VIETNAM

WAR
Group 4:
Nguyen Thi Kim Chi
Nguyen Thi Dung
Hoang Thanh Huyen
Doan Thi Thu Phuong
Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang
 OUTLINE

I. OVERVIEW

II. STAGES OF VIETNAM WAR

3. The seeds of the War (1945-1960)
4. American Commit (1961-1964)
5. Jungle War (1965-1969)
6. Bitter Failure (1969-1975)

III. QUIZ & DISCUSSION

 OVERVIEW
• Duration: 1945 – 1975  4 stages
 the longest war in American history
the most unpopular American war of the twentieth century.
• Casualties: nearly 60,000 American deaths & an estimated 2
million Vietnamese deaths.
• Main cause: Stop the spread of communism
• Doubt among American citizens:
Vietnam war - a sin,
a blunder,
a necessary war
a noble cause, or
an idealistic effort
to protect the South Vietnamese from
totalitarian government.
STAGES OF VIETNAM WAR

EACH STAGE
2.Situation

3.American strategies &

main events
 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War
1. Situation
International situation
- 1945 World War II Allies including the U.S., Britain, and Soviet Union,
hold the Potsdam Conference in Germany to plan the post-war world

- October 1949 - Mao Zedong's Communist forces defeated Chiang Kai-

shek's Nationalist Army in the Chinese civil war.

- January 1950 - The People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union
recognized Ho Chi Minh's Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

- February 7, 1950 - In America, the era of 'McCarthyism' erupted

 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War
1. Situation
Domestic situation
- Japanese surrendered unconditionally

- Vietnam's puppet emperor, Bao Dai, abdicated.

- Ho Chi Minh's guerrillas occupied Hanoi and proclaim a provisional

government

- The French restored control in the south of Vietnam

- The conflict between Vietnam and France was in process with

changes in superiority and coming to an end with Vietnam’s victory.
 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War
2. American strategies and main events
From 1950-1954:
- With the support from China, the visage of the war experienced shifts of
the superiority.

- French Forces was under great pressure to end the war as soon as
possible

- Dien Bien Phu - May 7th 1954, French forces surrendered after being
surrounded and defeated by Vo Nguyen Giap soldiers

 July 21st 1954: Geneva Conference: restoring peace in Indochina

 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War

American involvement
United States got involved and indirect control of the war between
Vietnam and France over the financial and military aids it provided
French forces.

- July 26, 1950 President Harry Truman authorizes $15 million in military
aid to the French.

- Over the next four years, the U.S. spent $3 Billion on the French war
and by 1954 provided 80 percent of all war supplies used by the French.

- September 27, 1950 - The U.S. established a Military Assistance

Advisory Group (MAAG) in Saigon to aid the French Army.
 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War

American involvement
- January 20, 1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th
U.S. President.

Eisenhower would greatly increased U.S. military aid to the French in

Vietnam to prevent a Communist victory. 'Domino Theory‘

- March 30 - May 1, The siege at Dien Bien Phu occured as nearly 10,000
French soldiers were trapped by 45,000 Viet Minh. French troops soon
ran out of fresh water and medical supplies.

The French urgently appealed to Washington for help

 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War

From 1955 to 1960:

• The South of Vietnam was under the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem
government and it is supported by the U.S.
• Ngo Dinh Diem army launched many brutal crackdowns against the
Viet Minh.
• March 1959 - The armed revolution began as Ho Chi Minh declares a
People's War to unite all of Vietnam under his leadership. His
Politburo now ordered a changeover to an all-out military struggle.
Thus began the Second Indochina War.
• May 1959 - North Vietnamese established the Central Office of South
Vietnam (COSVN) to oversee the coming war in the South.
Construction of the Ho Chi Minh trail now begins.
 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War

American involvement
Consistent with the aiding strategy, United States continued
provided Diem’s government support financially and militarily with
the aims to prevent the Communist expansion in the South of
Vietnam.

- January 1955 - The first direct shipment of U.S. military aid to

Saigon arrived.

Diem was advised on consolidating power by U.S. Air Force Col.

