Nation Building Committee
Topic: The Vietnam War (1968)
The region of Vietnam, formerly known as French Indochina, was under French colonial
control for decades before the mass chaos brought by World War II. France exploited its
colonists through economic gains and agricultural development in the country, which led to
rising tension between the indigenous and colonial governments. The country was occupied
by the Axis Powers of Germany and Japan during the world war, and when the fighting
concluded, the nation was left in authoritative limbo. While Japan admitted defeat and
recognized the provisional government of Ho Chi Minh as the official government of
Vietnam, the French maintained control over the country with help from the Chinese
Nationalist party. These discrepancies led to the First Indochina War between these two
sides in 1946, which consisted of a few minor skirmishes and culminated in Viet Minh victory
at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
To secure peace in the divided nation of Indochina, a global peace conference was organized
in Switzerland in 1954, and from it emerged the Geneva Accords. This agreement provided
for a temporary division of Vietnam at the 17th parallel for two years to quell military
tensions while the country as a whole voted for a new government system. While this plan
remained in place, the two regimes of the northern and southern halves of the country
shifted further and further from reunification, as the new leader of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh
Diem, came to power. With American support, Diem launched aggressive anti-communist
campaigns and developed the illusion of a democratic republic while implementing
oppressive and autocratic policies which damaged his relationship with his people.
Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh and his communist “worker’s party” developed a government in
North Vietnam similar to the ones in the USSR and in China at the time, and with the United
States lined up against the USSR and communist China, war between the conflicting
ideologies of communism and capitalism was imminent.
The United States continued to send aid to South Vietnam as conflict heightened between
the South and the Vietcong, the army of Ho Chi Minh’s communist northern system. The
first attack on U.S. ships in international waters was known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
The U.S. congress responded to this incident with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This
resolution gave President Lyndon Johnson the ability to escalate the United State’s
involvement in Vietnam. The president used this authority to send the first ground troops
to Vietnam in March of 1965. Johnson’s plan for the United States was not to win the war
but rather to aid South Vietnamese forces until they could take over. Since the U.S. did not
have a plan to win, they found themselves facing a very difficult time overcoming North
Vietnam and the Vietcong.
The South Vietnamese military proved to be incapable of proving security after several
attacks. In March of 1965, 3,500 Marines were sent to South Vietnam, marking the start of
America's war on the ground. The United States decided to take a more defensive stance
rather than offensive, a stance they were not well suited for. Communist forces were
mostly known for their hit-and-run guerilla war tactics. These tactics were successful in
defeating the South Vietnamese in the Battle of Bình Giã (1964) and the Battle of Đồng Xoài
(1965).
It is now the Nation Building Committee’s duty and responsibility to resolve the conflict in
the most efficient, effective, and peaceful way. NBC’s resolution process will begin and take
place in early 1968. The was the point of the war with the highest tension and intensity. It
is our committee’s responsibility to find a solution to the conflict while also prevent the
conflict from occurring again. This includes determining how to end the ongoing war and
also whether to reunite North and South Vietnam or establish two separate nations. It is
also important to keep in mind the separate goals of each country involved and how they
can be accounted for. With the help of each delegate and the countries they represent, the
conflict should be resolved.
Discussion Questions:
General:
1. Do countries outside of Southeast Asia have the right to partake in this war in any
way possible? If so, in what way? If not, why?
2. Should South and North Vietnam by reunified as one or become separate nations?
Why?
3. Describe what you believe to be the goal of your country coming into this
conference.
Economics and Finance:
1. What are the economic repercussions of the war in relation to your country, whether
direct or indirect?
2. Is there any economic action that the U.N. should take to bring the war closer to its
end?
3. What is your country’s stance on reparation payments after the war’s conclusion?
Should intervening countries have to pay countries whose land and infrastructure
was destroyed? What economic role does the U.N. hold in the Vietnam recovery
process?
Political and Legal:
1. What is the role of the U.N. in reconstructing the Vietnamese government(s)? How
can we curb the political corruption that has been occurring since before the war?
2. If the regions are fused into one country at the end of the war, where should the
Vietnamese government system fall on the communist-capitalist spectrum, in your
country’s view? Why?
3. What immediate improvements should be made to the temporary wartime
governments of the two regions? How can the U.N. enforce these new laws?
Security Council:
1. Does this war call for intervention of U.N. military forces to quell the conflict? If so,
in what way? If not, how can we still assure peace in the long run?
2. Should war crimes be assessed to the use of inhumane or environmentally
detrimental battle tactics such as “agent orange”? If so, how can the U.N. enforce
these laws?
3. How can the U.N. assure the safety of innocent neighboring countries?
Social and Humanitarian:
1. What aid can the U.N. offer to innocent Vietnamese citizens affected by the war?
2. How can the U.N. regulate the transfer of citizens from South Vietnam to North and
vice versa?
3. What is the role of the U.N. in controlling war refugees who are fleeing to other
countries?
4. How can the U.N. deal with the environmental devastation of the war in Vietnam, as
well as the socially harmful chemicals used in warfare that still present harm to
citizens?
Resources:
1. Llewellyn, Jennifer. "French Colonialism in Vietnam." Alpha History. N.p., n.d. Web.
19 Apr. 2014.
<http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/french-colonialism-in-vietnam/>.
Description: Background about French involvement in Vietnam and history of the
region prior to the war.
2. Green, John. "The Cold War in Asia: Crash Course US History #38." YouTube.
Crash Course, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IcmLkuhG0>.
Description: Video explaining U.S. involvement in Cold War around the world during
Vietnam war.
3. Nelson, Cary. "About the Vietnam War." Modern American Poetry. U of Illinois, n.d.
Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/vietnamwar.htm>.
Description: Website with many reliable sources and a global perspective on the war.
4. "Vietnam Online." American Experience. PBS, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/>.
Description: Extensive site with timeline of war, also has interesting videos about the
war to get a better idea of battle and role of involved countries.
5. "Vietnam War - A History of the Vietnam War." About.com 20th Century History.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm>.
Description: General unbiased information about the war.
6. Spector, Ronald H. "Vietnam War (1954-75)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Description: General information about the war.
7. Goldstein, Joshua S. "War and Economic History." Joshua Goldstein. Oxford
University Press, 06 Aug. 2003. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.joshuagoldstein.com/jgeconhi.htm>.
Description: Economic view of the war from Oxford Professor.
8. "Agent Orange." Public Health. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d. Web. 24
Apr. 2014. <http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/>.
Description: Information about the newfound chemical “agent orange”, used often
during the war.
9. Moise, Edwin E. "The Geneva Accords." VN Wars: First Indochina War. Clemson
University, 4 Nov. 1998. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/viet4.html>.
Description: Thorough review and analysis of the influential Geneva Accords of 1954.
10. The Vietnam War - Common Tactics. Adapt. Jonny Jozie. YouTube. YouTube, 27
Aug. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl8-dAPCQmQ>.
Description: A video showing the war tactics of both sides of the war.