The Vietnam War

by lucycarrick03gmailcom | Tuesday 17th of January 2023

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial conflicts of the twentieth century, resulting in over one million deaths, and seeing a larger number of bombs dropped than the entire Second World War. When that conflict ended in 1945 and the French were unable to re-establish colonial control in Vietnam, the rise of the Vietminh (a nationalist group with communist ideals) prompted US intervention that gradually escalated over the decades that followed. By 1954, the Vietminh had established control in the North of the country, but the South was in turmoil; President Diem’s regime found itself increasingly under attack from the National Liberation Front (‘NLF’ or ‘Vietcong’) and within five years, the North was actively assisting by sending supplies and guerrilla fighters down the Ho Chi Minh trail.

The use of guerrilla tactics made it very difficult for the US to respond effectively to the threat they perceived in Vietnam and this led to controversial tactics including ‘Search and Destroy’ and chemical warfare in an attempt to assist the South Vietnamese government in defeating the communist forces. As America went from sending advisors and money to the full deployment of ground troops and bombing raids, communist forces grew in strength and support and Vietnam became a quagmire from which it was difficult to withdraw. The eventual 1973 peace treaty enabled US involvement to end but only after intensive escalation and without long-lasting achievement; by 1975, the whole of Vietnam was in communist hands.