 A Cold War military conflict  Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Northern Vietnam (communists) Vs Southern Vietnam (US & anti-communists)

 Colony of French Indochina faced military resistance since colonization in 1850s  1940: French surrendered to Germany; Japanese takes control  1941: Formation of Việt Minh- national independence movement against Japanese backed by US & ROC (Ho Chi Minh)

 1945: Japanese surrendered; Ho Chin Minh established the DRV  French returned  Indochinese War(1946): Viet Minh(+ PRC & SU) vs French Union

 1954: With enormous PRC support, Viet Minh defeated French Union at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, resulting in French withdrawal  Separated at the 17 th parallel

 Transition Period  State of Vietnam Referendum (1955)  Ngo Dinh Diem established the ROV in 1955

 DRV, with the assistance of the Viet Cong, PRC & SU tried to seize South Vietnam  US intervened, with accordance to their policy of containment, to support ROV DRV (North Vietnam) + PRC + SU Vs ROV (South Vietnam) + US + anti-communists

 Human Cost (American People):  58,000 American people died, 150,000 wounded in battle  Families of the Deceased or Wounded were severely affected  American people were devastated by the magnitude of bloodshed

 Human Cost (Veterans)  Veterans suffered from Post-traumatic stress order or other psychological problems  Veterans were not well-received by the people of America, not given recognition  Veterans found it hard to meld back into society

 Foreign Policy (America)  US technically lost the war  General feeling, less intervention in other countries

 Human Cost (Vietnam)  Vietnam casualties count uncertain  South Vietnam submitted to North’s Communist Rule  People sent to concentration camps for “re- education”  People forced to develop undeveloped land  Use of chemicals affected Vietnamese health severely

 Communist Assistance to DRV:  USSR, China, North Korea  Diplomatic Recognition  Sent troops (esp. China)  Supplied medical supplies and military equipment  Military advisors to train army  Repair the damage caused by American bombing  China and USSR fell out

 Anti-communist Countries’ Involvement:  South Korea sent troops which were reputable for their effectiveness (2 nd most after US troops)  Filipino troops mainly assisted in medical and other civilian pacification projects  Thai army formations assisted in fighting in South Korea and in Laos (Ho Chi Minh Trail)  ROC provided assistance through sending military equipment, troops, training units and advisors

 Neutral States:  Laos and Cambodia  Ho Chi Minh trail ran through Laos and Cambodia  Part of war was fought on these neutral states  US Secret Bombings on Cambodia and Laos not only weakened North Vietnamese troops, but destroyed local buildings

 US Involvement – start of involvement  USA involved itself when Communists took over China through funding French war effort  Domino Theory  1954, US prevented elections in Vietnam  Showed ignorance to Vietnamese people  Helped Ngo Dinh Diem to set up ROV and funded his efforts, though concerned and frustrated by his corrupt ways

 US involvement – sent troops  By 60s, US started sending troops (military advisors) under President Kennedy’s administration  More troops were sent when under his successor President Johnson  President Johnson committed full scale  Almost 600k troops were sent, but could not defeat Communist troops (Viet Cong)  Bombing and Chemical weapons

 US involvement – withdrew troops  Public opinion opposed war in Vietnam  Public was horrified by media reports of Vietnam war – My Lai massacre  War could not be won militarily  President Nixon wanted to end US involvement  “Vietnamisation”, pressure on USSR and China  Peace agreement between North and South  Last troops were withdrawn in 1973

 After Vietnam War  Pro-Soviet Vietnamese and Laos governments  Pro-Chinese Cambodian government  China was trying to replace Russia in the role as the leader of the communist countries  Due to Cambodian aggression, Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1975  Threat to Chinese influence in SE Asia  In retaliation, China invaded Vietnam in 1979  Threat to Soviet influence in SE Asia

   Vietnam War. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 23, 2011, from  Leuhusen, P. (1997, May 15). The vietnam war. Retrieved from  Carter, N. (2007). The Vietnam War: What Role Did Other Countries Play? Retrieved Jan. 30, 2011, from Articlesbase. Web site: role-did-outside-countries-play html. role-did-outside-countries-play html  Walsh, B. (2001). GCSE modern world history. London, England: Hodder Murray  Vietnam War Timeline. Retrieved Jan. 30, 2011, from Landscaper.net. Web site: