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Vietnam War Introduction
Ms. Marquardt
Pd. 3 - Honors
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Think it Through!
Infer & Predict:
What kind of war would
make a soldier feel this
way?
Dear Mom and
Dad,
2)
What country do you
think this soldier was
from?
3)
What do you think he
was fighting for?
Today we went on
a mission, and I am
not very proud of
myself, my friends,
or my country.
1)
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The Vietnam War 1955 - 1975
 ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS:
 Why
did the US get involved in another war
overseas?
 What
were the US’ primary motives?
 What
was the outcome?
 Was
it a just / fair war?
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The Vietnam War (in short)
 Two
decades long (including the civil war, longer if
you include the First Indochina War).
 Began
with a revolutionary movement in Vietnam
to fight for independence.
 It
was a war of modern military technology (U.S.)
vs. organized human beings (Vietnam).
 The
human beings won.
 The Vietnam
war created the biggest anti-war
movement the U.S. had ever seen.
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Vietnam Basics

Location:



In Southeast Asia, near Laos,
Cambodia, Thailand, and
parts of China
Population

83 Million People

Mostly Buddhist

Strong minority of Catholics
Resources

Very fertile, hot and wet
climate, many resources
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Declaring Independence

WW2 Ends and September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares
Vietnam independent !!

Ho Chi Minh reads from US Declaration of Independence

Some see Ho Chi Minh’s Declaration of Independence as
evidence of being a nationalist rather than being a
communist. They refer to this example has him expressing
his interest in having a relationship with the United States.

BUT, the French want Indochina back, and they do not
recognize Vietnamese independence. Reclaim colony.

What should the US do? Support Vietnamese or help France
regain its colonial empire?
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Divided American State
Department
PRO - WAR
ANTI - WAR

European Experts in American
Government support backing
France.

Asia Experts in American
Government support backing
Ho Chi Minh

STOP spread of Communism
in Asia !!

Feel he is a Nationalist
SO?
US Backs France. Truman Adminstration then Eisenhower
Administration back France. Due to the following factors:
-Korean War, Loss of China to communists, Idea of stopping
communism, Cold War, Strong France helps stop communism in
Western Europe, Containment, and belief that Ho Chi Minh was more
of a communist than nationalist!!
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Other interests / benefits for the
US…??

A secret US govt. memo from 1952 talked about SE Asia’s
valuable resources:

Rubber

Tin

Oil
were important to the US … if the Vietnam govt. won against
France and took over they might be hostile towards the US
and not trade with them.
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First Indo-China War

1945-1954
 France vs. Viet Minh
 French try to keep Vietnam, Viet Minh fight for
Independence
 70% of French costs are paid by US

Dien Bien Phu
 1954
 Final defeat of French by Vietnamese, French
Surrender

1954 Geneva Conference
 End Hostilities between French and Vietnamese
 Temporarily divide Vietnam at 17th parallel until
French leave.
 Elections in 1956
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If Vietnam turns Communist…
 Containment
theory fails.
 Domino Theory,
fear of monolithic
(solid block)
communist alliance
of China, Vietnam,
and USSR
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South Vietnam
 Instead
of supporting Geneva Agreement
and allowing unification elections and a
Communist victory, US supports creation of
a non-Communist, South Vietnam.
 American
war in Vietnam is fought to keep
South Vietnam Non-Communist!
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JFK & Vietnam (1961-63)

Views Vietnam as important to
Cold War like Truman and
Eisenhower.

Sends thousands of advisors,
Special Forces and helicopters
to South Vietnam (but not many
regular troops).

Begins the Strategic Hamlet
Program.

Overall picture unsure due to
assassination

JFK believed the best way to
stop communists in Vietnam
was to build South Vietnam into
a nation.
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Assassination of Diem

November 1963

Kennedy either knew of the plot and ignored it or supported
it.

South Vietnamese government would never be stable.

Increased American involvement in South Vietnam’s Internal
Affairs.
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Check in # 1

When Eisenhower left office, less than 1,000 US soldiers were
in Vietnam

At the time of Kennedy’s assassination (1963), over 16,000
soldiers were in Vietnam.

By 1969, Vietnam had 543,000 US soliders

Many of the soldiers under JFK were Special Forces and
under Johnson, regular ground troops were introduced.
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Golf of Tonkin Resolution

President Lyndon B. Johnson took over after Kennedy
assassinated.

North Vietnamese “attack” on two US ships in the Gulf of
Tonkin is Johnson’s excuse to get congressional approval for
major escalation in Vietnam.

TERMS:

Hanoi – refers to North Vietnamese government

NVA – North Vietnamese Army

VC/Charlie- Viet Cong: Communist rebels in South Vietnam

ARVN – South Vietnamese Army

POW – Prisoner of War

MIA – Missing in Action
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Who did America Fight in
Vietnam?
North Vietnamese
 Professional
Viet
Army
army, using standard tactics.
Cong
 Irregular
troops (both professional and
untrained), using guerilla tactics.
Both
groups were heavily supplied
from USSR via China
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Johnson & Limited War

Johnson was afraid of conflict spreading to involve USSR & China.

