Case Study: Vietnam
Key concepts of Vietnam
➔ Agent Orange - a chemical used to deforest large areas of jungle
➔ Domino Theory - Eisenhower's Doctrine - belief that if Vietnam fell to the
communists the other South-east Asian countries would fall like a row of dominos
➔ Ho Chi Minh Trail - the route through Laos and Cambodia used to supply the
Vietcong
➔ My Lai - example of US soldiers treatment of the Vietnamese people
➔ Military Advisors - military men sent by America to Vietnam to help the South
Vietnamese army
➔ Strategic Hamlet Program - a hamlet is a village. The Vietnamese people were
moved into these villages and the Vietcong were locked outside.
➔ Tet Offensive - The joint Vietcong uprising and Vietminh invasion 1968
➔ Vietmihn - the armed forces of the Vietnamese Independence Movement
➔ Vietcong - Vietnamese communists of the guerrilla army in South Vietnam
➔ Vietnamisation - President Nixson’s plan to make the South Vietnamese
soldiers ready to take over the role of the US army.
➔ DRV - Democratic Republic of Vietnam
➔ SEATO - South East Asia Treaty Organisation
➔ Capitalism: where people and business control
themselves and people decide where they want to live
and work. A society is built where some people are rich
and others are poor.
➔ Communism: is where the government controls all
business and resources, they decide where people live
and work, wealth is then shared equally amongst the
population.
What was the main ideological conflict at the heart of the
Vietnam War? The conflict was between capitalism (USA and
its allies, promoting free markets and democracy) and
communism (North Vietnam, supported by the USSR and
China, advocating government control and equality)
1
,USA president time line
Harry Truman - 1945 to 1953
Dwight .D. Eisenhower - 1953 to 1961
John .F. Kennedy - 1961 to 1963
Lyndon B. Johnson - 1963 to 1969
Richard Nixon - 1969 to 1974
General Ford - 1974 to 1977
Background and U.S. Involvement
- The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in U.S. history.
- 58,000 Americans died; 304,000 wounded; 75,000 severely disabled; U.S.
spent $200 billion.
- The U.S. entered Vietnam to contain communism (Truman Doctrine, 1947).
- Conflict grew out of French colonial rule; France was defeated at Dien Bien
Phu (1954).
- The Japanese invaded vietnam during world war 2 but eventually retreated when
the war was over in 1945 after this the French then returned to Vietnam
Japanese occupation (1940–1945) – Viet Minh resistance strengthened. You
mention it briefly, but you could expand on how Ho Chi Minh’s nationalist image
grew from this.
- Declaration of Independence (1945) – Ho Chi Minh used U.S. Declaration
wording to appeal to America, but Truman ignored him (sets up U.S.–Vietnam
mistrust).
1. Why was Vietnam important to U.S. Cold War policy?
Because the U.S. believed in the Domino Theory: if Vietnam fell to communism,
then other countries in Southeast Asia (like Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand)
would also fall. Vietnam was therefore seen as a key frontline in containing
communism and protecting U.S. influence in Asia.
2. What happened at Dien Bien Phu in 1954?
The French army was surrounded and defeated by the communist Vietminh,
led by Ho Chi Minh and General Giap. The defeat forced France to withdraw
from Indochina and led to the Geneva Agreement (1954), which temporarily
divided Vietnam into the communist North and non-communist South.
2
, US involvement in Vietnam 1954 - 1975
- The cold war was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union after
WW2. was a war fought on opposing economic and government ideologies.
Vietnamese Perspective
- North Vietnam leadership – Ho Chi Minh (political) and General Vo Nguyen Giap
(military mastermind).
- South Vietnam after Diem – instability with frequent coups before Thieu’s rule
(1965–1975).
- Civilian experience – bombing, Agent Orange effects, destruction of villages, refugee
crisis.
The end of French Rule in Vietnam
- Vietnam was once a french colony but during WW2 France was focused on
defeating the Nazis in Germany that they kind of let go of control over Vietnam,
then when world war 2 ended they wanted control of Vietnam again leading to
the war for Independence.
The Vietminh led by Ho Chi Minh backed by the Soviet Union and China fought from
the north. Then in the south the French who wanted to keep control of Vietnam fought
with Bao Dai in charge. They wanted a democratic country and were against
communism.
