Why did the US fail to win the
Vietnam War?
What background knowledge
should I use?
• Why America are involved?
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The Domino Theory
Containment
French withdrawal from indo-china
Gulf of Tonkin
Ho Chi Minh and the Communist North
Essay style questions
• Most essays on the Vietnam War will have
a factor to discuss and judge on its
importance
• Military Failings
• Anti-War Movement
• You must discuss each of these factors
and make a conclusion to how important
these factors are individually.
What are the factors?
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US & ARVN military failings
Vietcong & NVA success
Anti-War Movement
Influence of the Media
Economic Impact on US
US Moral
ARVN Strategy
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Keep control of South Vietnam
Remove the Viet Cong from Villages
Defend South from Invasion
Rely on Massive amounts of money from
US.
ARVN weaknesses
• Even though they outnumbered the Vietcong they failed
to counter the threat of the Vietcong
• Diem’s Regime was deeply unpopular in Vietnam
• Poorly Trained & Equipped
• US sent Special Forces to teach basic training and
tactics to ARVN
• Represented the Middle Class and not the people
• Sympathy for Vietcong in the countryside
• Poor chain of command
• Corruption amongst the Army and Government
• Political interference
• All crippled the ARVN from being an effective fighting
force against Communism
• High casualty rate during the Vietnam War
Importance of this Factor
• The Vietnam War would have been over
far quicker without the introduction and
escalation of US military forces however it
is not a major factor in the US failing to win
the Vietnam War.
• The corruption and chain of command was
a key issue in the failings of the ARVN
US military Failings
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Operation ‘Rolling Thunder’
‘Search and Destroy’
Chemical Warfare
Strategic Hamlets
Operation Rolling Thunder
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Aim to was two fold:
1. To make the North Vietnamese give up the
War
2. Halt the flow of equipment down the Ho Chi
Minh trail.
• 8 million tons of
bombs dropped
between ’65 and ’73
• 300 tons for every
man, woman and
child in Vietnam
• the cost to the US of
these raids was
estimated at $900
million.
• Life Magazine
calculated it cost the
USA $400,000 to kill
on Vietcong fighter
• North Vietnam had
few factories to bomb
• It failed to stop the
supply
• The USA did not anticipate the
determination and resilience of the North
Vietnamese people.
• Despite killing between 50,000 and
200,000 civilians, morale remained high
• The people volunteered to repair the
damage showing they would not give up.
• Operation Rolling Thunder was a costly
operation. It cost the USA vast sums of
money and had little impact on both the
economy of North Vietnam and the morale
of the people.
‘Search & Destroy’
• Aim:
– To Locate the enemy and engage
– Missions using US and ARVN troops
transported via helicopters
– High Body Count approach (grind the enemy
into submission)
Failure of Search and Destroy
• Killing more NVA and VC soldiers did not have
the desired effect. More and more people from
the North would join to fight the foreign invaders.
• As soon as US troops arrived at an area the
Vietcong would often disappear only to return
later.
• Innocent villages were often destroyed
• Made US & ARVN troops unpopular
• Failed to win the support of the Vietnamese
peasants.
• Inexperienced troops often walked into traps
• Rapes and Killings occurred
• Search and Destroy did not have the
desired effect either as they failed to grind
the North into submission through body
counts.
• US public used to their soldiers being
hero’s, not beating up children and women
• Did not reduce the enemies ability to
attack or reduce level of support among
the south Vietnamese.
Agent Orange and Blue
• Aim:
– To destroy the jungle and crops supporting
the NVA & VC
– Make it easier to fight the war for US
• It was estimated that approximately 77
million litres was sprayed over Vietnam.
• Drifted for miles and destroyed crops of
local people.
• Up to 4 million people were exposed to
these acids
• Settled on animals and got into water
supplies
Strategic Hamlets
• Very unpopular with locals
• Relocated peasant farmers from their land
and placing them in fortified camps
• Supposed to protect them from VC attacks
however drove the peasants closer to the
VC.
• Like living in prison
Overall
• US military failings were crucial in the
Vietnam War’s outcome. The US failed to
win the Hearts and Minds of the people
and used tactics that were ineffective and
largely unpopular amongst the locals.
