One of the worst recorded incidents in the Vietnam War is the My Lai Massacre. American citizens felt they had been misinformed of the true progress of the war, and that victory was not, in fact, within easy reach. The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, and the In fact, over 80% of draftees were white, and 10-15% were African American, which was reflective of the relative population levels at the time. Laos is thought to be the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita, with an estimated 30% of cluster bombs remaining unexploded. Many U.S. leaders labored under the delusion that Vietnam was a small country and could be easily controlled. Bombing operation of North Vietnam "Rolling Thunder" begun. Educated in, Leaders of the free world feared a "domino effect" regarding the spread of communism. Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world, with an estimated 30% of cluster bombs remaining unexploded. During the war, around 1 million Catholics migrate towards south Vietnam for temporary peace. The standard rifle used by U.S. ground troops was the M-16 rifle, while the communist forces used Russian-made AK-47s. While many people know about the Vietnam War, not everybody knows how it ended. All rights reserved. Since the Northern Vietnamese government wanted to make the country united and a communist state, the West grew worried at the prospect of yet another communist country, following in the footsteps of the Soviet Union and China. 1. Today you are going to find out the real true facts of the Vietnam War. The United States officially entered the war in 1965 when the North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox, backing South Vietnam. The city of Saigon was later renamed to Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. U.S. strength The Vietnam War was a civil war that North Vietnam launched against South Vietnam in 1959. From the end of the 19 th Century up until the 1940s Vietnam had been a French colony and formed part of French Indochina. The majority of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong armaments were manufactured by. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communistallies… 30. States including France and Japan were concerned that if one country became a communist nation, other neighboring and nearby countries would follow closely behind. Although international law has many measures and regulations in place to prevent injuries and deaths to civilians, the sad reality is that it is often innocent civilians who pay the price for war. The B-52 heavy bomber, F4 Phantom, and Bell UH-1 guaranteed American superiority in the air. 32. When the United Nations set the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, they included an extra goal for Laos – to rid the country of dangerous unexploded items. The number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War is 58,220. The USA fabricated the reason for the attack on a naval ship in Gulf of Tonkin. The Vietnam War lasted about 40 years and involved several countries. 1-5 Interesting Facts About Vietnam War 1. shocks the American public, and support for the war drops. About 2 million civilians and 1.3 million soldiers were killed or died during the war. Accessed: March 30, 2018. Although guerrilla warfare was not a new tactic, it was used heavily by the Viet Cong in support of the northern government. 6Nalty, Bernard C., ed. Heroin use reached epidemic proportions among American troops. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick: the Vietnam War. Emperor Bao Dai. The Vietnam War (also known as Second Indochina War or American War in Vietnam) lasted from 1 November 1955–30 April 1975, (19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day). In fact, Vietnam is nearly the size of. Vietnam was a French colony from the mid-19th century until its expulsion in 1954. Battle of Ấp Bắc is fought on Jan. 2. Deaths in Vietnam War (1954–75) per R. J. Rummel (except where otherwise noted) Low estimate of deaths Middle estimate of deaths High estimate of deaths Notes and comments North Vietnam/Viet Cong military and civilian war dead 533,000: 1,062,000: 1,489,000: includes an estimated 50,000/65,000/70,000 civilians killed by U.S/SVN bombing/shelling: South Vietnam/U.S./South Korea war … The Vietnam War dragged on for a variety of reasons, including the difficult, heavily forested terrain, the guerrilla tactics of the communist forces, and hesitant U.S. leadership restricting the army's options for decisive action. Richard Nixon is elected and promises gradual troop withdrawal. The United States military command ordered U.S. soldiers to attack a village believed to be filled with Viet Cong. 33. favored by the U.S. "The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 50 Years Ago." Since the 1970s, Vietnam has slowly liberalized its economic system and recovered from decades of war. Ho Chi Minh died during the war in 1969. WWII ends. Interesting Facts. History.com, 2011. Vietnam has been subject to many foreign powers. 26. There are a number of little known, interesting facts about the Vietnam War. "Vietnam War Study Raises Concerns about Veterans' Mental Health." American and South Vietnamese forces relied heavily on air power during the war. Over 2 million civilians from both the North and South had been killed, with over a million soldiers killed between all armies involved. Vietnam protesters often falsely claimed that the draft unfairly targeted minorities. In 1954, countries came together at the United Nations in Geneva to explore how the French could withdraw from the country peacefully. New York: Salamander Books, 1996. A 2015 federal study of Vietnam War veterans found that nearly 300,000 veterans suffer from daily health problems, whether physical or emotional, as a result of their experiences in the war. Business Insider, July 23, 2015. This made it difficult for their enemy to find them, and involved setting up hundreds of booby traps which caused injuries and deaths to their opponents. Inscribed on two long black walls made of gabbro stone are 58,313 names. Vietnam. The Orphans of Agent Orange: Fifty Years On, Children Suffer from the Horrific Effects of America’s Use of Chemical Weapons during the Vietnam War. The United States, however, would not agree to Vietnam holding a general election, since they feared the communist party in the north of the country might win. The Vietnam War Facts: 6 Things You Need to Know about the War The Vietnam War was steep deep in the Domino Theory. Their cuisine is well known for its balance of the five Asian elements; spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet.28. