An Introduction to the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War began as a civil war between the Communist state of North Vietnam and the non-Communist state of South Vietnam. The United States supported South Vietnam out of fear that Communism would spread throughout Asia if the South fell. North Vietnam wanted to unite with South Vietnam as a single communist country. Communism is a political system in which all people are equal and no one can become rich. America was opposed to communism, as it was the opposite of the capitalist, democratic system of government used in America. Americans believed Communism would spread to other countries in the region. This was known as the “domino theory,” since it imagined democratic governments in the region falling one after another like dominoes. President Lyndon Johnson sent the first American combat troops to Vietnam in 1965. The U.S. had given South Vietnam financial and military support during the 1950’s and early 1960’s. But in August 1964, an American warship patrolling the North Vietnamese coast was allegedly fired on by Communist troops. Although the incident might not actually have happened, President Lyndon B. Johnson quickly passed a piece of legislation through Congress. Called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, it gave the President a blank check to send as many troops and resources to Vietnam as he wanted. Johnson immediately began increasing the presence of U.S. forces in Vietnam. By the time he left office in 1968, 30,000 American soldiers had been killed there. But the Americans just couldn’t seem to win! The last US troops finally left the country in 1973. In spite of the Americans’ superior firepower and technology, they could never totally defeat the highly dedicated guerrilla forces of North Vietnam. The Vietnamese troops knew the territory and landscape. This meant that they could use guerrilla tactics like ambush to catch the Americans out. Also, the Americans were miles from home and badly trained. Many didn’t see the point of the war and were unmotivated. They struggled in the humid conditions and dense jungle.

The war ended in 1975, and North Vietnam quickly took over the south. The war resulted in tremendous loss of life; 58,000 American soldiers died, along with close to 3 million Vietnamese.