Edward G. Lansdale, who was attached to the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA).
 STAGE 1 - The seeds of the War

American involvement
- October 26, 1955 - The Republic of South Vietnam was proclaimed
with Diem as its first president. In America, President Eisenhower
pledged his support for the new government and offers military aid.

- July 8, 1959 - Two U.S. military advisors, Maj. Dale Buis and Sgt.
Chester Ovnand, were killed by Viet Minh guerrillas at Bien Hoa,
South Vietnam. They were the first American deaths in the Second
Indochina War which Americans would come to know simply as The
Vietnam War.
 STAGE 2 – American Commit

1. Situation
- January 1961 - Soviet president supported for "wars of national
liberation" throughout the world greatly encourages
Communists in North Vietnam

- January 20, 1961- John Fitzgerald Kennedy is inaugurated as the

35th U.S president the start of American commitment
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
2. American strategies and main events
- Domino Theory: Kennedy intended to continue Eisenhower's policy of
supporting Diem's South Vietnamese government. If communism was not halted
in Vietnam it would gradually spread throughout the world.

- Conflicting advice on Vietnam: a bottomless military and political swamp ><

ability to prevent a NLF (viet cong) victory in South Vietnam with a small
increase in military aid

 Kennedy agreed with the latter:

In 1961 he arranged for the South Vietnamese to receive the money to increase
the size of their army from 150,000 to 170,000.

He also agreed to send another 100 military advisers to Vietnam to help train
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
Strategic Hamlet programme: (1962)

– the concern on the influence of NLF (national liberation front= viet

cong)  move the peasants into new villages in areas under the
control of SV army with fence surrounding and patrol

– This strategy failed dismally : using force hostility towards Diem

government people following NLF increased to over 17000

– Kennedy became worried when NLF now controlled over one-fifth

of the villages in South Vietnam.

 This forced Kennedy to supply more military advisers, which reached

12,000 in 1962. Also, he decided to supply South Vietnam with 300 helicopters.
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
Religious rebel against Ngo Dinh Diem’s government:
- The main religion in Vietnam was Buddhism (60%).
- President Ngo Dinh Diem was a Catholic and tended to appoint Catholic
people to positions of authority, and he approved of the anti-Buddhist laws
 anger among Buddhists
- On May 8, 1963, Buddhists assembled in Hue to celebrate the 2527th
birthday of the Buddha. The police dispersed the crowd by opening fire on
them
- In an attempt to let the world know about it, on June 11, 1963, Thich Quang
Duc sat down in the middle of a busy Saigon road and let others burn himself
- The government's response to this suicide was to arrest thousands of
Buddhist monks. One member of the South Vietnamese government
responded "Let them burn, and we shall clap our hands."
-  These events convinced President John F. Kennedy that
Ngo Dinh Diem would never be able to unite the South Vietnamese against
communism.
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
- At the beginning of November, 1963, President Diem was overthrown and
killed by a military coup. Three weeks later. President Kennedy was also
assassinated.

- The substitution of his deputy: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson was a strong

supporter of the Domino Theory

- pressure to send more American troops to Vietnam: the doubt about the
ability of General Khanh in Viet Nam.

 Johnson’s reluctance to take unpopular measures like sending troops until

after the 1964 Presidential Elections
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
New Strategy: attack on the head and find a reason
- The election was not due for another eleven months this was too long to wait
They therefore suggested another strategy with fewer men killed

- Attack on the head: Military intelligence officers working in Vietnam had believed
that without the support of the Hanoi government, the NLF would not survive. 
They therefore advocated the bombing of Hanoi

- Attacking points:

“Back to Stone Age” OR “Bomb Selected Targets” (military bases and fuel depots)???

 Lyndon B. Johnson preferred the latter proposal

- He would have difficulty convincing the American public and the rest of the world
that such action was justified.  gave permission for a plan
 STAGE 2 – American Commit
Find a reason:

- Operation Plan 34A: On August 2, 1964, the US destroyer, "Maddox" was fired
upon by three North Vietnamese boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. In retaliation,
"Maddox" fired back and hit all three. Soon after entering North Vietnamese
waters, Captain Herrick reported that he was under attack. However, later he
sent a message that raised doubts about this
 Johnson now ignored the second message. He ordered the bombing of four
North Vietnamese torpedo-boat bases and an oil-storage planned three months
previously.
- President Johnson then went on television: "Repeated acts of violence against
the armed forces of the United States must be met not only with alert
defence, but with a positive reply. That reply is being given as I speak
tonight."
The Congress approved Johnson's decision to bomb North Vietnam and
passed what has become known as the Gulf of Tonkin (su kien vinh Bac Bo) 
 STAGE 3 – Jungle War

1. Situation
- Lyndon Johnson was elected US president and inaugurated in January
1965

- The event of 1968 Tet Offensive proved that President Lyndon Johnson’s
strategies were not successful.

