Vietnam War or Second Indochina

¶ … Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was essentially a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, also referred to as the DRVN, or North Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) or South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese forces were supported by the National Liberation Front (NLF) or "Viet Cong." America's involvement in the war was as an ally to South Vietnam and American troops were committed to the support of the RVN form 1965 to 1973.

The history of the reasons for the war are complex and convoluted, and often the cause of debate and disagreement.

Simplistically put, the Vietnamese conflict took place against the larger backdrop of the Cold War and the resistance to what was seen as communist expansion in that area the world. At another level the war was a result of a colonial past and the reason for the situation in Vietnam was a product of internal and external political power struggles in the region since the end of the Second World War. The general view is that the First Indochina War was a result of the fight against French colonialism in Vietnam. This was to lead to the second Indochina war which seen as essentially the result of the factors initiated by the Cold War and the conflict between communism and capitalism.

The history of America's involvement in Vietnam begins correctly with French attempts to retain colonial authority after the Second World War.

In 1945 the political arena of Vietnam was divided by a pro-communist moment led by Ho Chi Min, which had established an independent republic in Vietnam known as the Vietminh regime. (Wallbank et al. p. 493)

Negations between the French and the Vietminh broke down with a resultant war in 1946. This was to last for nearly eight years. In 1950 The United States began to support the French with both financial and military input. In 1954 the French surrendered to the Vietminh with the loss of their stronghold at Dien Bien Phu. A truce line at the 17th parallel was established with the aim of holding national elections in the county. (The Wars for Vietnam)

However these elections were never held and this decision angered the Vietrminh and the tension between Hanoi and Saigon increased. In essence there was an escalation of aggression and violence between North and South Vietnam. "Each part of the modern day Vietnam became controlled by separate governments with distinctly different ideologies and political bases." (Wikipedia: Vietnam War) These events should be seen against the background of international tension between the Soviet communist and the American capitalist systems in terms of world power and politics.

America therefore supported the anti-communist forces and movement. The leading figure in this movement was Ngo Dinh Diem. The communists began guerilla operation against the Diem regime, as they felt that their attempts at holding a general election to unify the entire country had been prevented by the Diem regime and it allies, including the United States. This was in effect the start of the Second Indochina War in 1957. In 1960 the National Liberation front - which was to become known as the Viet Cong - was established in the South of the country and received support from the communist regime in Hanoi. (Wallbank et al. p. 494) The involvement of the United States at this point was complicated by assertions about the democratic credibility of the Diem Regime.

Events were to lead to the assassination of Diem and a coup in 1963. President Nyugen Van Thieu took over the reigns of government in 1967. Against this political background there was the gradual but escalating increase in American involvement - ostensibly to prevent a further increase of communist influence in the areas. Opposition to communism was the central reason given as for increasing American military intervention. This was to result in two opposing points-of-view. On the one hand "South Vietnam -- and allies such as the U.S. -- portrayed the conflict as one based in a principled and strategic opposition to communism, to deter its expansion throughout Southeast Asia and elsewhere." On the other hand "North Vietnam and its Viet Cong allies claimed the war as a struggle to reunite the country and to repel a foreign aggressor -- a continuation of the earlier war for independence against the French. "(Wikipedia: Vietnam War)

While there were only eight hundred Americans acting as military advisers in Vietnam in 1960, this figure was to increase to twenty-three thousand by 1965. (Wallbank et al. p. 495)) The American involvement was also increased by allegations that North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked United States warships in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964, which was in international waters. This resulted in a resolution taken by the United States Congress, as a result of a request by President Johnson, to take "...all necessary measures...to prevent further aggression. " (Wallbank et al. p. 494.)

After this the war become more "Americanized."

By 1998 the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam exceeded five hundred thousand. "The American deployment jumped from 23,300 in 1963 to 184,000 in 1966 and reached a peak of 542,000 in January 1969 under Richard Nixon's presidency." (Tet offensive: a turning point in the Vietnam War)

The United States also started an intensive air campaign against the North Vietnamese.

In this campaign alone more bombs were dropped on North Vietnam alone than were used in the whole of the Second World War. In the following five years the two Vietnams received the equivalent of 22 tons of explosives for every square mile of territory, or 300lb for every man, women and child. 7 million tons of bombs and defoliants were dropped in total and 2.6 million Vietnamese were killed.

Tet offensive: a turning point in the Vietnam War)

One of the major and most influential battles during the Vietnam War was known as the Tet Offensive. In January of 1968 the NLF launched a major attack against all the main southern cities. This was designed to break the will of American administration. Renowned General Vo Nguyen Giap led the offensive. "...the General launched a major surprise offensive against American and South Vietnamese forces on the eve of the lunar New Year celebrations. Province capitals throughout the country were seized, garrisons simultaneously attacked and, perhaps most shockingly, in Saigon the U.S. Embassy was invaded. (History of Vietnam: Tet Offensive)

The cost in terms of North Vietnamese casualties during the offensive was very high but it also had the effect of producing a "pivotal media disaster" for the American administration. "NVA/VC dead totaled some 45,000 and the number of prisoners nearly 7000. But the shockwave of the battle finished Johnson's willingness to carry on." (History of Vietnam: Tet Offensive) The Tet offensive has been credited with turning the tide of the war. "... In late March 1968, a disgraced Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not seek the Democratic Party's re-nomination for president and hinted that he would go to the bargaining table with the Communists to end the war." (The Wars for Vietnam)

The Vietnam War had also created internal tension and strife within the United States. With the advent of the draft in order to the supply sufficient troops for Vietnam and with the increasing number of casualties, there was a growing public anti-war sentiment in the country. This was followed by violent protests on college campuses in the United States. One of the most well - known of these incidents was the police riot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. "Hundreds of thousands of people came to Chicago in August 1968 to protest American intervention in Vietnam and the leaders of the Democratic Party who continued to prosecute the war." (The Wars for Vietnam) Four students were also killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State in Ohio,