EXTENSI ONSOFTHECOLDWAR

THEVI ETNAMESEWAR1965TO1975
BACKGROUND.
_Vi etnam asmal lcount ryi nAsiahadf oughtfort heirindependencef rom Chi na.
_vietnam wi ththeassi stanceofFr ancewas f reedf rom Chi nese domi nation.
_Fr ancei ncorporatedVi et nam ,Laos andCambodi aint
oFrenchI ndochi na.
_t hest ruggleforindependencest ar t
edalloverwi thhochimi hndemandi ngi ndependenceaf t
er
wor ldwar1.
_hochimi hnandv oGuenGi apformedt he Vi etnamesecommuni t
ypar ty i n1930t ofightfor
i
ndependence.
_theJapanesei nvadedVi etnam dur i
ngwor ldwarI I onl y towi t
hdrawaf ter guerril
l
a at tacks
byhochimi hn andhi snewl yf ormed v i
etmi nhandagai nasar esultoft hedefeatint he
second wor l
dwar .
_afterwor ld war11Fr ancer eoccuppiedVi et
nam butwasdef eatedat di enBi enPhu
_At t heGenev aconf erence,Vi etnam wast empor ari
lydivi
dedatt he17degr eesnorthpar al
lel
i
nt onor t
hVi etnam underhochimi hnwit hHanoiast hecapi t
alandsout hVi etnam underNGO
DihnDi em withSai gonast hecapi tal
.
_Af i
vemi l
ewi dedemi l
i
tar isedzonewoul dsepar atethet wosides.
_El ectionswer etobehel dI n1956t oUnitethenor th andsout hVi etnam.
_Theunpopul arNGODi nhdi em didnotallowt heel ecti
ont otake pl aceashef ear
edhochi Mi nh
whowaspeasantf avouritewoul dwi n.
TheVI ETNAMESEWAR.

_The1stst
age:SOUTHVI
ETNAMESEARMY+USMI
LITARY VS
VI
ETCONG(1957_
1965)
_i
n1960Thenat i
onalli
berati
onfrontwasformedI nSouthern Vi etnam toresi
stNGO di
hn
diem'sr ul
e
_Itlaterformedaguer r
il
laArmyinthesout
hcalledtheVietcong.
_hochiMi nwhoey edunit
ingSouthandNorthVi etnam,t
rainedtheVietcongandsentthem t
o
fi
ghtagai nstthesouthViet
nameseAr myandtheassisti
ngAmer icanarmy .
_Chi naandt heUSSRsuppl i
edtheViet
congwi
t hassaultr
if
lesandt heotherweapons.

_USA FEARED THE DOMINO THEORY MEANI

NG,I
F SOUTH
VIETNAM FELLTOCOMMUNI
SM ,
THENEI
GHBORWOULDFOLLOW.
_i
n1961,pr esi
dentJohnfKennedyapprov edaUSmi l
it
ary campaignstoassi
st NgoDinah
diem'sgovernmenttwar
t acommuni st takeov
er.
_hissuccessorLyndonBJohnsonexpandedUSmi l
it
arypresencef
rom 23000t
roopsi
n1961to
540000I n1969.

_THEVI
ETCONGEMPLOYEDGUI
RRI
LLAWARFARE.
_TheVietcongwerear ound 300000st r
ongi n1964.
_Theyusedt hecoverofthejungle, whi chthey knewwel ltot
heiradvantage.
_TheVi etconghadsecur edthet rustoft hev il
lager
swhot hey t reatedwit
hrespectand
someti
meshel pedthem withwor kloadsi nthef i
elds.
_Thevi
ll
agersinret
urnhi dtheVietcongandgav ethem foodandshel t
er.
_TheVi
etconghad f ashi
onedunder groundt unnelsthatfi
tt
edtheirsmallsi
zes.

_TheAmericansuponchasingt
he enemywoul
dbet
err
if
ied ast
heVi
etcongwoul
d suddenl
y
di
sappeari
ntothetunnel
s.
_
TheAmer
icanswer
ebi
ggerandcoul
dnotsqueezei
nto t
het
unnel
swhenchasi
ngt
heenemy
.

_THE VIETCONG PI
CKED BATTLES THEY WERE SURE TO WI
N.
THEIR WEAPONS INCLUDED DAGGERS AND SWORDS,EVEN
EXPLOSI
VES.
_Theyusedboobyt
rapslikepunjisti
cksandsharpened sticksofbamboo.
_Thesehadadevastat
ingef f
ectasAmer icansol
dier
swoul dwi t
nessthei
r comr
adespi
rcedby
bamboosti
ckandsomel osingtheirl
imbs.
_Theset
err
if
iedt
he Amer i
canswhower eusedtoconvent
ional war
far
e.
_TheAmer i
cansoldi
erscouldnotsepar atetheVietcong f rom thevil
l
ager
sastheVi
etcong
worenounif
orm.

_THE HO CHIMI
NH TRAI
L:THE VI
ETCONG GUI
RRI
LLA WERE
KEPT WELLSUPPLI
EDBYASTREAM OFWEAPONSFROM THE
NORTH.
_Thesewer ecar r
ies onf oot,by bi cycl
eormulesalongt hehochiMi nh trai
l ajungletrai
l
woundingthroughLaosandCambodi a.
_Thet r
ailwasupgr adedt o i ncludeusefulf
eat
uressuchasr oadsandbr i
dges,barr
acks,
hospit
alsandot herstr
ategicfeatures.
_TheAmer icans'attemptst obombt het
rai
l wasdiffi
cultasitwasnotsocl ear
lyvi
sibl
efrom
air
borne.
_Theiratt
empt stoplantlandmi nes andbar bedwi
resex posedthem toat
tackbytheVi
etcong

_SOUTH VI
ETNAM BACKED BY THE USA I
NTRODUCED
HARMLETS.
_Ruralpeasant swer efor
cibl
yr emovedt akentospeci
all
ypr otectedvill
ages.
_Thehar mletsmetaf ir
cer esist
ancef r
om thepeasantswhodi dnotwantt oleavebehindt
hei
r
ancestralgrounds.
_Thehar mletsfai
ledbecause t heVietcongoccupi
edt hem ,capt ur
ingthe peasant'
sweapons.
_TheVi etcongdef eatedtheSout hVietnameseAr myatt hebattl
eofApBaci nJanuary1963.
_ngodihndi em waski ll
ed.
_TheUSAt henusedt he excuse oft heGulfofTonkin t oat t
acknor thVi
etnam.
_Theycl aimednor thVietnamesegunboat shad attackedt woAmer icanwarshipsattheGul
fof
Tonkin.
_i
twasdi scoveredthattheincidentneverhappenedatal l
.

_st
age2(1965_1969)USMI LI
TARY+SOUTHVI ETNAMESEARMY
VSNORTHVI ETNAMESEARMY+VIETCONG(1965_1969)
_Thenbeganawarofat t
ri
tionbet weent henort hViet
nameseandt heAmer icans.
_ThenUSAi ntr
oducedoper at
ionRol l
ingThunder, abombi ngcampai gn.
_I
nsteadoft argeti
ngmi l
itar
yt ar
getonl y,i twasr esponsi
blefort hekilli
ngoft housandsof
i
nnocentcivi
li
ans.
_operat
ionRolli
ngThunderf ailedbecauseNor t
hVi etnam wasmai nlyaf armingcountryand
Chinawouldreplacethemilit
arysuppl i
esdest royedbyt heAmericans.
_operat
ionsearchanddest r
oy edwasunl eashedwi tht heai
m ofsear chi
ngf ortheenemyand
destr
oyinghim.
_italsofai
ledasi dent
if
yingt heenemywasdi ffi
cul
tandl edtoi tbeingcalleda"hi tandmiss
pol
i
cy"
.

_THEUSAUSEDTECHNOLOGI CALWEAPONS,e.
g.,HELI
COPTER
WHI CHGUICKLYFERRI
EDTROOPS,THEAMERICAN7thFLEETTO
SEND FIGHTER PLANES AND BOMBERS TO ATTACK NORTH
VIETNAM.
_Agentorangewasi ntroducedtof l
ushtheVietcongoutofthedensejungle.
_Thiswasanenv i
ronment alhazardwhichdestroyedmil
li
onsofHectorsofl and.
_Agentbluewasi ntroducednextt ospr
ayher bici
deovercropstokil
lplantssothattheViet
cong
couldbedeprivedoff ood.
_Napalm prov
edt hedeadl i
est.
_Thiswasachemi calwhichcausedi nt
enseheat ,pr
oduci
ngagelt hatattachedit
sel
ftotheskin,
burni
ngthroughtot hemuscl eandbone.
_Aphotographyofbur ni
ngv ict
ims,amongstwhowasPhanThi sKi m pucani neyearold,sent
shockwav estothewor l
ddamagi ng Amer i
ca'simage.

_THE VIETCONG AND THE NORTH VI

ETNAMESE ARMY
LAUNCHED THETETOFFENSI
VE,KI
LLI
NG MORETHAN 2000US
TROOPSINAGUNBATTLE ATTHEUSEMBASSY.
_Alt
hought heVietcongweredef eated,i
twasagr eatpropagandavi
ctor
yfort
hecommusts.
_i
nMar ch 1968,Amer i
cantroopsent eredav il
lageinmyLaiandki ll
edandki
ll
edtheenti
re
population, mainlywomen,chil
dr enandol d peopl e.
_Themassacr esentwav esofshockt othewhol ewor l
d and t
heUSA.Therewer ecal
ls
developingf orAmer i
ca'
swithdrawal fr
om Vi et
nam.
_Therewer edi ff
erentper
specti
v essorroundingtheVi et
namesewar .
_TheVi etnamesesawi tasast ruggleforindependence, whi
letheAmeri
canssawi
tasthei
rri
ght
tocurbt hespr eadofcommuni sm.

_
stage3USWI
THDRAWALFROM VI
ETNAM (
1969_1975)
_f r
om 1969 presi
dentNi xon i
ntroduced t
he pol i
cyofVi etnamisati
on,t hatisthe gr
adual
repl
acementofAmericansoldi
erswithSouthVietnameset r
oops, sendi
ng t heAmericanshome.
_TheAmericanswereshockedwhen Ni xonwidenedt hewarint
oLaosandCambodi a.
_publ
icpr
essurefor
cedpr esi
dentNixontoenterintonegoti
ati
onswi thnort
h Vi et
nam inpari
sin
1973.
_TheUSAagr eedtowithdrawalfr
om Vietnam andt henorthandt heSouth agr eedtoacease
fi
re.

_
4THANDFI
NALSTAGE:UNI
FICATI
ONOFVI
ETNAM (
1973_1975)
_Bothsidesv iolatedtheceasef ir
e.
_Thenor t
hat tackedsout hVietnam andent er
edSai
gonin April
1973.
_Thesout h Vietnameseaut hori
tiessur render
ed and t
heAmer i
cansfl
ed t
he embassyby
air
craft.
_Saigonwasr enamedhochi Mi nhci t
y.
_TheVi etnam warwas ov erandVi et
nam was onceagai nUnitedandi
ndependentandi
ts
economyr ecoveredandst abili
tyreturned.
_Thewari sr emember edbysomeAmer i
cansasaher oi
cstr
uggl
ewhi l
eot
her
ssayitwasawaste
ofli
v esandr esour ces.