Why the USA Lost The Vietnam War
Vietnamese Tac5cs
• U#lised guerrilla warfare — booby traps, ambushes
• Such tac#cs were unconven#onal and so, US troops were uncertain of how to counter Vietnamese
a>acks
• The USA’s counter-act a>acks ul#mately demoralised their troops
• The Vietnamese also made use of a network of underground tunnels which served as their very own
army base
• Vietnamese troops fought for their personal libera#on and independence which supplied them with a
determina#on and a vigour the American troops were not able to comprehend
• Their cause was the reason morale between the soldiers remained so high
• The Na#onal Libera#on Front engaged posi#vely with peasants which ul#mately led to ever-increasing
local support
Support for The Vietnamese
• The Vietnamese were con#nually supported by the USSR and by China throughout the war
• In terms of the Cold War, communist na#ons provided N Vietnam with assistance in hopes of securing a
sphere of influence (Cold War concept!)
• The NFL were supplied with military hardware via the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• The ideological support and military exper#se from the USSR and China were also greatly effec#ve and
significant in their defeat of the US
Failure of USA Tac5cs
• Failure of Opera#on “Rolling Thunder”
- Bombing mission from 1965 to 1968
- Aimed to destroy N Vietnamese economy and in so doing, prevent the North from helping the
South
- Aimed to destroy the Na#onal Libera#on Front
- However, the US government was ill-advised and misguided in the u#lisa#on of such bombing
• Failure of Opera#on “Ranch Hand”
- The USA’s use of chemical defoliants
- Targeted agricultural land with Agent Orange and Agent Blue
- Targeted Ho Chi Minh Trail with Agent Orange to destroy concealing canopy and end the supply of
military arms and the food supply
- Unsuccessful in destroying the Ho Chi Minh Trail
- However, it successfully destroyed the environment
Vietnamese Tac5cs
• U#lised guerrilla warfare — booby traps, ambushes
• Such tac#cs were unconven#onal and so, US troops were uncertain of how to counter Vietnamese
a>acks
• The USA’s counter-act a>acks ul#mately demoralised their troops
• The Vietnamese also made use of a network of underground tunnels which served as their very own
army base
• Vietnamese troops fought for their personal libera#on and independence which supplied them with a
determina#on and a vigour the American troops were not able to comprehend
• Their cause was the reason morale between the soldiers remained so high
• The Na#onal Libera#on Front engaged posi#vely with peasants which ul#mately led to ever-increasing
local support
Support for The Vietnamese
• The Vietnamese were con#nually supported by the USSR and by China throughout the war
• In terms of the Cold War, communist na#ons provided N Vietnam with assistance in hopes of securing a
sphere of influence (Cold War concept!)
• The NFL were supplied with military hardware via the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• The ideological support and military exper#se from the USSR and China were also greatly effec#ve and
significant in their defeat of the US
Failure of USA Tac5cs
• Failure of Opera#on “Rolling Thunder”
- Bombing mission from 1965 to 1968
- Aimed to destroy N Vietnamese economy and in so doing, prevent the North from helping the
South
- Aimed to destroy the Na#onal Libera#on Front
- However, the US government was ill-advised and misguided in the u#lisa#on of such bombing
• Failure of Opera#on “Ranch Hand”
- The USA’s use of chemical defoliants
- Targeted agricultural land with Agent Orange and Agent Blue
- Targeted Ho Chi Minh Trail with Agent Orange to destroy concealing canopy and end the supply of
military arms and the food supply
- Unsuccessful in destroying the Ho Chi Minh Trail
- However, it successfully destroyed the environment
