1954-1975
Early History
•
Early inhabitants who are today’s
Vietnamese settled near the Red River
Delta
•
The Chinese ruled the Vietnamese
until 938 CE because they had control
of the river.
•
The Vietnamese conquered the ruling
kingdom of Champa in the 15 th
century.
•
They spread southward into the 18 th
century, when they took over the
Mekong Delta from Cambodia, thus
completing the settlement of their
country.
Early History
•
More than a dozen dynasties have
ruled Vietnam, with 3 of them being
considered ‘great’
•
The Ly were the first, ruling from
1009-1225
•
They focused on agriculture and built
many roads, dikes, and canals
•
Capital: Thang Long- City of the
Soaring Dragon
•
In 1044, the Ly established Vietnam’s
first postal service
•
The Tran overthrew the Ly and became
the second great dynasty (1225-1400)
Early History
•
The Chinese re-took Vietnam in 1407
and ruled for 20 years
•
Le Loi drove the Chinese out and
established the 3rd great dynasty: the
Le (1428-1524).
•
Women were given nearly equal rights
with men during this era
•
In the 17th and 18th century, Vietnam
split between two groups; one,
controlled by the Nguyen in the south
and the Trinh Lords in the north
•
In 1786 the Tay Son brothers reunited
the country, but they had limited
success
Early History
•
In 1802, self-proclaimed Emperor Gig Long
overthrew the Tay Son.
•
The Nguyen then ruled Vietnam until their last
ruler abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh in 1945.
Western Contact
•
In 166 CE, Romans passed through
Vietnam’s borders
•
By 1516, the Portuguese had sent
missionaries and military into Vietnam
•
Trading centers were established, as
well as headquarters for missionaries
•
After the Portuguese, the Spanish,
Italians, Dutch, English, and French
tried and failed to set up profitable
trade with the Vietnamese
•
In the 1850s, the French shifted their
focus from trade to conquest
•
By 1893 the French had established a
hold over Vietnam, Cambodia, and
Laos.
France in Vietnam
•
French conquest in Vietnam led to
unrest amongst the Vietnamese
population
•
Early resistance efforts were put down
•
In 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc (who later
changed his name to Ho Chi Minh)
started a new resistance called the
Revolutionary Youth League
•
This league became the center of the
Communist Party in Vietnam
•
During the Second World War, Ho Chi
Minh created the League for the
Independence of Vietnam which
struggled against Japanese occupation
of Vietnam during the war
The Road to War
•
During World War II, the United States
offered financial assistance for the
Vietnamese in their resistance against
the Japanese
•
While Vietnam expected the United
States to back their bid for
independence following the war,
America allowed the re-occupation by
France
•
In 1954, Vietnam was partitioned into
North and South
•
The United States showed support of
the South Vietnamese, which leads
into the Vietnam War
The Road to War
•
1945: Ho Chi Minh created a provisional
government following the Japanese
surrender to the Allies at the end of
World War II
•
The United States dropped the atomic
bomb in Japan
•
Vietnam declared independence as a
nation, but the Allies turn power in
Vietnam back over to the French
•
In 1946, the French recognized Vietnam
as a free state- within the French Union
•
Relations between the two quickly
unraveled, and the Vietnamese began the
Indochina Wars by attacking the French.
•
At this time, Vietnam was considered a
Democratic Republic
General Etienne Valluy
The French general tried in 1947 to completely wipe
out the Vietminh, but it was a failure
Furthering Conflict
•
In 1949, the French and Vietnamese
signed the Elysee Agreement in which
France promised to help establish an
anti-Communist army
•
However, in 1950, the Soviets and the
Chinese began offering weapons to
Vietnam
•
Additionally, the United States
promised $15 million to aid the French
in the Indochina Wars
•
In 1951, Ho Chi Minh established the
Workers Party
The Road to War
•
In 1953, France granted Laos full
independence
•
Shortly afterwards, the Vietminh
pushed into Laos
•
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu began in
1954 in which the Vietminh led a force
of 40,000 into the French garrison and
made it impossible for the French to
land supplies by air
•
The French were defeated at Dien Bien
Phu
The Geneva Conference
•
Delegates from nine nations met and
first discussed how to end hostilities in
Indochina
•
At this meeting, the idea of
partitioning Vietnam was first brought
to the table
•
Vietnam General Ta Quang Buu and
French General Henri Delteil signed
the Agreement of Cessation of
Hostilities in Vietnam
•
The 17th parallel was drawn, dividing
Vietnam until 1956 when nationwide
elections were to be held
•
Neither Bao Dai nor the United States
accepted this agreement
Following the Conference
•
The United States, France, and Great
Britain convinced Ngo Dinh Diem to
accept the Geneva Accords, and to
enter into political discussion with the
North
•
In 1955, Diem became President of the
Republic of Vietnam
The United States in Vietnam
•
In 1956, the French left Vietnam
•
The United States took over training
southern Vietnamese troops
•
Vietnam fails to hold elections on the
date that was agreed upon at the
Geneva Conference
•
In 1957, Communist insurgent activity
in South Vietnam began- using guerilla
tactics, soldiers assassinated about
400 South Vietnamese officials
•
13 Americans wounded in bombing in
Saigon
•
Communist forces settled along
Mekong Delta
•
North Vietnam created Group 559,
which snuck weapons into South
Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail
•
Major Dale R. Buis and Master
Sergeant Chester M. Ovnand became
the first to die in the Vietnam War as a
result of guerilla warfare
•
Diem ordered a crackdown on
Communists and other dissidents
Birth of the Vietcong
•
By 1960, Northern Vietnam was
practicing universal military
conscription
•
Diem came out on top in a failed
attempt at a coup
•
The National Liberation Front for
South Vietnam was formed by Hanoi:
the Vietcong
The United States in Vietnam
•
Battle of Kienhoa Province: victory for
South Vietnam (1961)
•
Also in 1961, U.S. Vice President
Lyndon Johnson toured Saigon
•
Johnson convinced Diem that he was a
critical part of U.S. objectives in
Vietnam.
