Vietnam

By

Andrew South

Start of U.S Involvement

• World War II

• French wanted Vietnam back after WWII.

• United States pay for the French.

• French lose and United States Steps in.

United States wants to stop Communism

• Believes that if Vietnam falls rest of Asia will fall

• So United States most support any one that is anti-communist

Why did North Vietnam want South Vietnam

• North Vietnam wanted foreign powers out

• Had not been free since 1664

• With French lose to Viet Minh in 1954 – Battle of Dien Bien Phu– French leave Vietnam

• Saw United States as no different – wanted to free South from U.S.

Map of Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu

• Located in Valley of Nam Yum River

• General Navarre’s Idea

• Based was divided into 5 sections – Named after French Commanders ex-girl

friends

• Based was not protected against Artillery

Dien Bien Phu

• Viet Minh were able to bring in Artillery

• French could not stop the Viet Minh Artillery

• The French were slowly blown apart.– Fell on May 7 1954

President of the United States that really gets United States in to

the War

LBJ

United States real involvement

• U.S. after 1954 supports Diem

• 1963 JFK and Diem assassinated

• LBJ becomes president

• 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• 1965 first marines arrive in Da Nang– Reach 100,000 soldiers in country by the end

of the year

Who is the Leader of North Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh

Viet Cong

• Led by Giap

• Trained by Unites States in WWII

• Started out as the Viet Minh– fought against French and Japanese

• Guerilla Army

Viet Cong Soldier

Viet Cong

• These soldiers tended to be peasants

• Would farm during the day and fight at night

• This was a problem for French and America– Could not tell the differences between enemy

and friend

NVA

• Also led by Giap

• Not true that all of North Vietnamese were Guerilla soldiers

• NVA were regular soldiers trained in NV– did most of the fighting after 1968

The U.S. wins everything,but nothing

• 1968 over 500,000 troops in South Vietnam– Army wants more

• Wins all battles– but cannot control the countryside

• Tet Offensive– Public loses faith– more protests in the United States

Who promised to get the United States out of the War

Nixon

Nixon starts and ends

• Starts war in Laos and Cambodia

• Starts secret Peace Talks

• Starts to turn over War to South Vietnamese

• Stops build up in S.V.• Ends troop

involvement in Vietnam

• Ends Support of South Vietnam

The End of the War

• 1975 South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam– due to the fact the U.S. does not support S.V.

• Vietnam rule their whole country for the first time since 1664.