When in Vietnam, the U.S soldiers struggled to identify the NLF. This was because by day the Vietcong mingled with the peasants and acted as the normal Vietnamese. The Americans therefore assumed that the people working in the fields were innocent, and simply ignored them. The NLF also wore the same clothes as the peasants, which made them unidentifiable. This was unlike the Americans who were easy to spot due to their uniforms and the way they looked.
Even when the Americans were able to pick out who they believed to be in the NLF, they were unable to communicate due to the language barrier. This made them frustrated, as they did not know their enemy. This was also good for the NLF as they could converse with the Vietnamese and promise them land and good lives if they were to be successful in the War. They could make promises to the people of Vietnam, which they Americans couldn’t. They were also local people, and so were more likely to be intruders. This was bad for the Americans as they were seen as impostors. As well as this, all the normal people of Vietnam had seen the American soldiers do was use violence against their own people.
Another important reason for America losing the Vietnam War was that their military was inexperienced. Most of the army sent out to fight in Vietnam were very young and had no previous experience of any extreme conflict whatsoever, especially guerrilla warfare. The average age for an American soldier in the Vietnam War was just 18/19. This statistic alone shows how young the majority of the soldiers were, and suggests that they were just kids sent out into an area they didn’t know, to fight an enemy they couldn’t find. On top of this they had no motive for being there and were probably intimidated by the surroundings, as well as the unidentifiable enemy.
One of the biggest reasons that America didn’t win the Vietnam was due to the propaganda issues that continued throughout the war. It all began in December 1966 when Vietnam decided to allow the first American journalist into the country. This was a good move by the Vietnamese, as they knew that the Americans, with the heavy bombing and use of weapons, would be more than likely to slip up and so therefore kill civilians, even though it may be accidental. Letting the American press, with their lack of restrictions on what they could print, into the country allowed the press to broadcast the atrocities that were occurring during this period. Graphics images and videos were sent back to the United States, leading to the American people wondering why they were fighting this War and whether it was all really worth it.
Another issue that resulted from all of this was why the American government had lied to the American people. The American government denied that any of their bombs had hit strategic targets, and that they were only striking strategic targets to stop the NLF in their tracks. This was proved untrue, however, as footage was sent home showing people who had been brutally harmed by the American bombing. An example of this was when a video clip was sent home showing Vietnamese children running away from a Napalm attack with Napalm itself attacking their bodies. This no doubt would have affected the American people, and led them to wonder whether anything that the American government had been saying to them was true or not. All of this damaged American morale, and so in turn put pressure on the American government to succeed.
This pressure put on the government to win resulted in the Americans throwing billions of dollars worth of money at this war. This damaged their economy. This led to American taxes being raised, which resulted in the American people becoming even more angered and in opposition of the government. At this time during the war it was costing the Americans $20 billion a year to stay in this battle. This was taking its toll, which was shown when for the first time, a poll showed that more Americans were against the war than were for it (August 1967).
Another reason for America’s downfall was that the American soldiers became unpopular in Vietnam. They decided to introduce ‘strategic hamlets’, where they moved thousands of peasants out of their homes. . The Americans were aware that the peasants from the South predominately supported the NLF. Due to this, they knew that they had to restrict the influence that the NLF had on these peasants. Around 40% of the Vietnamese were moved in this way, but this entire scheme achieved was making the Vietnamese detest the Americans even more. This therefore made the Vietnamese population more inclined to support the NLF.
Probably the biggest reason that the Americans lost this War was because they underestimated the NLF. They didn’t realise how determined the Vietnamese were to gain independence, and how being ruled by another country for so long had taken its toll on the people. The Vietnamese people had a huge motive of fighting for independence, and were determined to battle and overcome the Americans. They refused to give up and gradually disposed of parts of the American army.
The final blow was landed on the American government when the NLF launched the ‘Tet Offensive’. The Vietcong captured 75% of the major towns in Vietnam within a very short space of time. As well as this, 6 suicide NLF members captured the United States Embassy for six hours. The American government now realised that this was a War that they could not win. The footage was also sent back to the U.S where the American people were made aware of the situation in Vietnam. They too now realised that this War was not going to be won and had simply been a waste of money and life. They put more pressure on the government, who knew that they had to do what the people wanted; so they decided to start peace talks. America had lost a War to a country far inferior in an arms sense, mostly due to complacency.