•
President Kennedy introduced the
Green Berets- a Special Forces unit
prepared to deal with counterinsurgency
Deeper in Conflict
•
In 1962, the United States began
employing Agent Orange, which was
used to expose roads used by the
Vietcong
•
The Diem palace was bombed in an
attempted coup
•
Ngo Dinh Diem beat Bao Dai in a
rigged election, declaring himself
President of the Republic of Vietnam
•
According to the majority leader of the
U.S. Senate, Mike Mansfield, Diem had
wasted the $2 billion sent by America
into Saigon
Multiple Assassinations
•
In 1963, the Battle of Ap Bac resulted
in a Vietcong victory over South
Vietnam
•
Buddhists begin setting themselves on
fire in public places in protest of
Diem’s – a Catholic- removal of
Buddhist from many governmental
positions
•
Still in 1963, Diem was overthrown and
killed by the South Vietnamese Army
•
United States President Kennedy was
also assassinated, leaving the issue of
Vietnam in the hands of Vice President
Lyndon B. Johnson
New Faces in Vietnamese Government
•
In a coup, General Nguyen Khanh took
control in Saigon
•
Major General Duong Van Minh, the
junta leader of the South Vietnamese,
was placed under house arrest, but
remained a figure-head
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
•
On August 2, 1964 three North
Vietnamese PT boats supposedly fired
on the USS Maddox
•
Prior to this attack, the United States
and South Vietnam had been engaging
in covert naval collaboration
•
A second attack arguably occurred on
August 4. Both of these attacks have
been highly contested
•
Led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
On August 7, now President Johnson is
authorized to "take all necessary
measures to repel any armed attack
against forces of the United States and
to prevent further aggression."
De-Escalation in Vietnam? Or…
•
1964: Vietcong attack Bienhoa Air Base
•
Lyndon B. Johnson won the 1964 US
Presidential election over Barry
Goldwater
•
Despite campaign promises of deescalation of conflict in Vietnam, in
1965 Operation Rolling Thunder begins
•
Operation Rolling Thunder: American
bombing raids of North Vietnam.
These raids were nearly continuous
and went on for about 3 years
•
The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade
became the first American combat
troops to enter Vietnam
•
The Marines went to defend the US
airfield at Danang
The Vietnam War
•
In the Ia Drang Valley, the first
‘conventional’ battles of the Vietnam
War occurred
•
The United States 1 st Air Cavalry
Division clashed with the North
Vietnamese Army and claimed victory
•
Both sides experienced heavy
casualties
•
The amount of U.S. soldiers deployed
in Vietnam tops 200,000
Protest At Home
•
In the United States, disapproval with
the War in Vietnam was rapidly
becoming apparent
•
Colleges and Universities began
holding “teach-ins” as a form of
protest against the war
•
The first of these protests was held at
the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor in March 1965
•
In May, a teach-in was televised and
reached about 100 campuses nationwide
Student Rallies Against the War
Veterans Against the War
•
In 1966, US B-52s begin bombing Northern
Vietnam as a means to stop the movement
of supplies into South Vietnam
•
South Vietnam troops took both Hue and
Danang
•
President Johnson met with Nguyen Cao
Ky in Honolulu to discuss the United States’
offer to assist South Vietnam against the
North if they are going to work to spread
Democracy
•
Also in 1966, US Veterans from the first two
World Wars and the Korean War, staged
protests against current US involvement in
Vietnam
•
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
issued a report against US Military claiming
that the draft puts "a heavy discriminatory
burden on minority groups and the poor.“
•
Additonally, CORE calls for the removal of
US troops in Vietnam
Operation Cedar Falls
•
Beginning in 1967, Operation Cedar
Falls was a huge movement by the US
and Southern Vietnamese troops set to
destroy Vietcong operations
•
The Iron Triangle is discovered- a
system of tunnels serving as
headquarters for Vietcong personnel
•
In 1967, MLK Jr. spoke out against US
policies in Vietnam and encouraged
draft evasion from the military
•
According to Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara, bombing is proving
to be useless in Vietnam and
movement of supplies into South
Vietnam has continued regardless of
efforts of US and South Vietnamese
troops
The Tet Offensive
•
In 1968, North Vietnam surpriseattacked several key cities in South
Vietnam including the capital, Saigon
•
US Military successfully take back
much of the land after the initial
