HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR
COURSE SYLLABUS
Sarasota Military Academy
Spring Semester, 2014
Syllabus Created By Ron Filipkowski (2013-14)
A.
HISTORY OF VIETNAM (257 B.C. - 1954)
B.
VIET CONG AND AMERICAN ADVISORS (1956-1964)
C.
AMERICA ESCALATES THE WAR WITH REGULAR
MILITARY UNITS (1965-1967)
D.
THE TET OFFENSIVE AND AFTERMATH (1968)
E.
VIETNAMIZATION STRATEGY (1969-1972)
F.
RAPID AMERICAN DEESCALIZATION (1972-1973)
G.
PARIS PEACE ACCORDS AND WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED
STATES FORCES (1973-1975)
H.
FALL OF SOUTH VIETNAM AND REUNIFICATION (19741975)
I.
POST WAR VIETNAM (1976 - PRESENT)
A. HISTORY OF VIETNAM (257 B.C. - 1954) (Week 1)
Vietnam has one of the oldest documented histories in human
civilization. Geologists have found evidence of agriculture from
20,000 years ago, as early as any other civilization in world history.
The first organized Vietnamese states with borders and government
existed as far back as 2,879 B.C..
1.
Thuc and Trieu Dynasties (257 BC - 111 BC)
a). Thuc Dynasty (257-207 BC)
In the 3rd Century BC an ethnic group called the Au Viet emigrated
from southern China and mixed with the indigenous population.
The leader of this new combination of peoples, Thuc Phan,
pronounced himself Emperor or the northern part of Vietnam. He
then assembled an Army and conquered the rest of the country in 258
BC, and the "Thuc Dynasty" began.
He established an ingenious fortress with multiple spiraled walls as
his capital, and his archer defending the walls were legendary for their
skill.
b). Trieu Dynasty (207-111 BC)
A Chinese Qin warlord named Trieu Da, who was a native
Vietnamese, married his son to the princess of the Thuc Emperor in
207 BC. His son then used deception to allow Qin warriors inside the
gates of the capital and it was overthrown.
During the battle the Thuc Princess was killed inadvertently. Trieu's
son, the Crown Prince, was so upset and remorseful over his wife's
death that he killed himself.
Many Vietnamese historians consider this incident the beginning of
a thousand years of wars with China and Chinese domination. Even
though Trieu was ethic Vietnamese, he was still a Chinese
General and let Chinese troops to capture the city and conquer
Vietnam.
2.
The Long Eclipse - 1,000 Years of Chinese Domination (111 BC 938 AD)
In 111 BC troops from the Chinese Han Empire invaded and
conquered Vietnam. They established a government where the top
officials including provincial Governors were Chinese but they still
allowed Vietnamese nobles to hold local town and city offices.
In 40 AD the legendary Trung sisters led a successful rebellion and
captured almost all of the provinces. Trung Trac became Queen of
Vietnam.
In 43 AD the Chinese Han Emperor sent his famous General Ma Yuan
with a huge Army to recapture the country. After a long and bloody
war, the Trung sisters finally committed suicide to avoid capture.
The Trung Sisters are still today considered great national heroes of
Vietnam as a symbol of their historical defiance of any attempt for
foreign power to conquer it.
3.
Middle Vietnamese Dynasties (938-1407)
In 938 the Han Chinese sent a fleet to capture the last remaining
province in southern Vietnam that remained independent. The
Chinese were defeated at the Battle of Bach Dang and Vietnamese
General Ngo Quyen declared himself Emperor of a Vietnam finally
independent of the Chinese after 1,000 years.
In 979 the Vietnamese Emperor had been assassinated, leaving his 6
year old son to inherit the throne. The Chinese sought to take
advantage of the situation and invaded.
The famous Vietnamese General Le Hoan realized that he could not
defeat the massive Chinese Army head to head, so he lured them into
a mountain pass in the Central Highlands and ambushed them.
Le Hoan's tactics served as the model for every Vietnamese General
facing invasion by a superior power, and was copied to defeat the
Mongols, Chinese, French and Americans in a number of e
ngagements in the exact same region over the next 1,000 years.
4.
