Vietnam War: History and Leaders

• The Vietnam War took place from 1955 to 1975.
• The Vietnam War is a prime example of the triumph of unconventional warfare strategies.
• This conflict serves as a case study of the Cold War.

American Presidents' Involvement

• The American Presidents involved in the Vietnam war included Truman (1945-1963), Eshower (1903-1901), Kennedy (1961-1963), Johnson (1963-1909), and Nixon (196-1974).

Leaders of South Vietnam

• Ngô Đình Inh Diệm (1955-1963) was a leader of South Vietnam
• Nguyễn Khu Khánh (1964), Ph Phan Khác (1964), and Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1965-1975) were also leaders in South Vietnam.
• The Vietnam War demonstrates the resilience and effectiveness of unconventional warfare.
• Vietnam emerged victorious against the military might of the United States.
• The division of Vietnam into North and South and the formation of the Vietcong created conflict.
• The USA's initial involvement was driven by the Domino Theory.
• Weapons and military advisors were deployed to South Vietnam.
• The Ho Chi Minh Trail played a crucial role, allowing communist support from the North to the Vietcong in the South.
• The USA introduced the Safe Village Policy to isolate guerrillas from villagers, but failed because the Vietcong operated within the villages.
• The Gulf of Tonkin incident escalated the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.
• Alleged attacks on two US Navy destroyers, the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy, by North Vietnamese naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin prompted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
• US Congress granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to use military force in Vietnam, serving as a pretext for the USA's escalation of military involvement.
• The event, coupled with the belief that the war was not conventional like World War II, led to the deployment of 3,500 Marines and ground troops to Vietnam.

Operation Ranch Hand

• Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) aimed to deprive the Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces of cover by using chemical defoliants.
• The U.S. military employed herbicides, most notably Agent Orange, to strip away dense vegetation in the jungles of Vietnam.
• This exposed enemy hiding spots and had severe environmental and health consequences.
• Operation Ranch Hand and Rolling Thunder represented the US military's attempt to use strategic aerial and chemical warfare to gain an advantage in the Vietnam War, but they faced challenges and had limited success.
• Vietcong forces frequently used ambushes and hit-and-run tactics to surprise and inflict damage, retreating into the jungle or hidden tunnels.
• The Vietcong were skilled in setting up ambushes in the dense jungles of Vietnam.
• Surprise was crucial
• Vietcong guerrillas remained hidden until the enemy was vulnerable, then launched a coordinated attack.
• The Vietcong preferred hit-and-run tactics over prolonged engagements.
• After ambushing, they quickly retreated, using their knowledge of the terrain to disappear swiftly.
• The hit-and-run strategy aligned with the guerrilla warfare principles of the Vietcong, aiming to wear down conventional forces through small, effective attacks.
• The Tet Offensive was a massive and coordinated series of surprise attacks by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong against multiple South Vietnamese cities and U.S. military installations.
• The scale and coordination of the attacks were unprecedented.
• Before the Tet Offensive, the U.S. government and military had consistently expressed optimism about the progress of the war.
• The Tet Offensive is considered a turning point because it sparked a reassessment of the war's strategy.
• It contributed to a shift in public opinion that eventually led to changes in political leadership and policies.
• Booby traps, underground tunnels, hit-and-run tactics, and sabotage were hallmarks of Vietcong tactics.

Search and Destroy Policy

• The Search and Destroy Policy was a military strategy employed by the United States during the Vietnam War.
• It was rooted in the belief that eliminating the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces through aggressive, large-scale military operations would cripple the enemy's ability to sustain guerrilla warfare.
• The Search and Destroy Policy faced significant challenges due to the elusive nature of the Vietcong, who blended into the local population and employed guerrilla tactics.
• Distinguishing between combatants and civilians led to widespread issues.
• The My Lai Massacre occurred on March 16, 1988, in the hamlets of My L and My Khe.
• American soldiers from Charlie Company, a unit of the US Army, were involved in the mass killing of hundreds of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, including women, children, and elderly individuals.
• Charlie Company was part of Task Force Barker, conducting a Search and Destroy mission in the My Lai area to locate and eliminate Vietcong forces and destroy supporting infrastructure.
• Frustration and a lack of clear enemy identification led to the indiscriminate killing of Vietnamese civilians in My Lai.
• Soldiers unleashed violence on unarmed villagers, leading to the deaths of an estimated 347 to 504 civilians, believing they were dealing with Vietcong sympathizers.
• Exposure of the My Lai Massacre through investigative journalism and military investigations had a profound impact on public opinion.
• This incident became a symbol of the moral and ethical challenges associated with the US military's conduct in Vietnam.
• This contributed to shaping public perception and sentiment.
• Graphic images of combat, casualties, and destruction, transmitted in real-time, brought the horrors of war directly into American homes.
• These visuals inspired protests and demonstrations across the United States, expressing opposition to the war and demanding an end to U.S. involvement.
• The anti-war movement gained momentum.
• North Vietnam's support from the USSR and China provided the Vietcong access to some modern weapons.
• Guerrilla tactics, the unity of the Vietnamese population, and the defence of their country eroded the USA's resolve.
• The Vietnamisation policy signalled the acknowledgment of failure, leading to a strategic withdrawal.

Significance of the War

• The fall of Saigon in 1975 marked the culmination of Vietnam's triumph and its unification under communist control.
• The Vietnam War serves as a lesson in the limitations of conventional strategies when faced with determined and adaptable unconventional tactics.
• The Vietcong's use of guerrilla warfare, coupled with the failures of the USA's military interventions and public opinion turning against the war, ultimately led to Vietnam's victory over a superpower.
• The difficulty in distinguishing between combatants and civilians led to widespread destruction of villages and civilian casualties, further alienating the local population, and caused discontent.
• The difficulty in engaging a deeply embedded guerrilla force, coupled with the negative impact on civilian communities, contributed to growing discontent during the Vietnam War.