1. Vietnam war -- Notes

2. MAP of Vietnam

3. Background on Vietnam
History of colonization (conquered by Chinese, then a French colony)
Vietnamese seeking freedom from French rule
Ho Chi Minh – Communist leader seeking economic reform
Vietnam divided after pushing out French
South Vietnam = pro-West, democracy
North Vietnam (NVA) = Communist
Vietcong (VC) = pro-Communist insurgency group in the South
Civil war ensues

4. Background on U.S. in Cold War
Fear of communism: Americans view communism as synonymous with atrocities of Stalin and Soviet Union
: United States foreign policy aims to prevent “domino effect”: If South Vietnam falls to communist North, other countries in the region will become communist as well.
1962: Americans see tensions unfold during Cuban Missile Crisis (Cuba = communist)
1965: Americans are extremely confident in victory, and the war has high public support

5. Conflict – U.S. involved from 1959-75
: U.S. sends military advisors to help South Vietnamese in civil war
1965: U.S. sends combat troops and engages in first major battles of the war
1968: NVA launches “Tet Offensive”—a major military strike that proves costly for the North, yet takes the U.S. by surprise and causes doubt and disapproval in citizens
1969: American public learns of the My Lai (mee lye) massacre of the previous year. Adds to growing anti-war sentiment.
1975: Americans fully withdraw from Vietnam. South Vietnam falls to North.

6. Casualties 58,220 American service members killed
Estimated 800, million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed.