The labour market in Hanoi, where poor farmers from the countryside look for work
America withdrew their troops in 1972, but problems persisted. The North and South of Vietnam were united in 1975, only to enter a political conflict. There were major problems with the government and the running of the country. The North Vietnamese communists wanted to rule the country their way, with collective farming and nationalised industries. Yet these methods were opposed by the South. They were also impossible due to the contaminated land.
By 1978 the localised conflicts had turned to wars with Cambodia, and with China in 1979. The continued problems were too much for a large portion of the civilians. Thousands fled the country, most in boats, but also in aircraft, in search for a new life, boarding any vessel until it was dangerously full. These 'boat people' as they were later known, spread to Britain, and even the USA. Some arrived in Malaysia, who opposed their presence, some Vietnamese were even shot down in an attempt to get into the country. In total, around 50,000 boat people lost their lives, the majority of whom drowned.
South Vietnamese struggle to escape via an American Helicopter, April 1975
The economic problems of Vietnam saw inflation rise to around 700%. Living costs became unbearable by 1986. Bad harvest meant that food could not be exported, and the prime income of the country was cut down. The American government started a scheme in 1993, allowing the World Bank to start funding Vietnam. This was perhaps down to guilt and the feeling that they must do something to compensate for their actions.
USA
The Americans suffered heavy losses, as expected. Though the actual number of troops lost was little more than the number of Vietnamese refugees dying whilst trying to escape from their own country. These are the figures for American troops lost:
Vietnam War (8 July 1959 - 29 March 1973)
Number Serving: 9,087,000
Number Serving In Country: 2,594,000
Hostile Deaths: 47,357
Non-Hostile Deaths: 10,796
Wounds, Not Mortal: 53,303
Deaths In Service: 58,153
Living Veterans: 8,247,000
Some American Soldiers later became known as 'MIAs' (Missing In Action). They were never found after the war, many presumed dead. U.S. officials still are searching for the remains of roughly 1,500 American soldiers who never came home from the Vietnam war. It is also a problem in Vietnam, their government says it still can't find 300,000 of its own soldiers. With 25 years gone by, the Vietnamese are turning to unconventional methods to trace the missing in action, such as TV shows appealing for help.
Just as the Vietnamese were affected by chemical warfare, the American veterans faced similar problems. Many developed cancerous tumours. This was not their only problem…
American troops obviously suffered through the maiming of limbs, or the pressure and self-disgust at killing civilians. But many were also held captive as Prisoners of War. They suffered physically to great extent, but their worst enemy was loneliness, as veteran 'Thomas N. Moe' writes in his personal account of solitary confinement:
"What I was not prepared for were the effects of solitary confinement. For the first nine months of my captivity, and sporadically later, I didn't see, hear or talk to another American. Although physical pain was inflicted on me deliberately and effectively, I would discover what an incredible burden mental pain would add to my suffering, how a dark fog slowly could creep over my consciousness, trying to rob me of my remaining power of reasoning. I saw that the mind could convince life itself to slip away through the beckoning black hole that pain created. I learned how vital it was to keep the mind as sharp as possible."
Many soldiers had vivid flashbacks and continuous nightmares. The knowledge of their actions caused them to have unbearably guilty consciences. Earlier in the Century, in WWI for example, soldiers suffering from 'shell shock' were shot dead. More sympathy is felt for those suffering from their experiences today.
The sort of image one might experience in a flashback
Many early deaths of Vietnam veterans are preventable through a 'Change in Lifestyle' or seeking advice when there are early signs of illness. The government has responded by providing funding for a number of health programs, including the Men's Health Peer Education Project. The 'Vietnam Veterans Counseling Service' has been provided with resources to help with health and lifestyle issues. This Association has always adopted an approach towards these issues and asks that all veterans become involved for better health.
The soldiers returning made an impact on the country's crime, unemployment and divorce rates. On their return, they received anything but a hero's welcome. The public had great knowledge of the American involvement in Vietnam, and were, on the whole, disgusted with the troops.
Discrimination against the veterans was a major problem. Many Vietnam veterans found it hard to hold down a job because employers were reluctant to take them on. They developed a sense of worthlessness, and suffered bouts of depression. Many of the troops who were married beforehand suffered relationship problems, and in many cases, divorced. They were essentially social outcasts. This discrimination was perhaps a little blind, the troops were conscripted and worked under captain's orders.
There is a bitter feeling towards Vietnam and who was involved. Much of the public began to blame their Government for such a drastic loss in the number of young men's lives. It was certainly a little unfair that nobody in the US congress had a member of family die in Vietnam. Even Bill Clinton avoided conscription to Vietnam by getting a scholarship at University. Many students at the time of Vietnam saw their friends die at War, and had to come to terms with it.
As far as America's authority over the world was concerned, people began to see them as a weak nation. They were defeated by a country with little resources, little money, and if anything else, a comparatively tiny population. Whereas before they had been seen as an all powerful, technologically advanced superpower, they were now seen as a nation unable to beat a land of peasants.
The use of chemical warfare, napalm, blanket bombing, and the witnessing of massacres such as My Lai were a great embarrassment to the Americans. It denoted them as completely inhumane and ruthless, a tag which they could do without.
A second generation victim of Agent Orange
All in all, the American and Vietnamese public have had their minds flooded with emotional trauma. They have suffered extremely heavy losses, and the Vietnamese continue to be effected by the environmental damage to their country.