1. By: Vickie Phan
The Vietnam War

2. The war also known as… The second Indochina war Vietnam conflict
American War

3. The was was a conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
It lasted from November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975

4. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam
North Vietnam was supported by it’s communist allies.
South Vietnam was supported by the U.S and anti-communist nations.

5. The Viet Cong
The Viet Cong was a lightly armed South Vietnam common front controlled by the communist North.
The South fought largely in guerrilla war techniques.

6. On the other hand the North fought in more of a conventional war.
The often sent large numbers of troops in at one time.
The South relied on air forces, fire power and search and destroy operations.

7. The United States involvement…
The U.S only entered the war because of their strategy of containment.
The didn’t want the communist takeover of South Vietnam.
The war was between Democracy and Communism.

8. Viet Minh
• Viet Minh was a national independence movement • Viet Minh’s support rose when it urged people to ransack rice warehouses and refuse to pay their taxes during the famine

9. Viet Minh common front • Controlled by the Communist Party Of Vietnam
Funded by the United States and China in fight against Japanese occupation

10. Power vacuum created…
In August 1945, the Japanese had been defeated and surrendered unconditionally.
Vietnam had no identifiable central authority
Viet Minh took this opportunity and grasped power across Vietnam in the “August Revolution”

11. Ho Chi Minh
On September 20, 1945 Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Viet Minh declared the independent republic of Vietnam before a crowd of 500,000 in Hanoi, Vietnam

13. The allied victors of world war II, the United Kingdom, The United States and the Soviet Union all agreed that the area belonged to the French

14. The French didn’t have weapons, ships or soldiers to immediately retake Vietnam
The Major powers made an agreement, The British troops would occupy the south while the nationalist Chinese forces would occupy the north

15. Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh attempted to negotiate with the French, who were slowly re-establishing their control
January 1946 the Viet Minh began winning elections across northern and central Vietnam
They began killing off opposition politicians

16. The French landed March 1946
They ousted the Viet Minh from the city
Soon after that the Viet Minh began a guerrilla war against the French union
That marked the beginning of the First Indochina war

17. The war spread to Cambodia and Laos
The Viet Minh lacked weapons, that changed when the Chinese Communists won the Chinese civil war and provided arms to their allies, the Vietnamese

18. 1950
January 1950, communist nations led by the People’s Republic of China recognized the Viet Minh as the government in Vietnam.
Non-communists recognized the French ruled state of Vietnam, led by former emperor Bao Dai
The outbreak of the war in Korea convinced the U.S that the Indochina was an example of communist expansion

19. PRC The PRC began assisting the Viet Minh in July 1950.
The weapons, laborers and expertise transformed the Viet Minh from a guerrilla force into an army.

20. MAAG
The U.S formed the Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) as a response to PRC
Aided the French and gave advice of strategy
The U.S paid for 80% of the war

21. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
-This battle marked the end of French involvement in the Indochina war
On May 7, 1954 the French Union surrendered after a stunning military defeat

22. Geneva Conference
At the Geneva conference the French negotiated a ceasefire agreement
Independence was give to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

23. Transition Period Vietnam was divided by the 17th parallel
Civilians were able to freely move between both sides for a 300 day period
Elections were to be held in 1950 to establish a unified government
Catholic northerners fled south because the feared persecution by the communists

24. Deim Era
The U.S believed that if one country fell into communist forces, than the surrounding countries will follow.
This was called the domino effect
The security of Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines, Laos and Cambodia was threatened if the red tide of communism overflowed into Vietnam

25. Rule
Diem was a devout catholic, he was anti-communist, nationalist and socially conservative
As a wealthy catholic he was viewed as by the Vietnamese as part of the elite that helped the French rule Vietnam
The majority of the people were Buddhist and were alarmed of his dedication of the country of the Virgin Mary

26. 1955
Beginning in the summer of 1955 Deim launched the "Denounce the Communists" campaign
anti-government elements were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or executed
Diem instituted a policy of death penalty against any activity deemed communist in August 1956

27. During Kennedy’s administration
Kennedy faced a crisis
If the United States failed to gain control and stop communist expansion it would damage the U.S credibility with it’s allies and his own reputation

