Introduction
The Vietnam War was a long-running conflict involving the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese communists. Both warring parties had their allies who intensified the war; for instance, the primary supporters for the South Vietnamese was the U.S, while the Soviet Union and China backed the North Vietnamese communist. The war occurred from 1954 to 1975; in Vietnam, a Southeastern nation on the edge of the Eastern Indochinese Peninsula, an ideological difference being the ultimate cause. Consequently, the feud was exacerbated by the endless cold war between the Soviets and the United States (History.com editors, 2021). The South Vietnamese advocated for maintaining a more Westernized Vietnam. On the other hand, North Vietnamese favored a more unifying Vietnam as governed by a single communist rule inspired by China and the Soviet state. This research aims at expounding on the events of the Vietnam War from its inception to the time it ended.
Part I
Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country, had been ruled by the French government since the 19th century. In World War II, the Japanese soldiers attacked Vietnam; as a consequence, a Vietnam political leader Ho Chi Minh allied with the Soviet Union and China to combat both the French and Japanese invaders (Viet-Nam Free-World, 2022). However, the Japanese were defeated in World War II, compelling them to withdraw their troops from Vietnam, leaving a French emperor Bao in charge. As a result, Ho Chi Minh saw an opportunity, and therefore, he and his allies took over the Northern part of Vietnam. In an attempt to reclaim the region’s authority, France supported Emperor Bao and established the state of Vietnam in July 1949 in the South, capitalizing on the metropolis of Saigon. Although both feuding parties wanted a united Vietnam, at the same time, Ho, together with his allies, desired a communist-style society (History.com editors, 2021). On the other hand, Emperor Bao and many others desired a Vietnam with strong cultural and economic connections affiliated to the West.
The United States’ active participation in the Vietnam War began in 1954. Their involvement was influenced after Ho and his allies assumed authority in the north after emerging victorious in the Dien Bien Phu battle in May 1954 against the French colonists (History.com Editors, 2018). Following that defeat, the French evicted Vietnam ending the colonial rule. Subsequently, as a result of tension between the North and South, a pact was ratified in July 1954 at a Geneva meeting, dividing Vietnam along North and South where Ho took charge of the north while Bao the South. The agreement also stipulated that nationwide reconciliation elections be conducted in 1956 (History.com Editors, 2018). Nevertheless, in 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem, an ardent anti-communist politician, usurped power from Emperor Bao and became head of South Vietnam.
Part II
As the Cold War intensified globally, the U.S. stiffened its policy toward any Soviet supporters. By 1955, President Eisenhower had committed his unwavering backing for South Vietnam and Diem. Precisely, in 1960 he defied the Vietnamese obligations as he stated that;
“Although the main responsibility for guarding independence will always, as it has in the past, belong to the Vietnamese people and their government, I want to assure you that for so long as our strength can be useful, the United States will continue to assist Viet-Nam in the difficult yet hopeful struggle ahead.” (Viet-Nam Free-World, 2022)
The above quote meant that the U.S would reinforce military equipment and the central intelligence agency to Diem and South Vietnam to fight off any Northerners and countries allied to them.
Due to the excessive force used by Diem in his regime, he made enemies both in the North and South of Vietnam and as an impact, he faced retaliation; in 1957, the Viet Cong began by attacking government officials in the South. Consequently, the rising numbers of communists and non-communist in South Vietnam led to the formation of the Nation Liberation Front to coordinate the resistance of Diem’s dictatorial rule. A movement that deemed itself independent and was not affiliated with the communists.
The southeast was the strategic backbone of Vietnam in that it had one of its shores in the southern China Sea. Moreover, the shore served as an entry point to Malaysia and Indonesia, and it also controlled the estuary of the Mekong River. Thenceforth, the dominion theory emerged that entailed the importance of Southeastern Vietnam. The U.S. under President Kennedy feared that upon any southeastern nation fell to communism, others would follow; hence there was a need to counter the threat, he stated that;
“…our primary purpose is to help your people maintain their independence. If the Communist authorities in North Viet-Nam will stop their campaign to destroy the Republic of Viet-Nam, the measures we are taking to assist your defense efforts will no longer be necessary.” (Viet-Nam Free-World, 2022)
From the quote, it is apparent that the motive of the United States was to counter the further spread of communism and that they would go to any lengths to battle it. Further, they believed that if the Vietnamese people lose their battle for freedom and independence, it will be devastating for free-world interests across Asia and the South Pacific. Hence, the number of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam was doubled; the U.S. government presumed that if they ignored their onus, South Vietnam would succumb to communism, neighboring Laos, Indonesia, Burma, and Malaysia would follow suit.
