“ …the death and destruction they[Americans] saw appeared as irrational killing...mass loss of the public support for the war” McLaughlin, Eric. "Television Coverage of the Vietnam War and the Vietnam Veteran." War Bird Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. <http://www.warbirdforum.com/media.htm>.
“The trail [The Ho Chi Minh Trail] undeniably lay at the heart of the war.” "Wars and Battles, Vietnam War." Ho Chi Minh Trail. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1875.html>.
“The Ho Chi Minh Trail… soon became a misnomer. It was like a superhighway literally a lifeline to victory… gave the NVA the advantage of interior lines… could concentrate their forces anywhere in the South more quickly than the ARVN” Summers JR., Harry G. Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War. New York: Swanston, 1995. pg.70
“The politics in South Vietnam were full of corrupt diplomats who were working on the inside along with other diplomats who were full of undemocratic ideas. The United States’ beliefs were not supported by all the people in South Vietnam…rebelled against the United States rule….” "The Vietnam War 1965-1968." The History Place. 1999. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1965.html>.
“…the Vietcong would avoid pitched battles with the Americans…there would be more hit and run attacks and ambushes” " Guerilla Tactics." Battlefield: Vietnam. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html>.
“The Chu Chi Tunnel… if a village was in enemy hands, the NLF beneath were still able to conduct offensive operations.” " Guerilla Tactics." Battlefield: Vietnam. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html>.
“American tactics in Vietnam relied on overwhelming firepower…relied heavily on modern technology and their weapons of war.” Roush, Gary. "Statistics about the Vietnam War." History.com. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html>.
“From the air the Ho Chi Minh Trail was impossible to identify and although the United States Air Force tried to destroy this vital supply line by heavy bombing, they were unable to stop the constant flow of men and supplies.” Simkin, John. "Vietnam War Overview." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
“..even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government.” "Vietnam War Revision." Learn History. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/usdefeat.htm>.
- Evaluation of Sources
Essential Histories: War and Conflict in Modern Times - The Vietnam War written by Andrew Wiest provides a detailed, comprehensive account of the origin of the Vietnam War, and the happenings during the Vietnam War. The source’s purpose is to educate and inform the readers with the detailed knowledge of the Vietnam War with interviews of soldiers and civilians, statistics and photographs. The values of this book include giving the historians an easier understanding of the historical context of the war as there are primary sources such as the interviews and this provides them with a particular example into the prevailing attitudes and perspectives of individuals towards the Vietnam War from both sides of the opponents. Andrew Wiest, being a professor of history at a university, who authored in articles and book chapters based on the Vietnam War, and has won the 2009 Society for Military History Award for one of his historical books entitles, Vietnam’s Forgotten Army, one can assume that he is a widely known expert in this historical event, and therefore many people have read and agreed with this book. However, the source’s limits are considering that this book was published in New York and written by an American, there may be a certain amount of bias within the book due to his American background, especially when the United States could not win the war and had to withdraw.
While Essential Histories: War and Conflict in Modern Times - The Vietnam War is based on the background, overview, the detailed happenings and the chronological events of the war, Battlefield Vietnam: Guerilla Tactics by Robert K. Brigham provides information based on the North Vietnamese’s tactics and strategies used during the war. The purpose of this source is to inform the public about the ways North Vietnamese fought the war which results in the US not being able to win the war, leading to a solution of withdrawal. The values of this internet webpage lie on the fact that it is easily understood, and allows the readers to compare these tactics to the US tactics as well as keeping the question of why US could not win the war in mind. In addition, due to the fact that Rober K. Brigham is an expert in the study of the Vietnam War and has published many books and essays regarding to the topic, one can as well assume that his essays and studies are widely read, acknowledged and accepted. This webpage is also limited because it is a brief overview of the North Vietnamese’s tactics – it does not give detailed information that are necessary in understanding each tactic thoroughly. Furthermore, as this webpage was written by an American author, his American background might as well bias his discussion of the North Vietnamese’s tactics as he tries to emphasize the cruelty of these tactics by implying how the American’s were treated and the number of deaths.
- Analysis
The Vietnam War (1959-1975) was the America’s longest war and yet, the United States was defeated. As the United States was against communism, South Vietnam was a center where they could control the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. Being one of the most powerful nation at that time, no one could predict and expect their lost in the Vietnam War. “During the nine years of official American involvement in the Vietnam War over two million Vietnamese and 58,219 Americans lost their lives…. truly represent a great tragedy.” (Wiest 5) However, there were some faults in the American forces and the intelligence of the Vietnamese that led them to the lost. It was the American forces who did not take into account the weak institutions in South Vietnam, the America’s military strategy along with the Vietnam’s guerilla warfare, the movement along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and the establishment of the Anti-War Movement.
