Chapter 9: Vietnam War Flashcards
usa military strats
containment policy
containment and feared viets wld fall to communism, other countries in SEA wld fall too.
communism wld spread to South viet and then rest of asia. USA decide to send money,supplies and military advisors to help south viet govt.
Vietnamese Strategies
- Guerrilla Warfare
•Ambushes, Hit-and-Run Tactics: The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) often used surprise attacks and ambushes to harass U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, avoiding direct confrontation whenever possible. This was particularly effective in the dense jungles and rural areas, where knowledge of the terrain gave them an advantage.
•Blend with Civilians: The VC operated among civilians in rural areas, which made it difficult for the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. This strategy allowed them to hide in plain sight and avoid large-scale engagements until the time was right.
•Hit-and-run: After striking, the guerrilla forces would often retreat into remote areas, tunnels, or jungles to escape, limiting their losses.
- Tunnels and Underground Networks
•Tunnel Complexes (e.g., Cu Chi Tunnels): The Vietnamese built extensive tunnel networks that spanned vast areas and allowed troops to move undetected, hide supplies, and launch surprise attacks. These tunnels were often booby-trapped and well-camouflaged, making them hard to detect by U.S. forces.
•Survival and Mobility: The tunnels also served as makeshift hospitals, supply depots, and barracks, allowing the VC and NVA to evade U.S. aerial bombardment and ground patrols.
reasons for outbreak of vietnam war
1.(d)discontentment over the geneva accord(ex) vietnam wants to be an independent country ,vietnam was to be temporarily divided at the 17 parallel the demilitarized zone forces of the two parties were to withdraw to their respective sides of the provisional military democratic line south of the 17 parallel would be a fully independent non communist state while the north parallel viet minh would be in full control elections were held in 1956 to see who leads the unified vietnam(a) the partition of vietnam at the geneva conference left all sides unsatisfied even though the conflict ended both communist north vietnam and non communist south vietnam hoped for single unified vietnam the desire to unify the country under their ideology meant the relations continued to be tense
2.failure to carry out national elections in 1956 Diem announced that the Vietnam-wide elections agreed at the Geneva Conference would not be held.
In October 1955, he held a referendum on a proposal to remove Bao Dai, the last Emperor of Vietnam and install himself as President. 98% of the voters approved it but the referendum was rigged.
Diem’s regime throughout the 1950s. Most of them were former members of the Viet Minh who believed in unification of North and South Vietnam.
As a result of Diem’s cancellation of the promised 1956 reunification elections, many former Viet Minh members started to wage a low-level campaign of disruption and harassment against his regime.
The desire to unify the country under their respective ideologies meant that relations between the two Vietnams continued to be more intense from 1956.
3. Unpopularity of Ngo Dinh Diem’s actions and the support from the North for the insurgency in the South
US tried to pressure Diem into land reforms to redistribute land to poorer peasants. This would increase support for the regime & counter effects of communist propaganda.
However, Diem was not interested as most of his supporters were from the landlord class.
By 1960, the reform programme completely stalled.
Diem also blatantly practiced nepotism. Widespread protests were held against his regime often led by
Buddhist monks.
Diem’s pro-Catholic policies had antagonised the
Buddhist majority in the country. Many of the monks resorted to self-immolation as a form of protest.
The North Vietnam Communist Party approved the setting up of Group 559, a specialised unit of the North Vietnam Army.
Its job was to transport weapons, ammunition and other equipment to the Viet Cong – a term for the insurgents who had formally organised themselves by 1960.
Between 1957 and 1960, the Viet Cong carried out around 1,700 assassinations.
These attacks could be on anyone associated with the South Vietnamese government, including police officers, officers of the law courts and administrators. The insurgents also assassinated anyone suspected of collaborating with the government.
The group later created a supply route, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It would become a central resource in the conflict which was about to escalate. By the early 1960s, Diem’s regime was in serious trouble (d) The insurgency destabilised South Vietnam and made it difficult for the South Vietnamese government to consolidate power, contributing to the eventual escalation of the conflict.
involvement or super power in vietnam war
North vietnam
North Vietnam
The People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN)
also known as the Vietnamese People’s Army (VPA)
o Referred to as Viet Minh during the First
Indochina War (1946 – 1954)
o Referred to as the North Vietnamese
Army (NVA) during the Vietnam War (1955 – 1975) – Fought together with Soviet and Chinese allies to free South Vietnam and unite Vietnam
Able to win the hearts & minds (mass support) from the Vietnamese – provided Viet Cong with supplies, intelligence and manpower – allowed Viet Cong to sustain the war
involvement of superpower in vietnam war
South Vietnam
Viet Cong (1960 – 1976)
People’s Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF) (‘Viet Nam Cong San’ or Vietnamese Communists)
o VietCongwasthemilitaryarmoftheNLF
to coordinate insurgencies in the South
o Viet Cong fought a guerrilla war of ambush, terrorism & sabotage against the
South Vietnam government
o Using the HCM trail, Viet Cong sent
reinforments and supplies to guerrilla
fighters including 40,000 NVA troops VS
NLF (1960)
Communist National Liberation Front of South Vietnam
o Madeupofarmedgroupscarryingouton
Diem’s government in South Vietnam
o To overthrow the corrupted South Vietnam government under Diem and to
help create a united Vietnam
Vietnam was struggling for national independence
o The Vietnamese wanted the foreign occupiers out of their country
o But USA was fixated on anti-communism and HCM was a communist
Although South Vietnamese Army (SVA) outnumbered & militarily stronger than the communists, they were reluctant to fight for the US and willingly supported the communists.
o South Vietnamese Army (SVA) was sizable even as US soldiers began pouring into the country in 1965
o SVA had enough troops, outnumbered the communists, were better supplied, had vastly superior firepower and advantage in mobility with transport planes and helicopters
South Vietnamese Army (SVA) had no will to fight – thus USA although superior militarily, lacked support from the South – Vietcong faced less resistance
Vietcong’s strong determination / will to fight / high morale – fighting for the cause of reunification and independence
Able to win the hearts & minds (mass support) from the Vietnamese – provided Viet Cong with supplies, intelligence and manpower – allowed Viet Cong to sustain the war
involvement of superpower in vietnam war
USA’s involvement from indirect to direct
USA’s containme nt policy
America was operating a policy of containment and feared if Vietnam fell to communism, other countries in South East Asia would fall too. This was known as the Domino Theory (President Eisenhower). This had happened in Eastern Europe after 1945. China had become communist in 1949 and
The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisors to help the South
communists were in control in North Vietnam.
Vietnamese Governmen
agent orange and napalm
Agent orange-destroy forests and crops, exposure to it can cause cancer and birth defects
Napalm-contained petrol and chemicals that burned skin to the bone.
However it failed to weaken Vietcongs will to fight