28. Johnson
In May 1961, Johnson visited Saigon and declared Diem the “Winston Churchill of Asia”
He referred Diem to that because he was “the only boy we got out here”
He assured him of more aid in molding a fighting force that could resist the communists

29. Kennedy Kennedy was against deploying American troops to Vietnam
He assumed that Diem’s forces can ultimately defeat the guerillas on their own

30. He refused to send troops because he observed that “to introduce U
He refused to send troops because he observed that “to introduce U.S forces in large numbers there today, while it might have a favorable military impact, would lead to political and military consequences in the long run

31. South The quality of the south Vietnamese army remained poor
Bad leadership
Corruption
Political promotions
All these played a part in depriving the strength of the Army Republic of Vietnam
Guerrilla attacks increased as the insurgency (rebellion against leaders) gathered steam

32. On 23 July 1962, fourteen nations, including the People's Republic of China, South Vietnam, the Soviet Union, North Vietnam and the United States, signed an agreement promising the neutrality of Laos

33. Diem
Diem’s most trusted general Huynh Van Cao lacked skill, he was promoted because of his religion rather than experience
He failed in the battle of Ap Bac where is large fully equip army was beaten by a small group of guerillas
Diem was obviously incapable of defeating the communist

34. He might even make a deal with Ho Chi Minh
Robert F. Kennedy noted “Diem wouldn't even make the slightest concessions, he was difficult to reason with…”

35. Execution The CIA was in contact with generals planning to remove Diem
Diem was overthrown and executed along with his brother November 2, 1963
Kennedy did not approve of Diem’s murder

37. Following the 1963 coup chaos ensued
Hanoi took advantage of this situation and increased it’s support for guerillas
South entered a period of political instability
Military governments toppled over and fought for control

38. Johnson expands the war
Took over after death of Kennedy
He was not concerned about Vietnam he was more concerned about his “Great Society”
“The battle against communism…must be joined… with strength and determination”

39. Johnson had reversed Kennedy’s disengagement policy from Vietnam
He withdrew 1,000 troops by the end of 1963 to expand the war

40. August 2, 1964
The USS Maddox on an intelligence mission along North Vietnam's coast fired and damaged several torpedo boats in the Golf of Tonkin
Days later a seconded attack was launched at the same area
The second attack led to air strikes, that led Congress to approve the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, and gave the president power to conduct military operations in Southeast Asia without declaring war

41. In the same month, Johnson announced that he was not "
In the same month, Johnson announced that he was not "... committing American boys to fighting a war that I think ought to be fought by the boys of Asia to help protect their own land."

42. Troops At the start of 1959 the Viet Cong had approx. 5,000 men
At the end of 1964 the army had doubled 10,000
Between the army rose from 850,000 to nearly one million

43. National security council
The National security council recommended a three-stage escalation of the bombing of North Vietnam
The bombing campaign lasted 3 years
It’s goal was to force North Vietnam to stop supporting the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
By threatening to destroy North Vietnam's air defenses and the base of its industry

44. Bombing was not restricted to North Vietnam
Other aerial campaigns targeted different parts of the NLF
These included the Ho Chi Minh Trail
The objective of forcing North Vietnam to stop its support for the NLF, however, was never reached

45. After several attacked launched on them the U
After several attacked launched on them the U.S air force needed more protection
The South Vietnamese military seemed incapable of providing security
On 8 March 1965, 3,500 United States Marines were dispatched to South Vietnam
This marked the beginning of the American ground war

46. The Marines assignment was to protect the U. S
The Marines assignment was to protect the U.S. Air Force bases from attack
Because the U.S. forces were trained for offensive warfare, the commanders were unsuited for a defensive position.
However, due to the failure of the South Vietnamese, the U.S. sidelined them and began to fight the war themselves.

47. Tet offensive
The North Vietnamese, after luring Gen. Westmoreland’s forces into Khe Sanh, launched the surprise Tet Offensive, hoping to begin a national uprising.
Over 100 cities were assaulted, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon (American Headquarters)

48. At first the U.S. and South Vietnamese responded quickly and successfully, pushing back the Communists.
Another city that was attacked was Hue. North Vietnamese captured the Imperial Citadel and most of the city.
This led to the Battle of Hue.

49. The Battle of Hue
The American forces used tremendous amounts of firepower, which destroyed eighty percent of the city.
During the battle, Communist insurgent forces massacred thousands of unarmed civilians.

