1. Label on the map provided: Dien Bien Phu Hanoi Saigon
DMZ – Separating the two halves of North & South Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Thailand
China

2. The Vietnam War, 1964-1975 Vietnam was a French colony before WW2
Japan took control, then was defeated in WW2 and the French returned in 1945
Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence the same year
In 1950, the U.S. pledges military aid to help the French in Vietnam
In 1954, President Eisenhower outlines the Domino Theory

5. The Vietnam War,
French were defeated by communist forces under Ho Chi Minh in 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and leave Vietnam by 1956
Vietnam was divided into two with the communists controlling the northern half of the country
The southern half of the country was ruled by anti-communist dictator Ngo Dinh Diem

7. The Vietnam War, 1964-1975 As South Vietnam’s President, Ngo Dinh Diem
Cancelled 1956 elections to unite the North & South
Was supported by Eisenhower with financial aid, then with military advisors
Was assassinated during an army coup in 1963

8. The Vietnam War,

10. The Vietnam War,
U.S. military advisors grew to 16,000 by the time JFK was assassinated
When President Johnson took office, he ordered an additional 10,000 advisors to Vietnam
In 1964, LBJ announced that U.S. ships had been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin
Congress approved a resolution giving Johnson the power to take “all necessary measures” to protect U.S. forces

11. The Vietnam War,

12. The Vietnam War,
LBJ orders targets in North Vietnam bombed, called Operation “Rolling Thunder”
By March 1965, there are more than 100,000 troops in South Vietnam; by 1968, over 500,00 soldiers
U.S. had overwhelming numbers and military superiority against the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA)

15. The Vietnam War,
The U.S. military had numerical and technological superiority, but it had some disadvantages:
Fighting in a civil war, it was hard to tell friend from foe
Conventional military tactics didn’t work in jungle terrain
There were conflicts between politicians who wanted to contain the war and military leaders who wanted to expand the war
The lack of clear objectives and declining public support demoralized American soldiers

16. Friend or Foe?

17. Jungle Fighting

18. Political-Military Dispute

19. Loss of Public Support