Since the South Vietnamese received massive support from the U.S., they effortlessly subdued most opponents. Notwithstanding, some communists managed to survive as Diem’s leadership was characterized by incompetency and inadequate training troops (History. Com Editors). The relentless Viet Cong managed to stage a successful attack at the Mekong Delta, destroying helicopters and killing several South Vietnamese soldiers. Later, Diem’s regime was overthrown by the ARVN units, and three weeks later, President Kennedy was assassinated.
Afterward, Lyndon Johnson succeeded Kennedy; he also detested communism, and therefore, it was America’s onus to commit to their allies, counter communism spread. Lyndon, therefore, increased economic and military support in the South. (Vietnam War, 2017) As a result, in August 1964, they received a spirited retaliation after the North military vessels ambushed U.S. warships in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson responded and authorized the military targets in North Vietnam to be bombed (Vietnam War, 2017). Owing to the massive rebellion, congress swiftly ratified the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that granted Johnson wide war-making powers that subsequently followed U.S. jets launching regular bombing missions, dubbed Operation Rolling Thunder.
The bombing was detrimental to the Vietnam territory and negatively impactful to neutral neighboring countries such as Laos. For instance, Laos became the most heavily bombed country during the war. To the U.S., the military bombing of neighbors was a tactical approach to hinder the flow of supplies to Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh route and avert any communism approach from Laos’s troops. The operation was known as the Secret War in Laos, and the central intelligence agency led it (Viet-Nam Free-World, 2022). In 1966 Johnson added thousands of troops to Vietnam despite the rapidly growing anti-war movements and amid all the gained reinforcement in troops from other allied nations, such as New Zealand and Australia.
To fully gain control of the war, Lyndon appointed a ruthless commander, William Westmoreland. He was severe and sought annihilation strategy, focusing on eliminating as many opposing forces as possible; he used bombing strategy by aircraft as they relocated their supporter to safe zones. However, intense bombing by B-52 planes rendered these zones unusable, as people flooded into specified non-warring zones around Saigon and other non-risky towns (Viet-Nam Free-World, 2022). Nevertheless, the communist and Viet Cong did not wave the white flag; they believed they could regain more territory from the reinforcement in airstrikes they received from the Soviet Union.
Part III
As the war escalated, the repercussions also increased, the numbers of U.S. casualties accelerated, some American soldiers were anguished in physical damage, post-traumatic disorders and drug abuse. Moreover, some even staged mutinies towards their commander (Vietnam: The First Television War, 2018). Undoubtedly, the war had exhausted the soldiers as some even felt deceived by the government; hence, some defected. A strong anti-war campaign rose within American troops resulting in aggressive demonstrations, assassinations, and widespread imprisonment of soldiers deployed in Vietnam and the United States. The protest intensified back in America as the grotesque images of war in Vietnam were inhumane; furthermore, more than 3000 individuals conducted a strike outside the pentagon in October 1967 (Vietnam: The First Television War, 2018). In lieu of being deemed heroes who saved Vietnam, the American government was branded as villains who supported the corrupt regime of Saigon.
Nonetheless, the war continued despite the anti-war protest; in 1968, General Nguyen, in charge of the Northern military, launched the Tet Offensive attacks in cities and towns in the South. The U.S. and south military were caught by surprise; nevertheless, they still managed to subdue their opponents, a move that many Americans did not approve of (Vietnam: The First Television War, 2018). With the election period looming, Johnson sought to be peaceful by deflating the war, calling for a pact between the U.S. and North Vietnam. In 1969 when Nixon was elected, he enacted the Vietnamization policy, which entailed withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam. On the other hand, they continued peace talks with North Vietnam and wanted full eviction of Americans from Vietnam. The constant protest by the anti-war in Washington D.C fueled further peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam, and therefore in 1973, and they signed a peace pact to end the feud between them
Conclusion
The Vietnam War lasted for more than two decades, from (1954 to 1975) and the main participants were South Vietnam and the communist in North Vietnam. The U.S. was allied to the South Vietnamese while the Soviet Union and China campaigned for the North Vietnamese. The battle was fought by troops, ground and sophisticated ship vessels and aircraft weapons. The battle had adverse effects, and as a result, it bred protest in Vietnam and back in America as antiwar organizations advocated against the war. Later, the U.S. sought to have made peace with North America; hence they withdrew their soldiers, ending their long-term war in 1973.
References
History.com Editors. (2018). Articles by History.com Editors. Web.
Map of North and South Vietnam 1954. (2020). Web.
Viet-Nam Free-World Challenge in Southeast Asia. (2022). Web.
Vietnam: The First Television War. (2018). Web.
Vietnam War. (2017). Web.