50. The Tet Offensive was the turning point for America’s involvement in the war.
It had a large impact on American support for the war.
The U.S. began peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

52. At the end of his term as president, Johnson refused to send any more troops to Vietnam
this was seen as his admission that the war was lost

53. Vietnamazation
Massive Communist losses during the Tet Offensive gave new U.S. president Richard M. Nixon the opportunity to begin troop withdraws.

54. The Nixon Doctrine
Plan to build up the South Vietnamese forces so that they could defend themselves against the communists without U.S. help.

55. Nuclear Weapons
On October 10,1969, Nixon ordered a pack bombers with nuclear weapons to go to the border of the Soviet Union’s airspace.
This was to convince the Soviets that Nixon was capable of doing anything to end the Vietnam War.

56. In September 1969, Ho Chi Minh died at the age of seventy nine
Nixon tried to pursue Détente with the Soviet Union
The policy helped decrease global tensisons

57. Protesting
The invasion of Cambodia resulted in a nation wide protest in the U.S.
4 students were killed during the protest by National Grards men at Kent State University in Ohio
1971- Pentagon Papers revealed to public, it detailed long series of public deception, Supreme court ruled it illegal

58. Feb 1971- Operation Lam Son 719- aim at cutting the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Half of ARVN troops captured or killed
Proved Vietnamization was a failure
Also in 1971 Australia and New Zealand withdrew their troops
U.S. troop count- 196,700
Fragging- murders of unpopular officer

59. 1972 election and Paris peace accords
Nixon v.s. George McGovern
Started negotiations
When North Vietnam went public with the negotiations Nixon administration claimed it was an attempt to embarrass the president

60. To show his support for south Vietnam and force Hanoi back to the negotiating table
Nixon ordered Operation Linebacker II
Massively bombing Hanoi and Hai phoung
Nixon threatened to cut off American aid
Jan 27, Paris Peace Accord- officially ended U.S. involvement in the war and there was a ceasefire, U.S. POWs released, and a call for elections

61. Exit of the Americans
After the Paris Peace Accords were signed, the U.S. began drastically reducing its troop count.
On March 5, 1971, the U.S. returned the 5th Special Forces Group, which was the first American unit deployed in Vietnam, back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina

62. Ford
Gerald Ford took over as president after Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal

63. South Vietnamese President Thieu announced the restart of the war after the Vietcong attacked them and recaptured their territories they had lost during the previous dry season.

64. January 6, 1975 Phuoc Binh, the provincial capital fell
North Vietnamese attacked the province on December 13 and it fell on January 6, 1975.
Ford asked Congress for funds to assist and re-supply the South before they were overrun by the Communists, but Congress refused

65. The Fall of Phuoc Binh left the South Vietnamese leaders totally hopeless and almost defeated completely

66. Campaign 275
Gen. Dung launched a limited offensive into South Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
This was to be the last North Vietnamese offensive of the war, and it was against the South’s Saigon

67. Final Vietnamese offensive
With the northern half of the country under control, they launched the final offensive against Saigon
For two bloody weeks severe fighting raged
ARVN 18th defenders made a last stand to try and block out the North Vietnamese advance

68. President of Vietnam, Thieu resigned on the same day
He declared that the U.S had betrayed the south
He said the Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had tricked him into signing the Paris peace agreement which promised military aid which failed to materialize
Gen. Dung launched a limited

69. Fall of Saigon In the U.S South Vietnam was basically doomed
President Ford made a speech declaring an end to the war and a complete cut off of American aid

70. End…
A tank crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace and at 11:30, the North Vietnamese flag was raised over it.
President Duong Van Minh surrendered.
By the end of the war, the Vietnamese had been fighting foreign occupation for 116 years.

71. Chemical Defoliants They were used to defoliate the countryside
Killing off trees, bushes and other natural surrounding that the Viet Cong would hide behind
Caused diseases, birth defects, and poisoned the food chain

72. Agent Pink
Agent Green
Agent Purple
Agent Blue
Agent White
Mostly famous agent orange

73. Casualties NLF suffered 1.1 million deads and 600,000 wounded
Civilians deaths were put at 2 million I North and South Vietnam
Between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war