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese eventually won the war in 1975 and reunited Vietnam as a communist country. © 2021 The Fact Site | All Rights Reserved | Sitemap, The Fact Site requires you to enable Javascript to browse our website, 5 Impressive Accomplishments of Elon Musk, 20 Fascinating Facts About Rhinos That You Should Know, 100 History Facts They Didn’t Teach You At School, 1000 Random & Interesting Facts About Literally Everything, How Pepsi Became The Sixth Largest Military In The World, April 11: Facts & Historical Events On This Day. Ho Chi Minh dies. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. Though the United States and South Vietnamese forces pushed back the Tet Offensive, the swiftness and ferocity of the attack led to a turn in popular opinion of the war in the United States. An estimated 1.3 million military combatants died in the Vietnam War, from all countries involved, as well as 1 million civilians. Vietnam war facts: The Vietnam war last for 19 years and all three countries become communist. However, many US citizens did not approve of the move to invade Laos and Cambodia, promoting protests up and down the country. 10Vietnam War Fast Facts. VETERAN NATHAN PHILLIPS VIETNAM. World War I destroyed empires and killed millions of people. French troops return. By the year's end, U.S. military strength in Vietnam is at 23,000. The Viet Cong, a party from the South which supported the North, was not established until 1960, and plagued the South with guerrilla warfare. Accessed: March 30, 2018. Veteran Successes. In 1976, Vietnam was united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The Vietnam War was the most unpopular war in United States history. After the war, the chemical mixture was found to cause tumors, birth defects, and other maladies, which both returning U.S. soldiers and many Vietnamese suffered from. Additionally, 150,000 were injured and 10,000 went missing in the war. Did you know that the Vietnam War is known here as the “American War”? Lizzie enjoys writing about current issues & business. While the Vietnam War was a resounding defeat for America, it doesn’t mean that the negative facts on the war are true. New York Times, October 13, 2017. Only 1.8 million out of the total 8.7 million who served were drafted. South Vietnam requests U.S. military instructors, which are provided. At the Armed Forces History Museum in Largo, FL, visitors pass through a replica of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the Vietnam Gallery. U.S. student protests Television broadcasts of battles and general conditions in Vietnam played a large role in souring U.S. public opinion on the conflict. U.S. military leaders predict American military involvment to end by 1965, and announce military personnel withdrawal. World War II changed the economic, political, and global landscape forever. The Viet Cong were Vietnamese rebels in the South who fought against the Southern Vietnam government and the United States. In 1950, the United States supported the France army by sending aid and supporting the South Vietnamese troops. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces began a coordinated series of attacks against key South Vietnamese targets on the Vietnamese new year. President Johnson As visitors enter the trail, they hear the all too familiar sound associated with this war – a helicopter flying amongst enemy fire. President Eisenhower’s Domino Theory cemented U.S. involvement in Vietnam over the years. The Vietnam War was an expensive war that lasted nearly 20 years. The Vietnam War. The USA dropped almost 2 … Here are 15 interesting facts on the Vietnam War: The Vietnam War began on 1 November 1955 and ended with the fall of Saigon 30 April 1975, lasting 19 and 1/2 years. U.S. strength is at 486,000 by year's end. History.com, 2009. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 50 Years Ago, How Jane Fonda’s 1972 Trip to North Vietnam Earned Her the Nickname ‘Hanoi Jane.’, The Myth of the Spitting Anti-War Protestor, Vietnam War Study Raises Concerns about Veterans' Mental Health. The fall of Saigon in 1975 was an important milestone, and the North was able to bring together the country at last with Ha Noi as the capital. 12 Vietnam War Facts for Kids The Vietnam war was fought between November 1st, 1955 and April 30th, 1975. Vietnam Forums; Vietnam War Facts. The United States won virtually every major battle it fought against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong, but it still lost the war through a combination of factors such as political restrictions on military activity, a lack of sufficient understanding of the Vietnamese people, and social backlash against the war in the States. 2Greenspan, Jesse. A controversial tool used during the Vietnam War was "Agent Orange," a defoliant designed to strip away forest cover used by enemy guerrilla troops. Daily Mail, March 13, 2014. Vietnam was a colonial possession of France from 1883 until the Vietnamese victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954. The famous story of the photo “Napalm Girl” and how the… War. 11"Weapons of the Vietnam War." Total U.S strength by year's end is 181,000. Fallacy of the Domino Theory President Dwight … It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. 10 Sobering Facts about the Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a military conflict between North Vietnam and U.S.-aided South Vietnam from 1955–1975. Laos and Cambodia were heavily involved in the war, which meant their civilians paid a large price too. The United States grew interested in the political situation in Vietnam because of the perceived growing threat of global communism. The attack Ho Chi Minh had many names and nearly as many political identities, Scenes such as this flashed across American television screens, prompting social backlash, The trail ran from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam, The Vietnamese are still feeling the horrific effects of Agent Orange, The Soviet-made AK-47 had a reputation for being nearly indestructible, In addition to punji stakes, trip wires and crude explosive traps were constant dangers. Accessed: March 30, 2018. The final American ground troops withdraw. One of the world’s longest conflicts, and still today it’s quite controversial. establishes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the North. Since its beginning in the American frontier, the U.S. military has evolved in tandem with the United States itself.