The main reason, I feel, that America lost was the tactics that the Viet Cong used; they used Guerrilla warfare, they tried to wear down their opposition;
The enemy attacks, we retreat
The enemy camps, we raid
The enemy tire, we attack
The enemy retreats, we advance
They attacked only isolated, scattered enemy, in small groups of 3-10 men called cells. This was so that if they were captured only a small part of the operation will be revealed. Many of the weapons used by the Viet Cong were captured U.S weapons, which built up their strength even more. Many of the bombs dropped by America, which did not explode, were then used against the U.S and South Vietnam troops.
They fought no battle they were unsure of winning and kept moving so it was impossible for the American troops to find them. The Viet Cong had a very strict code of behaviour towards the South Vietnamese peasants they would treat them as if they were friends and family, which won the support of the South Vietnamese people, who allowed the Northern troops to shelter and hide in the villages.
Under these villages the Viet Cong dug extensive tunnel systems in which they could hide from the U.S troops if the village was raided they had storerooms and several different exits if another was discovered. Around the village and within the jungle the Guerrillas would set up booby traps such as trip wire connected to a grenade in a tin can and spiked pits to trap the enemy’s leg in.
North Vietnam troops were very popular in the South as they promised to take all the land and share it among them. This meant that the American troops were very unpopular with the South Vietnamese peasants and were uncooperative when it came to shelter and food.
The American troops had no chance in beating the well-established Viet Cong with their unreliable weapons and un-willing troops.
Much of the American Army was made up of conscripts who did not want to fight in the Vietnam as they had already seen the devastating effect of the War on the television, this was the first War to be shown live on TV, it shocked the whole of America and many went to prison when they refused to fight for their country. The troops fighting in the Vietnam did not want to be there so did not go into battle determined to win.
There were many protests about the War and final after the failed attempts at peace talks Richard Nixon pulled all American troops out of the Vietnam War in 1973.