Ming Domination (1407-1527)
A long and bloody civil war in Vietnam in the late 1300s and early
1400s left the country very weak.
The Chinese Ming Dynasty took advantage of a weakened Vietnam
and invaded, easily capturing the country.
In 1418 and wealthy farmer name Le Loi led a revolt which became
known as the Lam Son uprising. After a few early defeats, his
movement gained followers and eventually besieged the Ming capital
at Hanoi.
The Ming Emperor sent a relief Army but they were ambushed by Le
Loi and the Chinese finally agreed with withdraw from Vietnam and
Le Loi became Emperor of Vietnam.
The Chinese lost 300,000 soldiers during the 10 years of the Lam Son
uprising before finally withdrawing back to China.
5.
Late Vietnamese Dynasties (1527-1887)
A period a civil war between the ruling families of the North and
South that divided the country.
The Nguyen ruled the South and the Trinh the North.
European traders arrived for the first time. The Portuguese backed the
South and the Dutch the North.
6.
French Colonization (1887-1954)
French gunships attacked Da Nang in 1858. They then sailed south
and captured Saigon.
A few years later the French captured Hanoi and the north.
The French controlled all of Vietnam by 1886.
*** VIDEO - SEEDS OF A WAR, VIETNAM A TELEVISION
HISTORY, PART 1 (PBS) WITH 17 QUESTION QUIZ.
a). Ho Chi Mihn and the August Revolution
After the defeat of the Japanese, a window was open in August
1945 for Vietnamese nationalists to seize power and proclaim
independence before the French returned.
Ho Chi Mihn held a rally of 400,000 people in Hanoi, read the
American Declaration of Independence to the crowd, and a
Constitution was drafted.
b). World War II Peace Treaty
Allied powers all agreed that Vietnam would be given back to
the French. British troops were to occupy the South and the
Chinese the North until the French were able to return.
c). Dien Bien Phu
French defeat in 1954 at a remote stronghold in North Vietnam.
Disastrous defeat for the French where they lost over 14,000
men.
After this defeat, the French left Vietnam for good.
B.
1.
THE VIET CONG AND AMERICAN ADVISORS (19561964) (Weeks 2-3)
Communist North Invades (1956-1960)
a). Ngo Dinh Diem
Appointed President of the South by the previous Emperor.
He was educated in France and a Catholic.
He was from a noble Vietnamese family but was not well known the
the people of the country, and had little support among the leaders in
the government.
b). Viet Cong Insurgency
Rebels in South Vietnam who were encouraged by the North to rise
up against the Diem regime. They were armed and supplied by the
North and carried out successful attacks throughout the South.
They formed in 1960 after the National Elections were cancelled by
Diem.
c). North Invades Laos
North Vietnam invaded Laos in 1959 with 30,000 troops in order to
create infiltration and supply routes to the South. Laos was used
throughout the war with the U. S. by the North to shuttle supplies and
weapons to the Viet Cong in the South as well as regular NVA troops.
*** VIDEO - BEGINNING OF US INVOLVEMENT (1954-63), Vietnam
A Television History, Part 2, with 10 Question Quiz.
2. American "Advisors" Sent In (1964-1964)
a). Strategic Hamlet Program
Created by Diem in 1961 and supported by the Kennedy
Administration.
Joint U.S.-Vietnamese program to settle the peasant farmers into
fortified camps. The concept was to isolate the population away from
guerrillas and provide education, health care and security.
The program was a failure because the people resented being uprooted
from their ancient family farms and also because the hamlets provided
easy targets for infiltration by the VC.
b). Diem Executed
The U. S. grew increasingly dissatisfied with Diem in the early 1960s
as he refused to follow the advice repeatedly from American advisors.
His harsh treatment of the Buddhists also led to widespread protests
by monks, their followers and thousands of students sympathetic to
their plight. In 1963, Diem's brother raided Buddhist pagodas around
the country, killing hundreds of monks.
Vietnamese Generals plotting to overthrown Diem were told by the
CIA that they U. S. Government would not be upset if Diem was
removed by force. Diem and his brother were seized and executed in
November 1963.
c). Lyndon Johnson
U. S. President during most of the war who escalated U. S.
involvement from a few thousand advisors to hundreds of thousands
of soldiers. He said often that he "did not want to be the first
American President to lose a war."
