Vietnam C1 (Reasons For Involvement) Flashcards
4 key terms
Vietcong- Vietnamese Communists
NVA- North Vietnamese Army
AVRN- Army of the Republic of the North
Ho Chi Minh Trail- dirt paths through Laos/ Cambodia to connect north and south
Vietnam after World War 2
- Japan surrendered, returned to France
- Ho Chi Minh leader of Republic north, he wanted independence called Vietminh (communist)
- Bao Dai leader in south with French troops
Key features of Dien Bien Phu 1954
- French built airstrip to lure Vietminh in
- surrounded by 50,000 troops + artillery
- lasted 55 days, French surrendered
Reasons for Vietminh victory at Dien Bien Phu 1954
- local conditions, new countryside
- local support, helped/ supplied
- China, supplied North with weapons/ supplies
- French Mistakes, underestimated north + poor troops
- Vietminh commitment, worked day/ night
What did Dien Bien Phu 1954 lead to?
- The French left Vietnam
- Eisenhower supported the south
Agreements of the Geneva Accords 1954
- divided 17th parallel
- Vietminh north (Hanoi capital), Bao Dai south (Saigon capital)
- people move for 300 days
- no foreign troops
- elections for a united country
Problems with the Geneva Accords 1954
- USA/ South did not follow
- North wanted parallel further down
- Elections not for 6 months
- in 1956 Diem refused to hold elections
Domino theory
Belief if Vietnam fell to Communism it would spread to surrounding countries
SEATO
South East Asia Treaty Organisation, contain communism
Why was Diem unpopular?
- Catholic, Vietnam Buddhist
- Governmental jobs to family
- little respect for villagers
- fixed referendum, arrest communist, called North ‘Vietcong’
What did Diem being leader of the south lead to?
- civil war in Vietnam between the north and the south
Actions of Kennedy
- $40 mil for training, sending troops, chemicals to kill crops and Helicopters for transport
- agreed with Domino Theory
- more advisors
- hunt VC
- persuade local villagers
Hearts and Minds
- it was key to win over the people (as they currently preferred the communists)
- Jungle conditions bad, VC hard to defend against (even kids)
Battle of Ap Bac
- US media report it as a defeat (protests)
- this is despite outnumbering north ext
Quang Duc’s protest
- Buddhist monk set himself alight
- showed problems with southern government
Overthrow of Diem
- done by the AVRN, USA knew but did not act
- showed problems
Strategic Hamlets
- modern villages to stop VC recruitment of villagers
Reasons for the failure of the Strategic Hamlets
- people didn’t want to move (move from graves ext)
- people went hungry as they were unfed
- bad sanitation/ poor conditions
Kennedy’s assassination
- Vice President Johnson stepped in, hard unstable Southern government
- Assassination symbolic for problems
- VC stronger, South weaker
Why the VC were an increased threat
- local support, to have stable government need support
- South run poorly
- Vietcong ideals (solve poverty)
- VC were organised
- VC got weapons/ supplied from China + USSR
- VC had time, didn’t need to win it quickly
Significance of the Golf of Tonkin 1964
- US ships thought they were attacked
- Johnson ignored confusion of 2nd time and retaliated by ordering air strikes
- congress passed resolution to send troops
- VC saw this as a war deceleration so increased attacks
Escalation under Johnson
- advisors were naive: conflicting advise either to bomb or war was won
- there aim was still containment but they were loosing
VC tactics
- hit and run, hard to defend
- sabotaged roads, US had heavy supplies
- stayed close to US troops to know where they were
- complex tunnel systems to hide
- dressed like villagers, blended in
- propaganda, turn south against US
- ambush traps, effective + hard to retaliate
- light weapons, moved more swiftly
US Tactics
- Operation Rolling Thunder, bomb HCM trail using Napalm and Pineapple bombs (didn’t do much damage)
- Search and Destroy, search VC camps but VC prepared
- Operation Cedar Falls, kill in ‘iron triangle’, they cleared it but villagers moved back in
- Operation Ranch Hand, chemicals to destroy jungle + village crops, caused food shortages and Poisoned Water
Key features of the Tet Offensive 1968
- VC attacked 26 cities
- on Lunar New Year so AVRN troops off
- North had purposely suggested peace negotiations (false sense of security)
‘Tet Offensive was a US military defeat’, agree
- caught off guard
- got into US embassy
- humiliation
- Saigon attacked (safest place)
- more anti war campaigns
- VC rebuild
- Johnson didn’t run for president
‘Tet Offensive was a US military defeat’, disagree
- VC troops captured/ defeated
- recaptured cities, restored order
- US won on the ground
Changes under Nixon 1963-73
Promises:
- peace talks, representatives to Paris
- secret peace talks, advisors to VC
- lowered troop number
- AVRN training
- secret bombing of Cambodia
Nixon Doctrine
- USA honour treaties
- Help against Nuclear War
- USA provide AVRN training
Expansion of the war under Nixon
- Bombed/ invaded Cambodia 1970, stop communism and public outcry
- Invasion of Laos 1971, lots of fighting for power but many US casualties and questioned Vietnamization
- Operation Linebacker, bombing north with no restrictions
- Easter Offensive, peace negotiations dragging on so VC attacked 3 cities by USA got them back
Key features of Vietnamization
- AVRN alone to fight the war
- USA provide training + equipment
- South Vietnam separates but non- communist
- troops withdrawal with ‘honour’
Why Vietnamization failed
- attitudes of US troops, new they were going home
- AVRN corrupt and not enough soldiers
- congress restricted funds for training
- economic crisis in south (unemployment)
