1. Origins of the Vietnam War
French Indochina War ( )
The Vietnamese had been fighting against foreign rulers for a long time. Vietnam was a part of the French colony of Indochina prior to WWII. The Vietnamese never accepted French rule. After WWII the Vietnamese had expected the French to give them their independence. Ho Chi Minh formed the Indochina Communist Party (Viet Minh) to challenge French rule. The U.S. backed the French during this war.
Colonial Flag of French Indochina
Ho Chi Minh
Viet Minh Flag

2. Origins of the Vietnam War
Geneva Peace Accords
The division was only to be temporary until elections could be held. The
United States and the South Vietnamese government were afraid that
they would lose to Ho Chi Minh in the election so they postponed it.
As a result, Vietnam remained separated into two countries. At this
point a new group called the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese communist)
was created to oppose Diem’s government. North Vietnam started to
support the Viet Cong and their fight against the South.
17th Parallel

3. America and the Vietnam War
Geneva Peace Accords
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a nickname for a series of trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the countries of Laos and Cambodia. The Geneva Accords forbid either side to cross the DMZ at the 17th parallel, so the North avoid breaking this rule by going around it. They were used by the Communists in the North to supply the Viet Cong in the South.
Vietnamese carrying supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

4. Origins of the Vietnam War
Cuban Missile Crisis
After the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy was reconsidering America’s involvement in Vietnam. He wanted to start scaling back the U.S.’s commitment to South Vietnam. After Kennedy’s death, President Johnson will start to increase American support for the Anti-communist in South Vietnam.

5. America and the Vietnam War
Containment/ Domino Theory
The U.S. saw communism spreading around the world after WWII. As
more countries turned to communism the government’s plan to contain
communism seemed to be not working. When the French asked the
U.S. for help in their war against the communists in Vietnam the U.S.
agreed to help with money and military equipment/training. Under
President Eisenhower a new theory emerged called the Domino
Theory. This was the idea that if one country in a region fell to
communism so would the surround countries.

6. America and the Vietnam War
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The United States claimed that two U.S. Navy warships had been attacked by North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Lyndon Johnson used this as a reason to ask Congress to give him permission to use greater force in Vietnam. The Congress agreed, and by doing so essentially gave Johnson a “blank check” to fight the war any way he saw fit. This resolution led to an escalation in the number of U.S. forces in Vietnam.
USS Maddox fires upon three North Vietnamese torpedo boats
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

7. America and the Vietnam War
Tet Offensive
America found itself fighting a guerrilla style of war. The jungle terrain of Vietnam was difficult to fight in for soldiers. Most U.S. soldiers were young and inexperienced. U.S. soldiers only served for a short time then went back home. They were going up against the Viet Cong and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) who were used to war. The local people did not support the U.S.
U.S. Troops on patrol
Viet Cong tunnel complex
Viet Cong Soldier

8. America and the Vietnam War
Tet Offensive
On January 30, 1968, Communist forces launched an
offensive on the Vietnamese holiday of Tet. The offensive
was stopped, but afterwards public opinion in America started
to turn against the war. Many Americans realized that the
government reports stating that America was winning the war were
not accurate.
U.S. Marines advance past a tank during the battle for Hue

9. Vietnam Divides America Anti-War Movement:
Why some Americans opposed the Vietnam War
Some Americans felt the U.S. had no business becoming
involved in another country’s civil war, and that the fight methods used
were immoral. Others thought the cost of the war was too high, and that
the draft was unfair because it singled out the poor and minorities.

10. Vietnam Divides America
Anti-War Movement:
Hawks and Doves
The war gave rise to the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and
1970s. Young people (Hippies) started to reject the middle- class
lifestyle of their parents. The war further divided the country between
those who supported the war, Hawks, and those opposed to it, Doves.
Hawk=War
Dove=Peace

11. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War:
Peace with Honor
Nixon’s administration developed a strategy to withdraw America from the Vietnam War. The basic idea was to turn the war over to South Vietnam (Vietnamization). The U.S. started to bomb and invade Cambodia as part of this new strategy, with the hope of weakening the Viet Cong before America’s withdrawal. This invasion touched off a series of anti-war protest, including the shootings at Kent State University

12. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War:
Cease-fire in Vietnam
January 27, 1973 the U.S. and South Vietnam signed a cease-fire
agreement with the North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. It was agreed that
the U.S. would withdraw all of its combat forces out of Vietnam.

13. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War:
The war ends in 1975 with North Vietnam taking over South Vietnam.
Vietnam was unified into one Communist controlled country. Saigon(Ho
Chi Minh City), the capital of South Vietnam was the last non-
Communist strong hold to fall to the Communists. The United States
tried to evacuate as many South Vietnamese as possible before the
Communists took the city.
Vietnamese civilians boarding an America Helicopter during the fall of Saigon.
Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC

14. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War:
After America’s involvement in Vietnam ends, Congress
passes the War Powers Act (1973) limiting a President’s
ability to use military force. The President has 48 hours to
report to Congress any time they send soldiers into combat.
The soldiers can’t stay longer than 90 days unless the
president gets approval from Congress. 26th Amendment
gave lowered the voting age to 18. The war cost over 1.5
million Vietnamese their lives and over 58,000 Americans
are killed. Use of “Agent Orange” caused long term health
problems for soldiers and the people of Vietnam