VI. Vietnam War and the Domino Theory A. The Vietnam War had an important impact on the Cold War. Its purpose was to keep the Communist government of North Vietnam from gaining control of South Vietnam.

B. The U.S. applied the domino theory to the Vietnam War. According to this theory, if South Vietnam fell to communism, then other countries in Asia would fall like dominos to communism.

C. The Geneva Accord signed in 1954 divided Vietnam, a former French colony, into two zones at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh, supported by the Soviet Union, began to build a communist state in the north zone. Ngo Dinh Diem, supported by the United States, was president of the democratic government in the south.

D. Many South Vietnamese distrusted Diem D. Many South Vietnamese distrusted Diem and joined the Viet Cong, a communist guerilla group supported by the North Vietnamese.

July 1954 Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem In the peace process, the country was partitioned into northern and southern sections, with a U.S.-supported government in the south and a communist republic in the north. July 1954 Ngo Dinh Diem

The NLF soon became known as the Viet Cong, or Vietnamese Communists. In 1960, the northern Communist Party formed the National Liberation Front (NLF), The NLF soon became known as the Viet Cong, or Vietnamese Communists. On December 20, 1960, the northern Communist Party formed the National Liberation Front (NLF), (usually referred to as the Viet Cong) with the ultimate goal of reunifying the country.

The Vietcong 1960 The Viet Cong began a guerrilla war in South Vietnam. Their goal was to overthrow the government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem was assassinated in 1963.

Kennedy’s assassination Weeks after Diem’s assassination, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson was sworn in as president soon afterwards.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The U.S.S. Maddox was “attacked” by the North Vietnamese. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1963) which gave the president authority to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States.” Johnson called for an escalation of US forces in Vietnam which meant instituting the draft.

The fighting The land of SE Asia is covered with jungle vegetation making it hard to see the enemy. Even if we were able to see our enemy, most troops had a hard time distinguishing between the good guys and the bad guys. The US hoped to use our air power to drop bombs on the supply line, called the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Operation Rolling Thunder In early 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson ordered the first of many sustained bombing missions over North Vietnam, which would be known as Operation Rolling Thunder.

Many new “weapons” were used in the Vietnam War Many new “weapons” were used in the Vietnam War. Napalm bombs were used, which causes fires and burns the body. Agent Orange was used by the U.S. to kill foliage (brushes and trees). It was sprayed by airplanes and meant to help U.S. soldiers see the enemy more easily. Agent Orange is a herbicide, which later caused birth defects in children born to those exposed to it.

Effects of Agent Orange

March 8, 1965 – First American combat troops arrive – 3,500 US Marines March 8, 1965 – First American combat troops arrive – 3,500 US Marines land at Da Nang air base – freeing South Vietnamese troops for other tasks. March 8, 1965 – First American combat troops arrive – 3,500 US Marines

By 1968, over half a million Americans were fighting in the Vietnam War. As the fighting escalated, the U.S. relied on the draft for raising troops.

The ground war US forces carried out search-and-destroy missions that attempted to drive out the Vietcong from their hideouts. The casualties mounted up for the North Vietnamese but their will to fight continued. As years passed, the US moral declined.

Despite superior U.S. firepower and technology, the North Vietnamese forces were successful in fighting a protracted, guerilla-style conflict.

Tools of the trade for a tunnel rat. The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealander soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Whenever troops would uncover a tunnel, Tunnel Rats were sent in to kill any buried enemy and to plant explosives to destroy the tunnels. No dead tunnel rats were left in a tunnel, dead or wounded they were all dragged out with commo wire, ropes, or by a comrade using a fireman's crawl. 

Protest An antiwar movement began in the United States as a result of the growing numbers of American troops sent to Vietnam, which was broadcast on television. Incidents such as the police riot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention became more common, including the shootings of Kent State University student protestors in 1970.

As American service members fought in Vietnam, a different kind of war was taking place for American citizens back home, where the struggle was between the American people and their opposition to the fighting in Vietnam; and the American presidency's (beginning with J.F.K.) determination to halt the spread of communism.

Allison Krause William Schroeder Sandra Scheuer Jeffery Miller Incidents such as the police riot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention became more common, and even became tragic with the shootings of Kent State University student protestors in 1970. Sandra Scheuer Jeffery Miller

Tet Offensive January 30, 1968 marked the start of the Tet, which is the Vietnamese New Year. The holiday usually came with a lull in fighting but 1968 was different. The North Vietnamese had planned a huge offensive. The month long battle proved that the US could not totally control South Vietnam. More Americans began to oppose the war.

President Johnson decided not to. run for reelection because of public President Johnson decided not to run for reelection because of public opinion against his handling of the war. Richard Nixon won the election with the promise to end the war.

Vietnamization The plan called for pulling US troops out of Vietnam and turning the fight over to the South Vietnamese to achieve “peace with honor.”

Paris Peace Accords - January 27, 1973 War Ends! Ultimately, lacking a credible plan for winning the war, the American government was forced to give in to the wishes of the American people and withdraw its troops from Vietnam. In early January 1973, the Nixon administration, the Paris Peace Agreement ended open hostilities between the U.S. and North Vietnam.

Fall of Saigon 2 years after the war ended, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam. Vietnamese capital of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City as the communist flag was raised.

Consequences 58,000 U.S. soldiers died and 350,000 American casualties. Between one and two million Vietnamese deaths. CONSEQUENCES: 1.  The Vietnam War cost the United States 58,000 lives and 350,000 casualties. It also resulted in between one and two million Vietnamese deaths. 2.  Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, requiring the president to receive explicit Congressional approval before committing American forces overseas.

November 13, 1982 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial -- One wall points toward the Washington Monument, the other in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial - the names are in chronological order - 58,249 names are on The Wall, including 8 women Vietnam Women’s Memorial - dedicated on November 11, 1993 to the women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War, most of whom were nurses. A short distance away from the wall is another part of the memorial, a bronze statue known as The Three Soldiers - the soldiers are purposefully identifiable as Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic – this monument faces the Wall.