![]() (Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)ĭuring the Second World War, Vichy France could do little to protect its colony from Japanese occupation. By the time of World War II, a number of groups sought Vietnamese independence but as Vo Nguyen Giap-who would build Vietnam’s post–WWII army-expressed it, the communists were the best organized and most action-oriented of these groups. In the early 20th century, Vietnamese nationalism began to rise, clashing with the French colonial rulers. Before the 1880s, the French controlled Vietnam. The two sections were not unlike North and South in the United States prior to the Civil War their people did not fully trust each other.įrance’s military involvement in Vietnam began when it sent warships in 1847, ostensibly to protect Christians from the ruling emperor Gia Long. Population in the south was mostly clustered in a few areas along the coast the north always enjoyed a larger population. Originally, Vietnam ended at the 17th parallel, but it gradually conquered all the area southward along the coastline of the South China Sea and west to Cambodia. China conquered the northern part of modern Vietnam in 111 BC and retained control until 938 AD it continued to exert some control over the Vietnamese until 1885. ![]() Vietnam has a long history of being ruled by foreign powers, and this led many Vietnamese to see the United States’ involvement in their country as neo-colonialism. estimate of civilians killed in the north at 30,000.Īmong South Vietnam’s other allies, Australia had over 400 killed and 2,400 wounded New Zealand, over 80 KIA Republic of Korea, 4,400 KIA and Thailand 350 killed. Civilian deaths during that time period were estimated at 2 million, but the U.S. In April 1995, Vietnam’s communist government said 1.1 million combatants had died between 19, and another 600,000 wounded. Similarly, casualty totals among the VC and NVA and the number of dead and wounded civilians in North Vietnam cannot be determined exactly. Civilian loss of life was also very heavy, with the lowest estimates around 415,000. Low estimates calculate 110,000 combat KIA and a half-million wounded. suffered over 47,000 killed in action plus another 11,000 noncombat deaths over 150,000 were wounded and 10,000 missing.Ĭasualties for the Republic of South Vietnam will never be adequately resolved. failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam, the Vietnam experience became known as “the only war America ever lost.” It remains a very controversial topic that continues to affect political and military decisions today.Įxcerpts Their Existence Was Denied by the US Government. The war was extremely divisive in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. history until the Afghanistan War (2002-2014). ![]() It ended with communist victory in April 1975. In 1973 a “third” Vietnam war began-a continuation, actually-between North and South Vietnam but without significant U.S. It was a direct result of the First Indochina War (1946–1954) between France, which claimed Vietnam as a colony, and the communist forces then known as Viet Minh. For this reason, in Vietnam today it is known as the American War. The U.S., possessing the largest foreign military presence, essentially directed the war from 1965 to 1968. Usually it refers to the period when the United States and other members of the SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) joined the forces with the Republic of South Vietnam to contest communist forces, comprised of South Vietnamese guerrillas and regular-force units, generally known as Viet Cong (VC), and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The Vietnam War is the commonly used name for the Second Indochina War, 1954–1975. The Vietnam War: Facts & Info About the Most Controversial US Conflict Close
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