He believed that involvement in Vietnam was also essential to the
United States' "containment" policy to stop the spread of communism
around the world.
*** VIDEO - U. S. ADVISORS AND THE GULF OF TONKIN
INCIDENT WITH 20 QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam, A Television History
(PBS), Eps. 2 (29:00-53:00).
d). Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The U.S.S. Maddox was fired upon by North Vietnamese patrol boats
just off the coast of Vietnam. This incident was used by President
Johnson to obtain a Resolution from Congress allowing him to us
regular U. S. air and ground forces in Vietnam for the first time.
C.
UNITED STATES ESCALATES THE WAR WITH REGULAR
MILITARY UNITS (1965-1967)
*** VIDEO - THE BEGINNING PT. 1 WITH 13 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam in HD (History Channel), Eps. 1 (0:00-30:10)
1. Flaming Dart, Rolling Thunder and Arc Light
A three-stage escalation of the bombing of North Vietnam. The
campaign lasted for three years from 1965-1968.
It was intended to destroy the North's infrastructure and air defenses
so they would cease intervention in the South. Ultimately, the
strategy failed to accomplish these objectives.
*** MOVIE - "WE WERE SOLDIERS," First engagement between
regular U. S. Army unit and the NVA. (Entire movie).
2. Ho Chi Minh Trail
Supply system that ran from the North through Laos and Cambodia
into the South. Men and material were sent South by trucks, bicycles
and on foot.
The U. S. tried to destroy and stop the flow by bombing and using
exfoliants such as Agent Orange but these efforts were largely
unsuccessful.
*** VIDEO - THE BEGINNING, PT. 2 WITH 15 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam in HD, Eps. 1 (History Channel) (30:00-43:30); Eps. 2 (1:2516:45)
3. Battle of Binh Gia
Major December 1965 battle between the ARVN and NVA. The first
head to head conventional battle between the two armies.
Was a major defeat for the ARVN and caused huge morale and
desertion problems in the months that followed.
4. General William Westmoreland
*** VIDEO - STRATEGY OF GENERALS GIAP V. WESTMORELAND,
WITH 13 QUESTION QUIZ, "Sun Tzu Tactics in Vietnam" (History
Channel)
Overall commander of U. S. forces in South Vietnam from 19641968.
Advocated rapid escalation of American forces and aggressive
"Search and Destroy" tactics.
*** VIDEO - SEARCH AND DESTROY, WITH 12 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam in HD, Eps. 2 (16:45-28:00)
Also advocated sidelining the use of ARVN forces from any
significant engagements.
He was replaced by Creighton Abrams in 1968 after the surprise Tet
Offensive.
*** VIDEO - U. S. ESCALATES THE WAR, WITH 12 QUESTION
QUIZ, Vietnam, A Television History (PBS), Eps. 3 (20:00-53:00)
5. U. S. Media Coverage of the War and the "Credibility Gap"
Term coined by Senator William Fulbright in 1966 because he could
not get straight answers from the Johnson Administration about
Vietnam.
The presence of journalists on the ground in Vietnam sending back
direct and uncensored reports was a first in American history. These
reports from journalists often strongly contradicted overly optimistic
reports from the Generals.
The difference between what the press was reporting and what the
Administration and Generals were telling the American people was
the "Credibility Gap."
*** VIDEO - OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER WITH 15
QUESTION QUIZ, Battlefield Vietnam (Military Channel) (23:00-57:00)
D.
THE TET OFFENSIVE AND AFTERMATH (1968)
1. Khe Sanh
*** VIDEO - 1967 WAR ON THE DMZ - PRELUDE TO KHE SAHN,
WITH 16 QUESTION QUIZ, Battlefield Vietnam (Military
Channel)(10:00-23:00)
The NVA attacked the Marine Base at the remote northern outpost at
Khe Sanh.
The attack was a few weeks before they launched the Tet Offensive,
and was intended to draw American forces and attention away from
the rest of the country.
NVA General Giap thought that if he could overwhelm and massacre
the Marines there it would result in a second Dien Bien Fu.