• Support for the War at home was wavering
as a result of the dead bodies coming
home and the tactics used by the US.
NVA & VC strengths
• Aim:
– To win the hearts and minds of the people
– Wear down the US forces
– Use Guerrilla tactics
• Vietcong treated the South Vietnamese with
respect and helped them out in their fields
• In return they gained food, hiding places and
support
• Supporters of the US/ARVN would be treated
with ruthless and brutal behaviour
• 30,000 teachers, police and tax collectors were
killed as they worked for the South’s government
• Tactics used
– Booby Traps and mines (60% of US casualties result
of these)
– Used the Jungle and countryside to their advantage
– Tunnel system for cover
– Vietcong did not use uniforms so hard to identify
– Very skilled due to previous wars against the
Japanese and French
– Prepared to accept a heavy body count
• Vietnamese were fighting for a cause so
much more determined than the USA
• Affected US morale both in Vietnam and at
home
• Guerrilla tactics ideal for jungle warfare
• American High Tech warfare nullified
• Importance
– The success of the Vietcong and NVA in
winning the Hearts and Minds of the local
peasants in Vietnam was important in the
outcome of the War. They fought a
determined effort to reunify Vietnam and drive
out foreign invaders. The Guerrilla tactics
were able to wear down the US/ARVN
superior numbers and prevent them from
using their superior technological power.
Anti-War Movement
• Huge demonstrations carried out during
the war calling for the withdrawal of US
forces from Vietnam
– VVAW
– Civil Rights Movement
– Students
– Hippies
• Undermined the war effort as the US failed
to achieve a quick victory
• 58,000 total deaths
• Televised pictures showing the horrors of
the war
• Student opposition
– October 1969 2 million people took part in the
Vietnam Moratorium protests
– November 1969 1 million people
demonstrated in Washington DC and San
Francisco
– Kent State 1970 massacre
• VVAW
– Powerful voice against the war
– Stories of brutality and pointless suffering
– Hard to dismiss their opposition
– VVAW took over the Statue of Liberty in Dec
26th 1971 for 2 days
• Civil Rights
– Protesting against the draft
– Martin Luther king against the War as most
recruits were young blacks
– Seen as ‘poor and black mans’ war
– Ali refused to go
• ‘They never called me nigger’
• Anti-war demonstrators labelled as
‘Communists, traitors or cowards’
• Impact?
– LBJ did not seek re-election due to the unpopularity of
the War and his policies
– Cant win a war when you lose the support of the
people
– Some would argue that the movement had little
impact and not as powerful as first imagined
– However it split US public opinion and heavily
contributed to the eventual withdrawal from Vietnam.
Media
• Heavily reported
• First Televised War
• US civilians saw war in a way they had
never seen before
• Saw wounded and killed
• US soldiers committing acts of brutality
against prisoners and civilians
– My Lai Massacre
– Napalm Bombings
• Gave the Anti-War movement the
momentum
• People were turned off by the images
• Challenged the idea that ‘We were the
good guys in this war’
• However critics believe that people
became desensitised by the imagery and
immune. Still eat their dinner watching the
news.
Economic Impact of the War
• Economic cost of the war: US deficit of
$1.6 billion in 1965 increased to $25.3
billion in 1968. Tax increases unpopular.
• Sacrificed the Great Society which would
have improved the lives of many in the
USA especially the poor and blacks.
• Seen as a waste of resources, $2000
million a month in 1968
• The US economy could not sustain the
Vietnam War spending
– Caused high inflation
– Large budget deficit
• Important Factor but not a crucial factor as
the war should not have dragged on as
long as it did. Expected to be a quick
victory for the US, did not materialise
US moral
• Inexperience of US soldiers (not prepared to fight the
war)
• No experience of jungle warfare
• 19 was the average age of the soldier in Vietnam
• 43% of those killed in Vietnam were killed in their first
three months of service
• Drug Use (20,000 treated in 1971)
• Most soldiers main aim was reaching DEROS (Date
Eligible for Return Overseas)
• Conflict between officers and men, ‘Fragging’ was
common. (killing of officers by their own men)
• Troops more interested in surviving their
tour of duty than winning the war as 2
million serving in the War were drafted.
• Important factor but not as important as
other factors