Unit 1: What happened in Vietnam from 1957 to 1965
➔ Ho Chi Minh was the leader of communist North Vietnam and the former leader of the
Viet Minh
➔ Ngo Dinh Diem was the dictator of Western-friendly South Vietnam, and employed the
ARVN to fight any opposition
The Rule of Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam (1955 - 1963)
● Diem's government was unpopular and repressive. He imposed an impressive
dictatorship in South Vietnam
○ He appointed members of his family to important positions in the government
○ He was a Catholic and persecuted Buddhists and other religious sectors
○ He failed to introduce a viable land reform programme
○ He used millions of dollars of economic aid from the US to enrich himself and his
family
○ He refused to hold the proposed elections in 1956 (with support from the US)
● January 1963 - The Viet Cong defeated the ARVN at the Battle of Ap Bac
○ This intensified opposition to the war and the repressive government of the South
● 1 November 1963 - Diem was overthrown in a military coup and assassinated the next
day
● The men who took over from Diem were equally corrupt and remained unpopular with
the people but continued to receive US support as the US were desperate to contain
communism
The Struggle in Vietnam between the South Vietnamese army and the Communist-Trained
Rebels
● Diem's actions enraged the people of South Vietnam and opposition to him increased
● Members of the Viet Minh had established a base in South Vietnam and began low-level
guerilla activities against the regime
● Resistance spread to the countryside, where peasants felt most persecuted
● In December 1960, the National Liberation Front (NLF) was formed
● It consisted of 12 different nationalist groups, including communists and Buddhists
● The NLF aimed to get rid of Diem's corrupt government, to introduce land reform and to
unite Vietnam.
● Diem and the US labelled any opposition, and specifically the NLF guerilla army as the
Viet Cong - this was originally a term of abuse, meaning "Vietnamese communist"
, The Viet Cong (VC)
● The Viet Cong was essentially a guerilla army made up of the former Viet Minh, as well
as peasants recruited from villages
● Few of the Viet Cong were communists or had any understanding of Marxism - they just
fought for the unification of Vietnam and to get rid of the Americans
● Many lived in jungles under terrible conditions, dying from snake bites or malaria. Yet
they were willing to fight to the death to achieve a united, independent Vietnam
● Until 1965, the conflict in South Vietnam was a civil war between the Viet Cong and
South Vietnamese government
● The South Vietnamese army was the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
● The Viet Cong employed guerilla war tactics to fight against the ARVN, and received
support from North Vietnam in terms of men and supplies
● These supplies were transported to the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail
○ The Ho Chi Minh Trail was upgraded to include many useful features like roads
and bridges, barracks, hospitals and warehouses
○ This meant that when the US sent ground troops to war in March 1965, the
communists were prepared
● The Viet Cong made use of a small tunnel system that was used to hide, which also
allowed them to reach the outskirts of the city without being seen (important during the
Tet Offensive)
● The US provided aid to the ARVN
● This assistance on both sides enabled the civil war to continue
US Policy towards Vietnam between 1956 and 1965
● Although it was clear that the NLF and the Viet Cong wanted Vietnamese independence,
both Diem and the US viewed any opposition as being about communism
● This meant that the US committed itself under successive presidents to support South
Vietnam no matter what
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1954-1959)
➢ His policy was based on the "Domino Theory", provided South Vietnam with massive
economic aid
➢ He supported the corrupt regime of Ngo Dinh Diem (who pocketed money for himself)
➔ Ho Chi Minh was the leader of communist North Vietnam and the former leader of the
Viet Minh
➔ Ngo Dinh Diem was the dictator of Western-friendly South Vietnam, and employed the
ARVN to fight any opposition
The Rule of Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam (1955 - 1963)
● Diem's government was unpopular and repressive. He imposed an impressive
dictatorship in South Vietnam
○ He appointed members of his family to important positions in the government
○ He was a Catholic and persecuted Buddhists and other religious sectors
○ He failed to introduce a viable land reform programme
○ He used millions of dollars of economic aid from the US to enrich himself and his
family
○ He refused to hold the proposed elections in 1956 (with support from the US)
● January 1963 - The Viet Cong defeated the ARVN at the Battle of Ap Bac
○ This intensified opposition to the war and the repressive government of the South
● 1 November 1963 - Diem was overthrown in a military coup and assassinated the next
day
● The men who took over from Diem were equally corrupt and remained unpopular with
the people but continued to receive US support as the US were desperate to contain
communism
The Struggle in Vietnam between the South Vietnamese army and the Communist-Trained
Rebels
● Diem's actions enraged the people of South Vietnam and opposition to him increased
● Members of the Viet Minh had established a base in South Vietnam and began low-level
guerilla activities against the regime
● Resistance spread to the countryside, where peasants felt most persecuted
● In December 1960, the National Liberation Front (NLF) was formed
● It consisted of 12 different nationalist groups, including communists and Buddhists
● The NLF aimed to get rid of Diem's corrupt government, to introduce land reform and to
unite Vietnam.
● Diem and the US labelled any opposition, and specifically the NLF guerilla army as the
Viet Cong - this was originally a term of abuse, meaning "Vietnamese communist"
, The Viet Cong (VC)
● The Viet Cong was essentially a guerilla army made up of the former Viet Minh, as well
as peasants recruited from villages
● Few of the Viet Cong were communists or had any understanding of Marxism - they just
fought for the unification of Vietnam and to get rid of the Americans
● Many lived in jungles under terrible conditions, dying from snake bites or malaria. Yet
they were willing to fight to the death to achieve a united, independent Vietnam
● Until 1965, the conflict in South Vietnam was a civil war between the Viet Cong and
South Vietnamese government
● The South Vietnamese army was the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
● The Viet Cong employed guerilla war tactics to fight against the ARVN, and received
support from North Vietnam in terms of men and supplies
● These supplies were transported to the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail
○ The Ho Chi Minh Trail was upgraded to include many useful features like roads
and bridges, barracks, hospitals and warehouses
○ This meant that when the US sent ground troops to war in March 1965, the
communists were prepared
● The Viet Cong made use of a small tunnel system that was used to hide, which also
allowed them to reach the outskirts of the city without being seen (important during the
Tet Offensive)
● The US provided aid to the ARVN
● This assistance on both sides enabled the civil war to continue
US Policy towards Vietnam between 1956 and 1965
● Although it was clear that the NLF and the Viet Cong wanted Vietnamese independence,
both Diem and the US viewed any opposition as being about communism
● This meant that the US committed itself under successive presidents to support South
Vietnam no matter what
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1954-1959)
➢ His policy was based on the "Domino Theory", provided South Vietnam with massive
economic aid
➢ He supported the corrupt regime of Ngo Dinh Diem (who pocketed money for himself)