- Richard Nixon was elected US president and inaugurated in January

1969.
 STAGE 3 – Jungle War
2. American strategies and main events
A. Strategies

During President Lyndon Johnson’s term:

Strategies: search and destroy missions in the South and bombings in the North

During President Nixon’s term:

• Reducing American casualties with "Vietnamization"
• Defusing anti-war protests by ending the military draft.
• Providing the South Vietnamese army with new training and improved weapons
• Frightening the North Vietnamese to the peace table
• Put Soviet and Chinese pressure on North Vietnam
• Cutting the Ho Chi Minh supply trail
 STAGE 3 – Jungle War
B. Main events
- March 2, 1965: Rolling Thunder Began – bombing North Vietnam using
100 US Air Force planes and 60 South Vietnamese planes.
- June 17, 1965: The first B-52 raids were launched against Viet Cong
targets in South Vietnam.
- August 21, 1965: Operation Starlite, the first major action fought by
5,500 US troops in a Viet Cong base near Van Tuong was receded by a
massive artillery and air assault.
- December 24, 1965: The United States halted the bombing of North
Vietnam to find a diplomatic settlement to the war.
 STAGE 3 – Jungle War

- January 24- March 6, 1966: Operation Masher: the largest search and
destroy mission up to that point in the war.

- April 12, 1966: The US launched the first B-52 raids on North Vietnam.
 
- July 15-August 3, 1966: Operation Hasting.

- Sept. 14-Nov. 26, 1966: Operation Attleboro

- January 8-26, 1967: Operation Cedar Falls 

- March 1, 1967: Operation Junction City

- January 20 – April 14, 1968: The battle of Khe Sanh

 STAGE 3 – Jungle War

- The 1968 Tet Offensive: Viet Cong troops infiltrated Saigon, captured
the Citadel in Hue and seized part of the US embassy in Saigon.

- May 10-20, 1969: US and South Vietnamese troops fought for Ap Bac
Mountain for 10 days.

- August 17-26th, 1969: The battle of Que Son Valley, 30 miles south of
Da Nang.  

- September 21, 1969: Thirty-five B-52s dropped more than one

thousand tons of bombs on North Vietnamese targets near the DMZ.
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
1. Situation

- After Tet Offensive, both US and South Vietnam were put under great
alarm

- Johnson did not stand for re-election so Nixon soon easily took the
office

- Anti-war movement in the US increased

 
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
2. American strategies and main events
Strategies:
• Vietnamization (using South Vietnamese troop for the war only)

• Madman theory (if the war continued for much longer Nixon was liable
to resort to nuclear weapons against North Vietnam)

• Phoenix Program (infiltrate peasant communities and discover the

names of NLF sympathizers)

 encourage South Vietnam to take more responsibility for fighting the

war, withdraw all US soldiers
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
Main events:
• On Jan.25th 1969, new peace talks between America and Vietnam
began in Paris

• June 1969, Nixon announced the first of the US troop withdrawals.

The 540,000 US troops were to be reduced by 25,000.

• Despite the incursion into Cambodia, Nixon had begun the systematic
withdrawal of US forces, lowering troop strength to 156,800 in 1971.

• 8th Feb 1971, the ARVN commenced Operation Lam Son 719 with the
goal of severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos  ARVN forces were
routed and driven back across the border.
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
Main events:
• When the U.S. had withdrawn most of its troops from Vietnam, the
North Vietnamese staged a massive assault, called the Easter Offensive
(also called the Spring Offensive), on March 30, 1972.

• In October 1972, Nixon’s National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger,

concluded a secret peace agreement with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho
 In response, the North Vietnamese published the details of the
agreement and stalled the negotiations.

