was a Catholic and he treated Vietnam's Buddhists harshly
  • He gave most government jobs to family members and Catholics
  • He didn't introduce reforms to help ordinary village peasants
  • He was seen as a puppet of the USA, not a man of the people
• Eisenhower's involvement in Vietnam


  1. Set up the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) to stop communism spreading

  2. Sent advisers to train the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN), but did not fight with them
• By the end of 1960, Diem's government had control of less than half of South Vietnam


  Without America's help, it seemed unlikely to survive
• Kennedy's involvement in Vietnam

  1. Sent 16,000 more US advisers to train the ARVN

  2. Focused on pacification - winning over local people so they wouldn't support communism

  3. Sent in US Special Forces ('Green Berets') to train villagers to protect themselves from the Vietcong

  4. Agreed the use of chemical spraying to kill crops and jungle areas where the Vietcong could be hiding
• The Strategic Hamlet Program

  • Large villages guarded by the ARVN, where people could feel safe and protected by the government
  • Aimed to stop peasants being recruited by the Vietcong
  • About 5,000 had been built by September 1962
  • Turned more people against Diem's government as villagers did not want to leave their old homes and the government didn't provide enough food
• In November 1963 Diem was assassinated in a coup by ARVN generals - the USA knew it was coming but deliberately didn't warn him.
• Why the Vietcong was a greater threat by 1964

  • Well organised and could act quickly
  • Had local support and won people round with propaganda
  • Stressed that it was fighting against poverty, corruption and the USA
  • South Vietnam government was weak, divided and unpopular after Diem's death
  • Could do more damage thanks to troops and supplies from China and the USSR
• Johnson's involvement in Vietnam

  1. Continued to send in US advisers, but was in a more difficult situation than Kennedy

  2. The Vietcong was much stronger and posed a much greater threat than before

  3. The South Vietnamese government was weak and divided following the assassination of Diem
• Gulf of Tonkin incident

  In August 1964, two US Navy ships claimed they had been torpedoed by North Vietnamese boats in the Gulf of Tonkin, although there was some confusion about what actually happened
• Aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident

  1. Johnson ordered US airstrikes on North Vietnam

  2. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed Johnson to send in US troops if necessary

  3. North Vietnam responded by increasing their involvement in the South
• By 1965, the US was spending $2m a day on the war, there were 184,300 US troops in Vietnam (up from 23,300 in 1964), and both sides were committed to a war neither really wanted.
• Search and destroy missions

  • Involved small units of US soldiers searching the jungle for VC camps, then ordering helicopters to bomb or spray them
  • The US troops usually left the area once it had been 'destroyed', allowing the VC to move straight back in
  • The bombing and chemical spraying harmed villagers and turned them against the US
• Operation Ranch Hand - chemical warfare

  • The US first used chemical weapons in Vietnam in 1961 to kill crops and jungle forests
  • Agent Blue was used to kill crops, Agent Orange was used to kill jungle forests
  • One plane could spray 300 acres in 4 minutes
  • The chemicals were very strong, poisoning the soil and rivers, causing health issues and birth defects
  • Killing crops led to starvation
• Operation Rolling Thunder

  • A bombing campaign that targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail and industrial areas in North Vietnam
  • Also dropped napalm (a burning chemical) and pineapple bombs
  • Caused significant damage to its targets, but the Ho Chi Minh Trail was constantly repaired so supplies still got through
  • Aid from China and the USSR was not targeted
  • The destruction it caused turned the Vietnamese people against the USA
• Vietcong tactics

  • Familiar with Vietnam's jungle terrain and used it to their advantage
  • Attacked with simple traps and sabotage
  • Used 'hit and run' tactics, attacking then disappearing back into the jungle
  • Only fought big battles occasionally, so it was a surprise tactic
  • Dressed like normal people - a 'shadowy enemy'
  • Used a complex system of tunnels to move around and surprise US troops
• The Tet Offensive

  1. A series of attacks on cities and US bases by the VC and North Vietnamese, which began on January 30th 1968 (the Vietnamese New Year)

  2. The VC and North Vietnamese attacked areas near the DMZ to lure US and ARVN troops away from cities and bases, and surrounded the US base at Khe Sanh

  3. The attacks began with the North Vietnamese and VC capturing key sites in Saigon such as the US embassy and ARVN headquarters

  4. The offensive was a tactical win for the US as they recaptured most cities and bases quickly, and the VC suffered heavy losses
• The Tet Offensive began, which was the Vietnamese New Year (Tet)


  January 30th 1968
• Preparing for the Tet Offensive

  1. VC and North Vietnamese attacked areas near the DMZ to lure US and ARVN troops away from cities and bases

  2. They surrounded the US base at Khe Sanh

  3. The North Vietnamese suggested they might be willing to enter peace talks to lure the US into a false sense of security
• The Tet Offensive

  • It wasn't the usual jungle fighting - instead the VC and North Vietnamese attacked cities and military bases
  • The attacks began with the North Vietnamese and VC capturing key sites in Saigon such as the US embassy and ARVN headquarters
  • The attacks were on a much larger scale than usual, with 84,000 communist troops taking part
• The Tet Offensive was a tactical win for the US
• Tactical win for the US

  • The US and ARVN recaptured most cities and bases quickly
  • The VC suffered so many losses that they were almost wiped out
  • The offensive did not lead to a revolution in South Vietnam, as the VC had hoped
• The Tet Offensive was a political win for North Vietnam and the VC
• Political win for North Vietnam and the VC

  • It was a huge propaganda victory for the VC - they had successfully caught the US off guard
  • People in America were shocked by the fighting, and lost faith in the government who said that the war would be won soon. Anti-war feeling increased

  
• A US soldier in Vietnam: 'Tet was a victory for the US. We may have been caught off guard to begin with, but we quickly regained control and what's more, we've practically wiped the VC out.'
• A member of the US public: 'The government tells us we're winning the war, yet somehow the VC managed to catch the US totally off guard! It's about time America got out of Vietnam.'

  
• A VC fighter: 'Although we lost many men, the Tet Offensive was a political victory for the VC. We frightened the Americans and they are quickly losing public support for the war.'
• Johnson didn't stand for re-election in 1968 because of the increasing criticism of the war. He was succeeded by Richard Nixon, who promised to get the USA out of the war.
• Nixon Doctrine

  The US would no longer provide troops to its allies, only aid and training