The battle was fought in 1954
- Named the Battle Of Dien Bien Phu -> is where the
Vietminh defeated the French. The Vietminh won
because of:
1. They were familiar with the local area
2. They had support from the local people
3. They had more troops 50000 to the 15000
french
4. They had support from communist China
3
Key concepts of Vietnam
➔ Agent Orange - a chemical used to deforest large areas of jungle
➔ Domino Theory - Eisenhower's Doctrine - belief that if Vietnam fell to the
communists the other South-east Asian countries would fall like a row of dominos
➔ Ho Chi Minh Trail - the route through Laos and Cambodia used to supply the
Vietcong
➔ My Lai - example of US soldiers treatment of the Vietnamese people
➔ Military Advisors - military men sent by America to Vietnam to help the South
Vietnamese army
➔ Strategic Hamlet Program - a hamlet is a village. The Vietnamese people were
moved into these villages and the Vietcong were locked outside.
➔ Tet Offensive - The joint Vietcong uprising and Vietminh invasion 1968
➔ Vietmihn - the armed forces of the Vietnamese Independence Movement
➔ Vietcong - Vietnamese communists of the guerrilla army in South Vietnam
➔ Vietnamisation - President Nixson’s plan to make the South Vietnamese
soldiers ready to take over the role of the US army.
➔ DRV - Democratic Republic of Vietnam
➔ SEATO - South East Asia Treaty Organisation
➔ Capitalism: where people and business control
themselves and people decide where they want to live
and work. A society is built where some people are rich
and others are poor.
➔ Communism: is where the government controls all
business and resources, they decide where people live
and work, wealth is then shared equally amongst the
population.
What was the main ideological conflict at the heart of the
Vietnam War? The conflict was between capitalism (USA and
its allies, promoting free markets and democracy) and
communism (North Vietnam, supported by the USSR and
China, advocating government control and equality)
1
,USA president time line
Harry Truman - 1945 to 1953
Dwight .D. Eisenhower - 1953 to 1961
John .F. Kennedy - 1961 to 1963
Lyndon B. Johnson - 1963 to 1969
Richard Nixon - 1969 to 1974
General Ford - 1974 to 1977
Background and U.S. Involvement
- The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in U.S. history.
- 58,000 Americans died; 304,000 wounded; 75,000 severely disabled; U.S.
spent $200 billion.
- The U.S. entered Vietnam to contain communism (Truman Doctrine, 1947).
- Conflict grew out of French colonial rule; France was defeated at Dien Bien
Phu (1954).
- The Japanese invaded vietnam during world war 2 but eventually retreated when
the war was over in 1945 after this the French then returned to Vietnam
Japanese occupation (1940–1945) – Viet Minh resistance strengthened. You
mention it briefly, but you could expand on how Ho Chi Minh’s nationalist image
grew from this.
- Declaration of Independence (1945) – Ho Chi Minh used U.S. Declaration
wording to appeal to America, but Truman ignored him (sets up U.S.–Vietnam
mistrust).
1. Why was Vietnam important to U.S. Cold War policy?
Because the U.S. believed in the Domino Theory: if Vietnam fell to communism,
then other countries in Southeast Asia (like Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand)
would also fall. Vietnam was therefore seen as a key frontline in containing
communism and protecting U.S. influence in Asia.
2. What happened at Dien Bien Phu in 1954?
The French army was surrounded and defeated by the communist Vietminh,
led by Ho Chi Minh and General Giap. The defeat forced France to withdraw
from Indochina and led to the Geneva Agreement (1954), which temporarily
divided Vietnam into the communist North and non-communist South.
2
, US involvement in Vietnam 1954 - 1975
- The cold war was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union after
WW2. was a war fought on opposing economic and government ideologies.
Vietnamese Perspective
- North Vietnam leadership – Ho Chi Minh (political) and General Vo Nguyen Giap
(military mastermind).
- South Vietnam after Diem – instability with frequent coups before Thieu’s rule
(1965–1975).
- Civilian experience – bombing, Agent Orange effects, destruction of villages, refugee
crisis.
The end of French Rule in Vietnam
- Vietnam was once a french colony but during WW2 France was focused on
defeating the Nazis in Germany that they kind of let go of control over Vietnam,
then when world war 2 ended they wanted control of Vietnam again leading to
the war for Independence.
The Vietminh led by Ho Chi Minh backed by the Soviet Union and China fought from
the north. Then in the south the French who wanted to keep control of Vietnam fought
with Bao Dai in charge. They wanted a democratic country and were against
communism.
The battle was fought in 1954
- Named the Battle Of Dien Bien Phu -> is where the
Vietminh defeated the French. The Vietminh won
because of:
1. They were familiar with the local area
2. They had support from the local people
3. They had more troops 50000 to the 15000
french
4. They had support from communist China
3