surprise of the attack
•
This turns out to be a huge
psychological victory for the
Communists because the US
assessment of the war becomes hugely
questioned after North Vietnam
almost pulled off a major attack
The Battle for Hue
•
1968 Battle for Hue: a 26 day struggle
to regain Hue after the Tet Offensive
•
Hue had been leveled during battle,
leaving nearly all of its citizens
homeless
•
Before Tet, Hue had been a religious
haven in the midst of the war zone
•
Mass graves of those who had been
executed by Communists were found
•
March 16, 1968- the men of Charlie
Company, 11th Brigade, Americal
Division entered My Lai village
•
The soldiers partook in violent
murdering of at least 507 native
Vietnamese citizens as a reaction to
the orders “search and destroy” to find
the 48th Vietcong battalion
•
The events at My Lai come to reach
the American public and are viewed as
greatly disturbing- furthering the
division and unrest amongst US
citizens
The My Lai Massacre
Lyndon B. Johnson Steps Down
•
LBJ chooses not to run in the next
presidential election
•
McCarthy had been growing in
popularity as Johnson’s plummeted
•
“That bitch of a war- Vietnam, killed the
lady I really loved- the great society”Lyndon B. Johnson
The Beginning of the End?
•
In 1968 peace talks begin
•
Still in 1968, the Democratic Party
Convention in Chicago met massive
upheaval, all broadcasted on national
television
•
Richard Nixon is elected president on a
platform of restoring law and order
•
In 1969, Nixon begins secret bombing
of Cambodia behind the backs of the
American public and Congress
(Operation Breakfast)
•
America finds out about the My Lai
massacre, and Lt. William Calley is
charged with murder
Vietnamization
•
The new policy of Vietnamization is
announced- American military is
charged with the job of readying South
Vietnam to take over in the war
against Communism
•
In 1969 there was another massive
anti-war protest in Washington DC
•
"when dissent turns to violence it
invites tragedy." - words spoken by
Nixon in reaction to the Kent State
Incident
•
National Guardsmen open-fired on
students protesting the war. 4
students died and 8 were injured
•
By 1970, the number of US troops in
Vietnam had fallen to 280,000
Winding down the Vietnam War
•
1971- Pentagon Papers published,
exposing the deception on the part of
the executive branch and the military
with regards to Vietnam
•
Nixon announces intentions to visit
The People’s Republic of China- which
was viewed negatively by the North
Vietnamese who saw allies in the
Chinese
•
In 1972, Nixon cut down the number of
troops in Vietnam by 70,000
•
Secret peace talks between Henry
Kissinger and Le Duc Tho are revealed
to the public
Bombing for Peace
•
1972- B-52s bomb Hanoi and
Haiphong: clear indication to the
North Vietnamese that nowhere is off
limits
•
Bombing of supply dumps and sites of
petroleum storage
•
Trying to force North Vietnam to make
concessions during the peace talks
which were still continuing
•
Kissinger and Le Duc Tho reach a
cease-fire agreement, but it does not
sit well with South Vietnamese
President Van Thieu
Cease-Fire in Vietnam
•
1973: cease-fire signed in Paris to go
into effect January 28, 1974
•
The treaty "brings peace with honor in
Vietnam and Southeast Asia”,
according to Richard Nixon
•
American troops leave Vietnam, and
the end of the military draft was
announced
•
Kissinger and Le Duc Tho receive
Nobel Peace Prizes- Tho turns his
down, however, saying that peace has
not been achieved in Vietnam
•
Indeed, war resumes in 1974 in
Vietnam and Communists took the
Mekong Delta Area
Vietnam Falls to Communism
•
Communists appear to be planning a major
offensive in South Vietnam
•
In 1975, Communist forces capture Phuoc
Long Province
•
Vietcong forces interpret lack of US
involvement as the go-ahead for increased
aggression in Vietnam
•
Hue falls to the Communists
•
North Vietnam begins their Ho Chi Minh
Campaign aimed at taking Saigon
•
In April of 1975, South Vietnamese President
Duong Van Minh delivered an unconditional
surrender to the Communists
•
North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin claimed
that "...only the Americans have been beaten.
If you are patriots, consider this a moment of
joy."
United States Losses in Vietnam
Vietnam Today
•
Vietnam is one of the four remaining
single-party socialist governments
•
The nation has established diplomatic
relations with most nations
•
Economic policies in Vietnam have
grown increasingly Capitalistic
•
Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing
nations
•
There has been a rise in gender
inequality, but agriculture and industry
have both experienced growth