*** VIDEO - HO CHI MINH TRAIL TO KHE SAHN, WITH 18
QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam, A Television History (PBS), Eps. 5 (38:3555:00) and The Battle of Khe Sahn, (DOD Documentary) (0:00-28:00)
2. U. S. Embassy
Part of the Tet Offensive where 100 cities were attacked by 85,000
NVA and VC troops.
The Embassy was a high priority target and 19 VC raided it with
small arms and explosives. They were able to breach the outer wall of
the Embassy, but then hesitated too long to attack the main building,
allowing reinforcement Marine guards to arrive.
18 of the 19 were killed and the other taken prisoner.
*** VIDEO - THE TET OFFENSIVE, WITH 14 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam in HD (History Channel), Eps. 3
3. Hue City
Former ancient Capitol of Vietnam.
The Imperial Citadel was captured by VC and NVA troops. Over
5,000 unarmed civilians were massacred as American "collaborators."
After very intense fighting a combined American and ARVN force
recaptured the city, killing 900 NVA and VC. However, 80% of the
city had been destroyed.
*** VIDEO - BATTLE FOR HUE CITY, WITH 13 QUESTION QUIZ,
Battle for Hue (Military Channel)
4. Walter Cronkite
The most influential and popular TV news journalist in America
during the Vietnam War.
He said in an editorial report on his CBS Evening News broadcast
after Tet that it was "obvious we were not closer to victory" as the
President and his Generals had been saying repeatedly. He also said,
"we are mired in a stalemate."
President Johnson said after this broadcast, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've
lost Middle America."
*** VIDEO - TET IN SAIGON AND HUE, WITH 9 QUESTION QUIZ,
(History Channel) (0:00-45:00)
E.
VIETNAMIZATION STRATEGY (1969-1972)
1. Nixon Doctrine - Vietnamization
Announced during a November 1969 Speech to the American people
a new 5-point strategy to achieve "Peace With Honor" in Vietnam and
the ultimate withdrawal of U. S. troops:
"Nixon: Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam", 11/3/69.
a). Train and expand the ARVN.
b). Gradual withdrawal of US forces.
c). Economic Aid to the South Vietnamese government.
d). Expand combat operations temporarily to include Cambodia and
Laos as well as increased bombing of the North.
e). Help organize, support and supervise elections at the local level in
the South to establish a stable government at both the local and
national level.
*** VIDEO - A CHANGING WAR IN 1969-70, WITH 17 QUESTION
QUIZ, Vietnam in HD (History Channel) Eps. 6.
*** VIDEO - THE AMERICAN SOLDIER IN VIETNAM IN 1969,
WITH 7 QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam, A Television History (PBS), Eps. 7
(8:00-27:45)
2. ARVN
"Army of the Republic of Vietnam," existed from 1955-1975.
224,000 ARVN soldiers were killed during the Vietnam War.
During "Vietnamization" they changed from a counter-insurgency
force to a more conventional Army.
Senior officers were the biggest problem - they were poorly trained
and often corrupt.
The ARVN was ultimately defeated by the NVA less than two years
after US ground forces left. Many of the officers after the war were
sent to Reeducation Camps or fled to the US.
3. Montagnards
*** VIDEO – SPECIAL FORCES AND THE MONTAGNARDS IN THE
VIETNAM WAR (HISTORY CHANNEL) WITH 31 QUESTION QUIZ.
Peace loving people whose ancestral homeland was the Central
Highlands of Vietnam and Laos. Their traditions were very similar to
original Native American tribes, where they worshipped nature,
forests and animals.
They were darker-skinned without folds around their eyes like most
mainland Asians, so they look similar to Pacific Islander people.
Their lands lay in a strategic area during the war, so American Special
Forces trained them because their traditional enemy was the
Vietnamese.
3,000 of the 150,000 Montagnards were evacuated to the U. S. after
the war.
4. My Lai Massacre
*** VIDEO - MY LAI MASSACRE, WITH 23 QUESTION QUIZ, Four
Hours in My Lai (PBS)
Mass murder of 350-500 unarmed civilians in March 1968.
26 American soldiers were criminally charged but only Lt. William
Calley was convicted. He was convicted of killing 22 villagers. He
served three and a half years of house arrest.