Strict rules of engagement – limited targets for US Troops and
Air Strikes

Areas of North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos



North Vietnamese Communists can attack, move supplies from and
retreat
AMERICAN TROOPS CANNOT GO
North Vietnam



Wants a unified, Communist Vietnam
Wants Americans Out
Wants One Vietnam
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Early American Support
for War in Vietnam

Americans initially supported
the war
 Hit Song “The Green Berets”
 Public is told troops will be
home soon, and the war is
almost over.

Vietnam is the first war that is
heavily covered by television
networks.
 American public sees daily
images of casualties
 Public begins to turn against
the war.
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Images of the Vietnam War
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Images of the Vietnam War
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Images of the Vietnam War
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Images of the Vietnam War
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LBJ Escalates (1963-69)

Johnson attempts to limit the
war while at the same time
constantly increasing the
number of soldiers in Vietnam

Over 500,000 soldiers by 1969

LBJ would attempt negotiations
at the same time he would
scale back offensive
operations in Vietnam

North Vietnamese take
advantage of this.
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Tet Offensive

Tet – most important holiday in
Vietnam, Vietnamese New Year.
It is the most popular festival in
Vietnam.

1968 Cease Fire

1968
 Viet Cong attack every major
US base in South Vietnam
 North Vietnamese Army takes
city of Hue and kills many
inhabitants.
 US Embassy in Saigon is
attacked.
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Effects of Tet

Major Military victory for the US

Viet Cong is devasted

American media turns against the war.

American public turns against the war.

Political and psychological victory for North Vietnam.
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American Anti-War Movement

Strong anti-war movement in US
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War divides American population
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Richard Nixon (1969-74)

Elected in 1968

Claims to have a “secret plan”
to end war in Vietnam
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Cambodia

Neutral

Viet Cong & North Vietnamese
use Cambodia as a sanctuary

US troops cannot enter

Cambodian government is
powerless from preventing
Communists from entering

Bad history between Vietnam
& Cambodia
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Nixon & Cambodia

Nixon:

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Supports coup that puts strong
anti-Communist government
in charge

Expands conflict
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Secretly bombs and invades
Cambodia
Bombing & Invasion fails to
make any significance in war

Cambodian communists go
deeper into Cambodia

Vietnamese were using
Cambodia to attack
Americans
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Public Opinion:
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War is illegal

Public is outraged at
expansion of the conflict
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Massive protests
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Nixon & Ending Vietnam War

Uses combination of increased bombing of North Vietnam and Secret
Negotations
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Diplomacy with China and USSR
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Vietnamization – Nixon’s Plan

Turn the war over to the South Vietnamese
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Train & equip South Vietnamese to fight the North
US Troops withdraw
Last US troops leave by 1973
South Vietnam Betrayed?
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South Vietnam is promised that the US would send troops, money, and supplies
if North Vietnamese launched a massive attack.
Nixon resigns due to Watergate
Congress and American people do not support further involvement
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1975 & Results of War s
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North Vietnam takes over South Vietnam
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US doesn’t prevent the take over.
Vietnam is unified under one communist state
Results:
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60,000 Americans killed
75,000 French killed
175,000-500,000 Vietnamese killed (First Indochina War)
415,357-743,000 South Vietnamese killed, 450,000-1,165,000 North
Vietnamese killed (Civil War and Second Indochina War)
US reluctant to use military power
American public is divided
Americans don’t trust government
Vietnam is Communist
Cambodia falls to Communists
 Khmer Rouge/Cambodian Communist take power
 Pol Pot is leader
 Killing Fields – Genocide of 1/3 of the Cambodian population
 Vietnam invades and occupies Cambodia to defeat Khmer Rouge
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1979 War between Vietnam &
China

China supports Khmer Rouge and is upset that Vietnam
defeats it.

China attempts to invade Vietnam to “teach lesson”

Chinese leave after 1 month
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Vietnamese put up much stronger fight than Chinese expected

China improved relations with US after Nixon’s visit

Vietnam moved closer to USSR
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Think it Through!

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most outspoken
opponents of the Vietnam War. He said:
“There comes a time when silence
is betrayal.”
1) What do you think he meant? Put this quote in your own
words.
2) Think of a situation, personally meaningful to you, where this
quote would apply.
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Closing Questions

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following:
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How was Tet a turning point in the Vietnam War?
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How did TV affect people’s view of the Vietnam War?
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What country did President Nixon expand the Vietnam War into?
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Which US President is associated with escalating the number of
US troops in Vietnam?
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What year did the last US troops leave Vietnam?