The History of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was an attempt of the National Front for the
Liberation of Vietnam (Viet Cong) and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
(North Vietnam) to unite and impose a communist system over the entire
nation of Vietnam. This was strongly opposed by the Republic of Vietnam
(South Vietnam) and was then supported by the United States of America.
This Cold War event was perceived as an indirect conflict between the
United States and Soviet Union.
The Vietnam War began in 1959, five years after the division of the
country by the Geneva Accords. Vietnam was split into two, with a
communist government in the north under Ho Chi Minh and a democratic
government in the south under Ngo Dinh Diem. Ho launched a guerilla
campaign in South Vietnam with the goal of uniting the country under one
communist rule. US tried to stop the spread of communism, trained the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam and provided military advisors and
assistance to combat the guerillas.
In 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked a US warship in the
Gulf of Tonkin. After the attack, US Congress passed a Southeast Asia
Resolution that allowed President Johnson to conduct military operations
in the region without a declaration of war. In 1965, US troops first
arrived and started attack in Vietnam.
Because of the strong joint forces of South Vietnam and the US, the
North Vietnamese avoided fighting directly on conventional battles and
focused secret attacks in the jungles of South Vietnam. In 1968, Viet
Cong and the North Vietnamese launched Tet Offensive. Assaults began on
US Marines at Khe Sanh. It also started offensive attacks by the Viet
Cong on the cities of South Vietnam. Though the North Vietnamese had
heavy casualties, Tet shook the confidence of the American people and
media who thought the war was going well.
Because of Tet, President Johnson did not to run for reelection. It
resulted with the succession of President Richard Nixon. Nixon helped
build up the ARVN and gradually withdraw the American forces within the
region. However, the mistrust of the people on the government already
begun after the media showed them the results of the war.
The withdrawal of US troops continued but ARVN were ineffective in
combat. On January 27, 1974, a peace accord was signed in Paris ending
the conflict between the North and South Vietnam. In March of that same
year, American combat troops completely left the country. There was a
brief period of peace, but in late 1974, North Vietnam recommenced
hostilities. They captured the Saigon on April 30, 1975 that forced
South Vietnam’s surrender, thus reuniting the whole country of Vietnam.
|
