The USA were brutal with their air strikes, employing the likes of chemical warfare tactics and carpet bombings to weaken the enemy. They were deadly from above, but this wasn’t as effective, as the bulk of the war was fought on the ground, in the thick of the jungle. The USA’s air force destroyed rainforests and had savagely murdered tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians. In the long run, it had damaged Vietnam’s beautiful and unique ecosystem, and led to over 500,000 birth defects after the war. In total, they had used around 20,000,000 gallons of Agent Orange, which was a harmful mixture of herbicide and defoliants which also burnt through skin. As sickening as it appeared, it was not enough to stop the Viet Cong from running their efficient Ho Chi Minh Trail, which supplied arms, troops, and goods from the North to the South. There were around 44,000 Vietnamese workers, including women and children, striving day and night to keep the trail up and running, and when the effects of the bombings had severely damaged their system, they temporarily switched to their tunnel routes. The underground tunnel system was also as effective, as it ran for some 240km, deep through the rugged terrain of the jungle.
The Vietnam War was seen by many as a “media war”. For the duration of the war, thousands of television, radio and newspaper reporters spread their stories on a global scale, with reports, images and even videos of the fighting. The cruel, painful actions of US troops inflicting harmful damage on the local Vietnamese villagers and peasants were portrayed around the world, and it obviously wasn’t well received back home in the US. When the United States had first made the decision to go to war, public support was strong, and they were backed by many on a domestic scale. However, the revitalized media coverage had clearly depicted what was going on in Vietnam, and this had caused an uproar amongst many, leading to a high number of anti-war protests led by both the youth, due to the harsh laws of conscription, and the rest of USA, who were shocked to witness such brutality via live television streams of the ongoing situation. The My Lai massacre of 1968, where 400 Vietnamese civilians were killed, was also not warmly received at home, and in Europe. One can say that the media had significantly influenced the lack of support coming in for USA, and it could be deemed as a reason why they had lost the war.
By 1969, the US Government were forced to uphold the concerned voices and opinions of the general public, and shortly after, the Congressional Support had backed down. President Nixon had attempted to try and avoid direct defeat by implementing the system of ‘Vietnamisation’, but it had also failed, as the Viet Cong continued to rally and assault South Vietnam. Basically, the fall of Saigon in 1975 had firmly indicated USA and South Vietnam’s loss, and it was enough to bring Communism to Vietnam after 30 years after. Soon after, much to the horror of USA, Laos and Cambodia had succumbed to Communism, and this became a classic example of the “Domino Theory” taking place.
In conclusion, the loss suffered by USA was a heavy one. Their policy of containment was shattered. Vietnam, along with a number of countries surrounding it, had fallen to Communism. A tragic amount of people died – almost one million Vietnamese and 60,000 Americans. Vietnam’s beautiful rainforest and its densely populated ecosystem had been destroyed at the expense of brutal chemical warfare. There were significant social, health, and economic losses that affected Vietnam, and carried on for decades. Both countries copped severe damage. The USA had become more careful and selective with their military influenced war tactics for the future, and had learnt their lesson. Their actions that had been portrayed back home were enough for their own citizens to turn against them, influencing Congress to take action by withdrawing support. Anti-war marches and protests had filled the streets of USA, and the only way out was to accept defeat and withdraw from Vietnam. There was really no need for the USA to join the war with such impact and emphasis- they were fighting a war which was not their own, and they risked too many lives and resources at the cost of warfare. One can understand the desire USA had to contain the spread of communism, but there were other means of containment, perhaps with more of an orderly kind of diplomacy, and at the same time, trying to avoiding war. Too many battles were being fought– independence, preventing the spread of communism, unity, and freedom for example. Promoting military superiority around the world and exercising cruel feats of destruction and brutality were also points drawn from the war. The Viet Cong were better equipped in terms of knowledge of terrain, and they also had a home advantage, with strong support from the locals, which had propelled them to victory over the USA.
Bibliography
Books:
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The Vietnamese War, 1998. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Grolier Printing House, London.
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Walsh, B. 1996, Modern World History, 2nd Edition, Hodder Headline Group, London, England.
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Wood, J. 1990. Vietnam and the Indochina Conflict. The Macmillan Company, Auckland, New Zealand.
Websites:
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Learn History- Vietnam- U.S Defeat. 2011, viewed 8th March, <>
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Vietnam War, 2011, viewed 8th March, <>
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Statics on the Vietnam War, 2011, viewed 9th March,< >