A long war which began in 1955 and didn’t end until 1979, the Vietnam War is one of the most well-known conflicts of recent years. About 2 million civilians and 1.3 million soldiers were killed or died during the war. A CIA-backed military coup ends in Diem's assassination. American and South Vietnamese forces relied heavily on air power during the war. The Vietnam War first began in 1959, five years after the division of the country by the Geneva Accords. "17 Wild Facts about the Vietnam War." 11"Weapons of the Vietnam War." History.com, 2011. 8Stilwell, Blake. Explore its fascinating history with these interesting World War II facts. Fallacy of the Domino Theory President Dwight … The famous story of the photo “Napalm Girl” and how the… War. Lizzie enjoys writing about current issues & business. 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. oppressive rule. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam had come into power in 1945 and was seeking to gain independence from France. Completed in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, commemorates the soldiers who died or went missing in action during the war. Vietnam War (1954–75), conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. 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. 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. commit US combat troops. The principle of yin and yang is also applied in composing a meal, to provide contrasts in spiciness and temperature of the food.29. Historians of the Vietnam War point to many misconceptions on the part of the United States that contributed to U.S. failure in the war, the most serious of which was a severe lack of understanding of Vietnamese history and society. In August, U.S. Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, giving the president wide powers to conduct the war in Vietnam. three provinces: Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina. History.com, 2011. Thich Quang Duc (The fiery monk) Interesting Facts. American actress Jane Fonda was an outspoken anti-war activist, going so far as to, The Gulf of Tonkin incident was the purported justification for increased U.S. involvement in the war. History.com, August 1, 2014. Vietnam's army overran neighboring Cambodia in 1978, driving the genocidal Khmer Rouge out of power. The standard rifle used by U.S. ground troops was the M-16 rifle, while the communist forces used Russian-made AK-47s. 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. A 1980 Veterans Administration survey revealed that 82% of U.S. combatants in Vietnam felt that the war had been lost because the U.S. government had hamstrung their efforts, not allowing them to win. The North Vietnamese eventually won the war in 1975 and reunited Vietnam as a communist country. The Vietnam war … New York Times, October 13, 2017. Vietnam has been subject to many foreign powers. 8. World War II changed the economic, political, and global landscape forever. 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). The Vietnam War. 12 Vietnam War Facts for Kids The Vietnam war was fought between November 1st, 1955 and April 30th, 1975. 30. First Indonchina War rages for eight years between French and One of the worst recorded incidents in the Vietnam War is the My Lai Massacre. In March 1965, after the North Vietnamese had fired at two United States army vessels, President Lyndon Johnson decided it was time to step up their efforts to help South Vietnam overcome the North. The defeated Japanese declare an independent Vietnam ruled by In Vietnam, the common name for the war is Kháng chiến chống Mỹ, or the "Resistance War Against America.". President Nixon suspends military operations on January 15. States including France and Japan were concerned that if one country became a communist nation, other neighboring and nearby countries would follow closely behind. Civilian loss of life was also very heavy, with the lowest estimates around 415,000.Similarly, casualty totals among the VC and NVA and the number of dea… Total U.S strength by year's end is 181,000. The South "State of Vietnam" is renamed the Republic of The leader of North Vietnam, Nguyễn Sinh Cung, better known by the pseudonym Ho Chi Minh, was the president of communist North Vietnam from 1954 to 1965. The bitter controversy surrounding the Vietnam War led many soldiers to feel unwelcome upon their return home. While the Vietnam War was a resounding defeat for America, it doesn’t mean that the negative facts on the war are true. At its narrowest point, the country is just 25 miles wide. When Richard Nixon became President of the United States in 1969, he wanted to bring the US troops out of Vietnam and leave the fighting to the Vietnamese soldiers. See the fact file below for more information on the Vietnam War or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Vietnam War worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. The United States officially entered the war in 1965 when the North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox, backing South Vietnam. During the war, around 1 million Catholics migrate towards south Vietnam for temporary peace. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces began a coordinated series of attacks against key South Vietnamese targets on the Vietnamese new year. Accessed: March 30, 2018. The New York Times releases the "Pentagon Papers.". The B-52 heavy bomber, F4 Phantom, and Bell UH-1 guaranteed American superiority in the air. You will find out the real information that proves that the information peddled by the media about this conflict is nothing more than sensationalised propaganda to sell copies of newspapers and magazines. The Vietnam War was, in fact, an indirect war between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. 9. "Vietnam War Study Raises Concerns about Veterans' Mental Health." He is replaced by Duong Van Minh. Over 500,000 anti-war protestors march in Washington D.C. North and South Vietnam were divided at the 17th parallel. Nowadays, Vietnam attracts plenty of tourists, many of whom come to pay tribute to those who lost their lives or visit the memorials, but also to see the beauty of the country despite the historic conflict and tragedies. The attack While many people know about the Vietnam War, not everybody knows how it ended. By 1995, Vietnam had realized the full scale of civilian harm during the war. The Vietnam War was a conflict between the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong, and the South Vietnamese and the United States of America. Accessed: March 30, 2018. President Johnson 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. 33. Interesting Facts. One of North Vietnam's most important assets during the war was the "Ho Chi Minh Trail," a network of roads leading from North Vietnam into central South Vietnam, along which they transported soldiers, arms, and supplies to the Viet Cong in the South. Vietnamese loyalists in the South and the Viet Minh in the North. More than 3/4 of U.S. soldiers volunteered for the war. Since the 1970s, Vietnam has slowly liberalized its economic system and recovered from decades of war. However, the North sought help from the Viet Cong from the South, while the South brought in help from the United States of America. Since its beginning in the American frontier, the U.S. military has evolved in tandem with the United States itself. Upto 1954 USA spend $1 billion in the Vietnam war which was about 80% of the war. The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action plus another 11,000 noncombat deaths; over 150,000 were wounded and 10,000 missing.Casualties for the Republic of South Vietnam will never be adequately resolved. U.S. strength is at 486,000 by year's end. Notable books include, The Pentagon Papers were a series of documents containing classified information on the progress and status of the war in Vietnam. However, many US citizens did not approve of the move to invade Laos and Cambodia, promoting protests up and down the country. The Tet Offensive, which began January 30, 1968, was the largest offensive of the Vietnam War. Battle of Ấp Bắc is fought on Jan. 2. Of Those Lost. World War I destroyed empires and killed millions of people. 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. President Kennedy wanted to get the US Army out of Vietnam Source Accessed: March 30, 2018. 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. favored by the U.S. Accessed: March 30, 2018. However, Vietnamese civilians on both sides of the conflicts were killed, both combatants and civilians. Accessed: March 30, 2018. The Vietnam War was one of the longest in the world's history, lasting from 1954 to 1975. The village was actually occupied mainly by, The Vietnam War left deeps marks on the American psyche, especially the soldiers, leading to the creation of a number of books and films exploring the war's social and emotional ramifications. The Viet Cong were Vietnamese rebels in the South who fought against the Southern Vietnam government and the United States. Accessed: March 30, 2018. There are a number of little known, interesting facts about the Vietnam War. Since the war ended in 1975 the country bloomed with tourists willing to see all of its magical rivers and beaches and the magical old cities. The Geneva Accords, signed in July 1954, effectively divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel (latitude 17° N). Explore how the Civil War powerfully changed the American landscape, the mechanics of warfare, politics, & much more with our interesting Civil War facts. The Vietnam War, was a Cold War-era proxy war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. There are many stories of anti-war protesters spitting on soldiers upon their return. Vietnam was a French colony from the mid-19th century until its expulsion in 1954. In May 1971, reports in American newspapers and periodicals addressed a growing and tragic crisis among American troops deployed in and returning from Vietnam. 26. South Vietnamese positions by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. Vietnam had been divided into two, with a communist regime in the north under Ho Chi Minh and a democratic government in the south under Ngo Dinh Diem. The United States grew interested in the political situation in Vietnam because of the perceived growing threat of global communism. Heroin use reached epidemic proportions among American troops. Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City. The splitting of Vietnam along the 17th parallel by the 1954 Geneva Conference was intended as a temporary measure, with, To this day, children in Vietnam are being born with horrific birth defects from the lingering effects of “Agent Orange,” an herbicide used by the. However, a lot of facts and tidbits of information regarding this war never came to the light of the day owing to the extensive loss of life. The USA fabricated the reason for the attack on a naval ship in Gulf of Tonkin. The Vietnam War Facts: 6 Things You Need to Know about the War The Vietnam War was steep deep in the Domino Theory. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. U.S. strength 3Itkowitz, Colby. The guerrilla warfare that characterized the Vietnam War often resulted in civilian massacres, as it was difficult to distinguish friendly South Vietnamese from the Communist Viet Cong spread throughout the South. Vietnam. 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 first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. Many U.S. leaders labored under the delusion that Vietnam was a small country and could be easily controlled. The number of MIA/POW at the war's end was 2,646, and as of January 2018, 1,601 soldiers remain unaccounted for. The Geneva shocks the American public, and support for the war drops. At the end of the Vietnam War, the USS Midway crew pushed $10 million worth of helicopters into the sea so that a Cessna full of evacuees could land on the deck. Accessed: March 30, 2018. The United States and South Vietnamese troops faced a two-pronged adversary: the North Vietnamese army and the National Liberation Front, better known as the Việt Cộng, South Vietnamese communists who used guerrilla tactics against U.S. forces. They agreed to hold a general election two years later in 1956, which would seek to unite the country in a democratic manner rather than through warfare. War protests sweep across the U.S. U.S. troops participate in a South Vietnamese offensive in Cambodia. They depart at the end of the Lunar Year to report their findings to Ngoc Hoan, The Jade Emperor.27. Educated in, Leaders of the free world feared a "domino effect" regarding the spread of communism. 4Lembcke, Jerry. Ho Chi Minh's communist Viet Minh Interesting Facts. According to historians, the United States did not want to take over Vietnam, but rather give enough support so that the South Vietnamese army could take on the North Vietnamese communists, and defeat them. 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. He was with the 509th Radio Research Station. The final American ground troops withdraw. The city of Saigon was later renamed to Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. In 1976, Vietnam was united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 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 … Over 2 million civilians from both the North and South had been killed, with over a million soldiers killed between all armies involved. By the year's end, U.S. military strength in Vietnam is at 23,000. 5"My Lai Massacre." Lizzie RobinsonLizzie Robinson has been a freelance writer since 2011. The number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War is 58,220. U.S. student protests This caused anger and frustration among many of the enemy troops in the South, who became unaware of who their enemies were and lost trust in their neighbors. at year's end stands at 536,100. Although guerrilla warfare was not a new tactic, it was used heavily by the Viet Cong in support of the northern government. She studied English Literature at university and enjoys sailing & playing the piano in her free time. Here it is, our top 10 interesting facts about Vietnam war that you may not know: Vietnam was under Chinese rule for roughly a thousand years until 938 AD. 2Greenspan, Jesse. Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. "How Jane Fonda’s 1972 Trip to North Vietnam Earned Her the Nickname ‘Hanoi Jane.’" Washington Post, September 18, 2017. Vietnam War Facts, Stats and Myths Totals. 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 Viet Cong, a party from the South which supported the North, was not established until 1960, and plagued the South with guerrilla warfare. 7"Pentagon Papers." Today you are going to find out the real true facts of the Vietnam War. The Viet Nimh defeat the French in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. In fact, Vietnam is nearly the size of. Fact: The Vietnam War unleashed thousands of addicts upon the US healthcare and legal systems. Many soldiers returning from the war felt they had been betrayed at home by liberals, hippies, and feminists who had undermined U.S. morale and the will to keep fighting, and the government, which had caved to social pressure. This war is commonly known as the Vietnam War and the Second Indochina War in the United States.