The Vietnam War Gigi, Wil, Casey

Background Vietnam was apart of the French empire before WWII (French Indochina) They began to fight for their independence during WWII while France was preoccupied with war conflicts Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader, wanted to take control He had support from both the USSR and “Red” China In 1954 France pulled out of Vietnam and the country was divided at the 17th parallel The North was mainly communist lead by Ho Chi Minh, while the South was “democratic” lead by Ngo Dinh Diem

Why did the war start? The war was originally a civil war between the North and South Vietnamese The United States got involved due to the feared the spread of communism and worried that South Vietnam fall victim to the “domino effect” and become another communist country The domino theory is the belief that if one country falls to communism, the neighboring countries will fall to communism too

Countries Involved South Vietnam was supported by anti-communist countries such as the United States, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, and Khmer Republic, Kingdom of Laos, and Republic of China (Taiwan) North Vietnam was backed by the communist allies which included People’s Republic of China, Soviet Union, Pathet Lao, Khmer Rouge, and North Korea

Outcome of the War The United States pulled out of the war in 1973 under the condition of a ceasefire The war costed the U.S an estimated $200 billion The ceasefire lasted temporarily and fighting continued until April 1975 when the North attacked what was left of the Southern Vietnamese army and took Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City The South surrendered to the North and Vietnam was united again 2 million Vietnamese were killed 3 million were wounded 58 thousand Americans were killed and 153 thousand were wounded

Ho Chi Minh: The communist leader of North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh: The communist leader of North Vietnam. His intentions were to free his nation from colonial influence. Vo Nguyen Giap: Vietnamese military commander, who is most commonly known for his efforts free Vietnam from French rule. He lead North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. Ngo Dinh Diem: Anti-communist statesman who refused to ally with Ho Chi Minh liberation from France. He lead South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963 with support from the United States. Key Historical People

Key Historical People Cont. Nguyen Van Theiu: Had a powerful role in the Southern Vietnamese gov’t under President Nguyen Cao Ky. In 1967 he replaced Ky and remained president until the end of the war. John F. Kennedy: Increased the military and economic aid to South Vietnam. He refused to withdraw from Vietnam because he feared the fall of South Vietnam would mean the collapse of Southeast Asia. Lyndon B. Johnson: The vice president and assumed presidency after the assassination of JFK. Despite the promise to bring an end to American involvement in the war, he increased the U.S troops deployed hoping to ensure us victory before withdrawing.