This was considered the worst atrocity of the war by the Americans
and fueled opposition to the war in the US.
5. Cambodia and Laos
*** VIDEO - THE CIA'S SECRET WAR IN LAOS DURING THE
VIETNAM WAR (1960-70), WITH 18 QUESTION QUIZ (0:00-24:00)
Nixon launched a major bombing campaign called Operation Menu
against communist camps in Laos and Cambodia. US ground troops
were sent into Cambodia for the first time in 1970 to attack NVA and
VC units there.
The ARVN went into Laos in 1971 but were routed by the NVA,
suffering 50% casualties.
6. American Campus and Draft Protests
Public support for the war dropped from 80% in 1967 to 35% in 1970.
Most protesters against the war were young people who were subject
to the Draft.
Some of these protests turned violent, such as the 1968 Democratic
National Convention in Chicago and Kent State in 1970.
F.
RAPID AMERICAN DEESCALIZATION (1971-1973)
1. Pentagon Papers
Top Secret Dept of Defense report on the history of US involvement
in Vietnam. Leaked to the New York Times by Daniel Ellsberg.
They revealed that Johnson and Nixon had lied to the American
public and Congress about the war, specifically about raids in
Cambodia and Laos as well as coastal raids into the North.
Ellsberg was charged with conspiracy and espionage but all charged
were later dropped.
2. Hamburger Hill / A Shau Valley
*** VIDEO - HAMBURGER HILL, WITH 20 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam in HD, Eps. 4, and Vietnam, A Television History, Eps. 6 (26:10end).
Battle fought for 10 days in May 1969 just one mile from the border
of Laos. Heavily fortified hill with little strategic value.
Repeated direct assaults by US forces led to high casualties which
sparked more outrage with the American people turning against the
war.
*** MOVIE - "HAMBURGER HILL," (Selected Clips Only)
3. Operation Lam Son
*** VIDEO - THE NORTH'S SPRING OFFENSIVE AND OPERATION
LAM SON, WITH 16 QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam, A Television History,
Eps. 7 (37:57-54:00); and Vietnam in HD (History Channel), Eps. 6 (0:0016:00).
Limited invasion of Laos by the ARVN in 1971 against the Ho Chi
Mihn Trail. ARVN ground troops were provided air and artillery
support by the US.
The hope was that this operation would be successful and boost the
morale of the ARVN and test the progress they had made after years
of US training.
The campaign was a disaster and utterly destroyed the confidence the
ARVN had built up by training with US troops the previous 3 years.
4. Mekong Delta
*** VIDEO - LONG RANGE RECON PATROLS, WITH 18 QUESTION
QUIZ, Vietnam Long Range Recon Patrol (Military Channel) (0:0043:00)
3,000 miles of rivers in South Vietnam where over half the population
lived and most of the countries' food was produced.
Was patrolled by a joint Army/Navy task force that became known as
the "Brown Water Navy."
Heavy area of operations for the VC because of its maze of creeks,
streams, rivers and lack of roads made them difficult to find.
5. American POWs
*** VIDEO - EXPERIENCE OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR (POWs),
WITH 11 QUESTION QUIZ, POWS: Stories of Survival (History
Channel) (0:00-52:00)
American Prisoners of War were mostly pilots and air crews shot
down over the North. They were kept at Hoa Lo Prison, which the
POWs nicknamed "Hanoi Hilton."
Prisoners endured years of torture `and inhumane treatment which
violated the terms of the Geneva Convention. The goal of the torture
for the North was to obtain written "confessions" or statements from
prisoners.
Most of these prisoners were released in 1973 after years of
confinement.
6. Henry Kissinger
Served first as Nixon's National Security Advisor then Secretary of
State.
Conducted secret negotiations to try and end the Vietnam War in
1969-70. Then led the US negotiating team at the Paris Peace
Accords in 1972-73.
He and North Vietnamese Premier Le Duc Tho were awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating the Accords, which led to
the complete withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975.
