Vietnam

• Vietnam and the Cold War

  Vietnam split into:

  North Vietnam (The Democratic Republic of Vietnam - DRV)

  South Vietnam - (Republic of Vietnam - ROV)
• North Vietnam

  Supported by China and USSR and other Communist countries

  USSR saw Vietnam as an to expand their influence in Southeast Asia and counter US influence
• South Vietnam


  Supported by USA, South Korea, Australia and other anticommunist countries
• Who was involved?


  Ho Chi Minh - led the most popular rebels in Vietnam (Indonesia), the Viet Minh

  1945 - declared independence from France and established Democratic Republic of Vietnam

  Firm Communist

  His forces beat the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu - 1954
• Who was involved ?

  Dwight D Eisenhower- new president of USA , established the New Look Policy

  Ngo Dinh Diem - Vietnam’s anti communist leader and USA supported him

  JFK - new USA president (Eisenhower’s successor) , sent 16000 advisors to South Vietnam
• IndoChina


  1945 - Ho Chi Minh declared independence from France and established DRV

  France resisted but withdrew from Vietnam after defeat at Battle of Dien Bien Phu - 1945

  Eisenhower - concerned Vietnam would turn to Communism

  July 1954 - Vietnam temporarily split into 2 until elections could be held : French left the North and Viet Minh left the South
• Dien Bien Phu - 1954

  French vs Viet Minh

  Ho Chi Minh - supported by Communist China (turned Communist in 1949) under Mao Zedong

  US saw Viet Minh as Mao‘s and Chinese Communist’s puppets - so helped France by pouring 500 million dollars a year into their effort

  Viet Minh won - funded by USSR and China

  8,000 French troops died
• Geneva Agreement 1954


  May 1954 - Britain, France, China, USSR, USA and Vietnam met in Geneva, Switzerland to decide the future of Vietnam and reach a settlement for what happened in IndoChina

  Agreed on withdrawal of French Troops, creation of ceasefire and new territorial settlement

  Laos and Cambodia formed

  North and South Vietnam made

  Dividing Line - 17th Parallel (demilitarised zone at this point)

  Intended there would be elections in 1956 across whole of Vietnam to decide future government
• Domino Theory (American Involvement)


  Early 1950- USA devised the Domino Theory - thought if South Vietnam fell to Communism, their ideology would spread to nearby countries and countries would fall like dominoes

  To avoid conflict - Eisenhower established New Look Policy - sent money, equipment and military and political advisors to South Vietnam to help country become secure
• Domino Theory - Ngo Dinh Diem


  He was harsh and corrupt - imprisoned enemies and money wasted

  Was a Catholic - persecuted Buddhists - monks protested, lit themselves on fire

  Despite corruption and brutality of South Vietnam’s anti communist leader , Ngo Dinh Diem, USA still supported him due to their shared ideology
• Vietcong (were Communists) / also known as NLF


  December 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (Vietcong) was established with support of Ho Chi Minh - wanted to unify Vietnam and overthrow Diem

  NFL started campaign of guerilla warfare - in 1961 20000 Vietcong guerillas in South Vietnam

  Guerillas - trained in art of conducting ambushes, laying traps and using cover of the jungle

  NLF had support in North Vietnam and considerable amount in the South
• Vietcong - Ho Chi Minh trail


  Established to get weapons and equipment to rebels for NV - around 1959

  To carry supplies from North - South

  Hundreds of interlocking trails, many ran through Laos and Cambodia to avoid US air strikes

  By early 1960s, Vietcong controlled substantial parts of South Vietnam

  However Diem was becoming increasingly unpopular - in 1963 overthrown and killed by his own troops

  US secretly backed this - hoped a new leader would improve the situation
• Further US involvement


  1960 - new US President JFK began sending over 16000 advisors and experts to South Vietnam (assassinated 1963)

  Kennedy's successor Lyndon B Johnson ordered full US military involvement on Vietnam
• Impact of Vietnam war on Cold War

  US belief in Domino Theory shown and commitment to containment

  Divided public opinion of US - led to anti war movements

  Strained relations between US and South Vietnam

  Highlighted limitations of US military - severely damaged economy

  Escalated tensions between USA and USSR as both superpowers were heavily invested in the outcome of the conflict
• Timeline for Vietnam


  August 1945 - Japan defeated by allies in WW2 leaving a power vacuum in IndoChina, France begin to reinsert its authority over Vietnam

  September 1945 - Minh declares an independent NV and models his declaration on American Declaration of Independence of 1776 in an unsuccessful effort to win the support of US

  July 1946 - Minh rejects a French proposal granting Vietnam limited self government and Viet Minh begin a guerrilla war against French
• Timeline for Vietnam (2)

  March 1947 - In an address to Congress, Truman states the foreign policy of US is to assist any country whose stability is threatened by Communism - Truman Doctrine

  June 1949 - French make past emperor Bao Dai head of Vietnam

  August 1949 - USSR explodes its 1st atom bomb in remote area of Kazakhstan - tense turning point in Cold War with US

  October 1949 - Following a Civil War, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declare creation of People's Republic of China
• Timeline for Vietnam (3)

  January 1950 - People's Republic of China +USSR formally recognise Communist DRV+ both begin to supply economic and military aid to communist resistance fighters within the country

  November 1968 - Republican Nixon wins US elections on the campaign promises to restore law and order and to end the draft

  1969 to 1972 - Nixon administration gradually reduce number of US forces in SV, placing more burden on the ground forces of South Vietnam's ARVN as part of a strategy known as Vietnamization. US troops in Vietnam are reduced by around 500, 000 in 3 years