• Feeling that US had to come back to table for peace talk, Nixon ordered
the bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in late December 1972 (Operation
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
• On 15th January 1973, Nixon announced the end of offensive
operations against North Vietnam.

• The Paris Peace Accords ending the conflict were signed January 27,
1973. Following was the withdrawal of the remaining American troops.

• On 9th August, 1974, Richard Nixon resign from office (Watergate

Scandal)

• December 1974, American Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act

of 1974, cutting off all military aid  the ARVN weakened

• In 1974, serious fighting had broken out between the NLF and the
AVRN
 STAGE 4 – Bitter Failure
• The spring of 1975 saw a series of NLF victories  important areas
such as Danang and Hue were lost in March panic swept through the
AVRN

• April 25th 1975, president Thieu resigned and left the country,
followed by other South Vietnamese leaders and the remaining
American advisers.

• The NLF arrived in Saigon on April 30, 1975. After declaring that
Vietnam was now a united country, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh
City. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam was established in July 1976
 REFERENCES
• http://www.thenation.com/classroom/paks/pakvietnam.mhtml
• http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index.html
• http://vietnamresearch.com/history/vntimeline.html
• http://history-world.org/vietnam_war.htm
• http://www.historycentral.com/Vietnam/events.html
• http://www.commondreams.org/views/041700-106.htm
• http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1965.html
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4491249.stm
• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=619
  
 Quiz
Read the following sentences and decide if it is True (T) or False (F)
2. President Richard Nixon claimed to have a plan to bring peace with
honor.

3. The start of American commitment can be marked by Kennedy’s

inauguration in 1961.

4. Geneva Conference in July 21th, 1954 was about restoring peace in

Indochina.

5. President Lyndon Johnson continued the Vietnam War for fear of looking
like a weakling.

6. Ngo dinh diem followed Buddhism so he advocated the policy supporting

that religion.
 Quiz
• In 1950, as a consequence of McCarthyism Theory, US politics turned hard
on communism.

• Lyndon Johnson used bombings in the south , and search & destroy
missions in the North during the Jungle War.

• Operation Linebacker II in 1972 was launched to bomb Hanoi only.

• Richard Nixon was the 1st American president to resign from White House.

• Lyndon Johnson intended to use the latest technology to make Vietnam

"back to the Stone Age“
 QUIZ
2. President Richard Nixon claimed to have a plan to bring peace with honor. T
• The start of American commitment can be marked by Kennedy’s inauguration in
1961. T
• Geneva Conference in July 21th, 1954 was about restoring peace in Indochina. T
• President Lyndon Johnson continued the Vietnam War for fear of looking like a
weakling. T
• Ngo dinh diem followed Buddhism so he advocated the policy supporting that
religion. F
• In 1950, as a consequence of McCarthyism Theory, US politics turned hard on
communism. T
• Lyndon Johnson used bombings in the south , and search & destroy missions in the
North during the Jungle War. F
• Operation Linebacker II in 1972 was launched to bomb Hanoi only. F
• Richard Nixon was the 1st American president to resign from White House. T
• Lyndon Johnson intended to use the latest technology to make Vietnam "back to the
Stone Age“ F
- Match the American strategies in Vietnam War with their correct practices.

- Decide which stage each strategy fell into

1. Domino Theory a. Infiltrating peasant communities and discovering

2. Madman theory the name of NLF sympathizers
3. Strategic Hamlet b. If the war continued for much longer, Nixon was
program liable to resort to nuclear weapons against North
4. Vietnamization Vietnam.
5. Search and destroy c. If the Communism fell in Vietnam, that would
missions halt in other countries, too.
6. Phoenix program d. Using Vietnamese troops to fight against
Vietnamese forces.
e. Finding Vietcong troops and killing them.
f. In order to halt the influences of NLF, they
forced people to move to a controlled area with
surrounding fences and patrolling at the gate
1. c
2. b
3. f
4. d
5. e
6. a
 DISCUSSION

1. What is your opinion about the

Vietnam War?
American’s citizens
 a sin,
 a blunder,
 a necessary war, or
 a noble cause, or
 an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese
from totalitarian government.
Thank you
for your
listening!