7. Operation Linebacker
*** VIDEO - OPERATION LINEBACKER, MAY 10, 1972, WITH 14
QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam Air War Over Hanoi (History Channel)
(0:00-45:00)
Major bombing campaign against the North from May-Oct 1972
which was intended to halt the invasion of the South and successfully
concluded the Paris Peace Accords. It was the first major bombing
campaign of the North since 1968.
The bombing was necessary to prevent a complete collapse of the
ARVN and was also intended to strengthen the American position at
the negotiating table.
G.
PARIS PEACE ACCORDS AND WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED
STATES FORCES (1973-1975)
1. Paris Peace Accords
*** VIDEO - PARIS PEACE ACCORDS, WITH 18 QUESTION QUIZ,
Vietnam, A Television History, Eps. 9 (1:45-50:00)
Negotiated by U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and North
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Duc Tho. Reluctantly signed by
South Vietnamese President Thieu.
Terms of the treaty were:
a). Prisoners of war were to be exchanged.
b). U. S. would withdraw military forces from Vietnam.
c). The U. S. would still be permitted to provide aid to the South and
the North would be permitted to provide aid to the VC.
d). A cease fire would be in effect halting all combat operations.
2. Case-Church Amendment
In 1973 U. S. Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger announced that
he would recommend resumption of bombing of North Vietnam if
they launched another major offensive against the South.
Congressional leaders were outraged by this aggressive statement and
passed this Amendment to attempt to prohibit any further bombing of
the North by the U. S. under any circumstances.
*** VIDEO - THE UNITED STATES WITHDRAWS, WITH 15
QUESTION QUIZ, Vietnam in HD, Eps. 6 (16:00-42:00)
3. Cease Fire Ends
The VC resumed attacks in January 1974, recapturing territory it had
lost the previous year.
After over 25,000 ARVN casualties, President Thieu announced the
cease fire agreed to in the Paris Peace Accords was no longer in
effect and the South would respond.
4. Watergate and the 1974 Elections
President Nixon resigned in 1974 after the Watergate scandal.
Congress then cut funding to South Vietnam by 30%.
Democrats then won a huge majority in the 1974 Congressional
elections and immediately voted for restrictions on funding and
military aid to Vietnam, including a complete elimination of all aid
beginning in 1976.
H.
THE FALL OF SOUTH VIETNAM AND REUNIFICATION
(1974-1975)
1. 1974 OFFENSIVE
Limited offensive by the NVA into the South intended to solve
resupply problems, capture key territory and test U. S. response.
When a provincial capital was about to be overrun, President Ford
begged Congress to provide aid but they refused.
This demoralized the leaders of the South and emboldened the North
to launch their final offensive in 1975, one year earlier than originally
planned.
2. PLEIKU
In March 1975, the North invaded the Central Highlands supported by
tanks and heavy artillery.
Originally, the North planned to stop with the capture of key territory,
but the speed and success of the attack led them to try and take the
provincial capital of Pleiku.
Although the ARVN units fought hard, President Thieu ordered his
troops to retreat to the coastal cities and abandon Pleiku.
3. FALL OF HUE CITY
In March 1975, President Thieu ordered that Hue must be held at all
costs, then changed his mind several times.
This indecision and contradictory orders demoralized the Officer
Corps of the ARVN.
As the NVA began their attack, panic began to set in and civilians
flooded the airport and docks hoping to escape.
Hue fell after a three day battle and Da Nang fell shortly thereafter.
All of the Central Highlands were now in complete control of the
NVA.
4. FINAL NORTH OFFENSIVE
The final assault on Saigon was called the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.
The capital had to be taken within six weeks before monsoon season
began.
The ARVN 18th Division made a final brave stand at Xuan Loc,
holding off the NVA despite being outnumbered 6 to 1.
60,000 panicked civilians with contacts to the U. S. were airlifted out
of Saigon onto U. S. ships as the South surrendered.
*** VIDEO - THE FALL OF SAIGON (1974-75), WITH 39 QUESTION
QUIZ, Battlefield Vietnam Part 12 - Fall of Saigon (Military Channel)
(0:00-58:17)
5. RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT THEIU
As the NVA drove towards Saigon, a bitter and tearful President
Theiu resigned, declaring that the U. S. had betrayed and abandoned
the South and that he had been tricked by Henry Kissinger into
signing the Paris Peace Accords.
