What were the consequences of the Vietnam War for civilians in both the United States and Vietnam following the U.S withdrawal from the war?

This resulted in a disrespect of authority in America as many of the U.S public felt humiliation as they, the world's greatest superpower, were defeated by the small nation of Vietnam.

Vietnam was even blamed for the racial tension in America as many blacks felt that they had done more than their ' fair share ' of fighting.

Alongside all of this the U.S was accused of war crimes for dropping four tonnes of bombs on Vietnam and killing and maiming people due to the use of napalm and chemical weapons such as ' Agent Orange '.

It just so happened to be that it was also ' Agent Orange ' that left America with long-term scars as well. For instance, some of the U.S soldiers who handled the highly toxic chemical ' Agent Orange ' made themselves more prone to contract cancer and have babies born with deformities. Also more than half a million veterans suffered mental problems after the war.

Vietnam also affected American culture. The war led to many poems, novels and films such as ' Platoon ' and ' The Dear Hunter ', all giving their own interpretation of the Vietnam War.

Although the U.S saw themselves affected badly by the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese were a lot worse off.

The war created a massive refugee problem as in 1975 thousands of South Vietnamese fled from the North Vietnamese armies. The North took over and starvation and unemployment became a pressing problem for the south.

The war left Vietnam in devastation, with four million Vietnamese dieing or being wounded during the conflict. As a result there were thousands of orphans, maimed civilians and soldiers to care for.

After the war the Vietnamese countryside laid in ruins, due to excessive battering of shellfire, napalm and chemical attacks. Left behind was an environment littered with burned out warplanes, vehicles, guns, fields covered with unexploded bombs, shells, booby traps, bullets and land mines.

However these were just the short-term effects, soon America imposed trade barriers making it difficult for the Vietnamese to buy and sell goods.

Things got worse when in 1978 Vietnam went to war with China and Cambodia. Roughly one million refugees were uprooted, already suffering from starvation and sick of the repressive regime forced upon them, they decided to emigrate illegally by boat. The despair of these people captured the world, and the event was soon labelled the flight of the boat people. Approximately fifty thousand people drowned or were murdered. However, nearly a million were accepted in the west, most in the United States of America.

Both the nations of Vietnam and America were undoubtedly affected by the war in Vietnam. Both suffered heavy casualties and scars that lasted long into the future. However, Vietnam was not only affected socially but its country was left in ruins leaving me to conclude that Vietnam was the worst affected by The Vietnam War.