The United States was not aware of “the weak institutions in South Vietnam.” (The History Place) When the United States had discovered the communist ideas that were being spread in the North, they thought they had enough ammunition to start a war against Vietnam. However, the United States did not realize that “The politics in South Vietnam were full of corrupt diplomats who were working on the inside along with other diplomats who were full of undemocratic ideas.” (The History Place) In addition, “The United States’ beliefs were not supported by all the people in South Vietnam… ”(The History Place) Therefore, this meant that even from the beginning, the American beliefs were not supported by all South Vietnamese and the government and democratic policies were not accepted by the people, who then rebelled against the United States.
In addition, the United States’ military strategy did not suit the Vietnam’s guerilla warfare. “American tactics in Vietnam relied on overwhelming firepower…. relied heavily on modern technology and their weapons of war.” (Roush) They believed that they could easily bomb the enemy into submission. However, those were not effective in the Vietnam War. Instead, the Vietcong fought with the use of guerilla warfare as “the Vietcong would avoid pitched battles with the Americans…there would be more hit and run attacks and ambushes” (PBS) In addition, “they would blend in with the population, indoctrinating them and launching guerilla attacks on the superior enemy.”(Wiest 17) The Cu Chi Tunnel was one of the main tactics that the Vietcong used. It was a hidden underground tunnel that was used for hiding spots, weapons storage, food storage and hospitals. Therefore, “even if a village was in enemy hands, the NLF beneath were still able to conduct offensive operations.” (PBS) To the American soldiers, there was “no training that prepares a soldier for all of this. The shocking violence and visual horrors of infantry fighting are far beyond anything imaginable… the real objective is simply survival.” (Wiest 59) With the guerilla tactics, a small group of lightly armed Vietnamese could easily surround and kill twice as many Americans by hiding or attacking when they were the most vulnerable.
Furthermore, the Americans could not stop the movement of troops and supplies to the south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The trail consisted of a set of complex webs of paths through the jungle. The North Vietnamese would carry war supplies and send soldiers to the south to support the war along the trail that passed through Laos and Cambodia. “The Ho Chi Minh Trail… soon became a misnomer. It was like a superhighway literally a lifeline to victory… gave the NVA the advantage of interior lines…could concentrate their forces anywhere in the South more quickly than the ARVN” (Summers JR., Harry G 70) However, the Americans could not destroy the Ho Chi Min Trail because “from the air the Ho Chi Minh Trail was impossible to identify and although the United States Air Force tried to destroy this vital supply line by heavy bombing, they were unable to stop the constant flow of men and supplies.” (Simkin) With these reasons, many historians concluded that, “the trail undeniably lay at the heart of the war.” (Travel and History)
In 1965, the Anti-War Movement in the United States was established. “The extended length of the war, the high number of U.S. casualties, and the exposure of U.S. involvement in war crimes, such as the massacre at My Lai, helped turn many in the United States against the Vietnam War.” (Unsolved Mysteries) Public demonstrations were being held and seven million of the Americans protested on streets in 1968. “The death and destruction appeared as irrational killing…mass loss of the public support the war.” (McLaughlin) As the antiwar movement began to grow along with the increase of public critics, the war became unpopular in the US. Later on, this movement was spread to North Vietnam in which they all agreed and showed support by wearing peace symbols and movement salutes. Therefore, at the end, because of all the actions taken, the United States government could not do anything but “withdrew their support for the war.” (McLaughlin)
- Conclusion
“The United States had a frightening lack of understanding regarding the Vietnam War” (Wiest, 62) Therefore it is questionable to say that there were only three reasons that led to the lost of US in the Vietnam War. When Vietnam was reunited, “the controversial defeat in Vietnam caused a painful, national catharsis in American society, which represented a sea change in its society.” (Wiest 86) Before the war, the United States was thought to be “a good nation led by well-meaning people.” (Wiest 86) However after the Vietnam War, it was different; “America had been defeated; its leaders had lied; its soldiers had committed atrocities; its society had nearly imploded…” (Wiest 86)
The Vietnam War was “the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the twentieth century. It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths.”(The History Place) Although the Vietnam War ended many years ago, but “even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government.”(Learn History)
- List of Sources
Barringer, Mark. "The Anti-War Movement in the United States." Modern American Poetry. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/vietnam/antiwar.html>.
" Guerilla Tactics." Battlefield: Vietnam. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html>.
Roush, Gary. "Statistics about the Vietnam War." History.com. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html>.
"The Vietnam War 1965-1968." The History Place. 1999. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1965.html>.
"Vietnam War Revision." Learn History. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/usdefeat.htm>.
"Wars and Battles, Vietnam War ." Ho Chi Minh Trail. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1875.html>.
Wiest, Andrew. Essential Histories: War and Conflict in Modern Times The Vietnam War. New York:Rosen, 2002. Print.
Young, John. Interview. Essential Histories: War and Conflict in Modern Times The Vietnam War. By Andrew Wiest. New York: Rosen, 2002 . 59. Print.
Summers JR., Harry G. Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War. New York: Swanston, 1995
Simkin, John. "Vietnam War Overview." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
McLaughlin, Eric. "Television Coverage of the Vietnam War and the Vietnam Veteran." War Bird Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. <http://www.warbirdforum.com/media.htm>.