6. FALL OF SAIGON
Saigon finally fell on April 30, 1975. In Operation Frequent Wind,
the U. S. was able to evacuate thousands of Vietnamese who had
worked with the American government out of the country in the final
days.
I.
POST-WAR VIETNAM (1976-PRESENT)
1. Socialist Republic of Vietnam
In July 1976 Vietnam was officially reunified and renamed the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
1.2 million South Vietnamese were sent to Reeducation Camps. A
combined 300,000 were executed or died in the camps, and another
300,000 "boat people" died at sea.
The new government adopted a Soviet-style communist system,
rejecting many of the modifications to the system that had been made
in China.
2. Reeducation Camps
*** VIDEO - LEGACIES OF THE WAR, WITH 17 QUESTION QUIZ
(PBS)
Prison camps set up by the North in the South primarily for ARVN
soldiers and government officials. There were no formal charges or
trials.
The concept was to indoctrinate the former leaders of the South on
Soviet-style communist doctrine as well as anti-Chinese and
American propaganda. Prisoners were also made to perform forcedlabor in very dangerous and difficult jobs.
Most terms were 3-10 years and 165,000 people died in the camps.
In 1988 President Reagan negotiated a treaty with Vietnam where all
former ARVN Officers still in the camps were released so that they
could emigrate to the U. S..
3. Boat People
An estimated 2 million people fled the country by boats after the war,
mostly in 1978-79. Only about 800,000 survived to successfully settle
in another country. Most of the casualties were caused by storms,
pirates and over-crowded boats.
The first destination was usually the neighboring countries of
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore.
At first the Vietnamese government did nothing to restrict the number
of people leaving. However, as other countries refused to accept
refugees because the numbers were too great, some limitations were t
hen enforced.
More than half of the survivors eventually came to the U. S. and
became American citizens.
4. Prince Sihanouk
The ruler of Cambodia from 1953-1970. Known as the "King-Father
of Cambodia."
During the Vietnam War, he was under immense pressure to ally
Cambodia with one side or another, but he worked hard to keep the
country neutral.
He was deposed by the U. S.-backed Lon Nol in 1970 and fled to
China.
He then was lured by the Khmer Rouge into an alliance with them,
which helped them ultimately come to power in 1975. He became the
symbolic Head of State during the Khmer Rouge rule but was only a
puppet.
5. Pol Pot
*** VIDEO - POL POT AND THE KHMER ROUGE, WITH 25
QUESTION QUIZ, Tyrants and Dictators - Pol Pot (History Channel)
(0:00-44:00)
Cambodian communist who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963-1997.
He presided over a brutal dictatorship from 1975-1979 until he was
forced into exile after Vietnam invaded to depose him.
He forced urban dwellers into the countryside to work on collective
farms and forced labor projects.
An estimated 2 out of 8 million Cambodians died during his brief rule.
6. Khmer Rouge
The Communist Party of Cambodia. Formed in 1968 as an off-shoot
of the North Vietnamese Communist Party.
Allied with North Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the war.
They continued to fight a guerilla war against the government even
after being deposed in 1979. Finally, in 1994 the few thousand that
remained surrendered to the government in an amnesty program to
finally end the civil war.
7. Political and Economic Reforms
Vietnam remained an isolated and impoverished country into the
decade of the 1980s.
In 1986 the government finally initiated a series of reforms which set
Vietnam on a path to become integrated in the world trade market. As
a result, since 2000 Vietnam has had one of the fastest growing
economies in the world, which led to them to become of member of
the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007.
In 2011 it had the highest rate of economic growth in the entire world.
The country also had one of the widest ranges of income disparities in
the world, as well as one of the largest gender income equity gaps.
However, the reforms have led to private ownership of farms and
factories and rapidly increasing foreign investment.
8. Normalization of Diplomatic Relations
To further encourage economic and political reform, Vietnam worked
very hard to establish normal diplomatic relations with most of the
countries in the world. By 2000 it had formally established relations
with a majority of the countries in the world.
The country today is a hybrid system with a capitalist economy but a
communist form of government leadership and structure.
Vietnam is one of only four countries in the world with a single-party
communist government (China, Cuba, Laos).