Vietnam Flashcards
(47 cards)
Two features of the origins of the First Indochina War
(1945-54)
France and Japan
- France and Japan took advantage rice, corn, coal and rubber
- French occupied since the 19th century, Japan took over in 1941 to extend their influence in SEA
Aims of the Vietminh
- Establish an independent Vietnam, free from foreign domestication
- Small-scale attacks against isolated French outposts were successful, led to war against France
Two features of the tactics of General Giap
(Served from 1944–1992)
Guerilla warfare
- Hid in the jungle, hit-and-run attacks on French patrols, then retreated back
- Small arms (portable, helped overcome difference in technological advantage) and booby traps, which were hidden very well and forced soldiers to pay more attention to everything
Superiority in numbers at Dien Bien Phu
- Giap had 60,000 men with 200 heavy artillery, French only had 15,000 troops
- Surrounded and trapped the soldiers inside a garrison for 56 days
Two features of the
search for a diplomatic solution
(~1954-55)
Done in the Geneva Conference May 1954 and didn’t achieve much of its aims
- Negotiations on Korea achieved nothing, with the result that it continued to be regulated by the terms of the ceasefire agreed the previous year
- America’s delegate boycotted it due to his dislike of communists so America didn’t have a big role
Resulted in the establishment of two Vietnams
- A split (meant to be temporary) was made at the 17th parallel
- The French were also to withdraw from Vietnam, meaning that both Vietnams were to have their own separate governments
- Election dates were set where a “democratic” election would be held to reunite the two Vietnams but obviously it didn’t happen cuz of Diem lmfao
Two features of the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu
(13 Mar-7 May (defeat) 1954)
Superiority in numbers
- Giap had 60,000 men with 200 heavy artillery, French only had 15,000 troops
- Surrounded and trapped the soldiers inside a garrison for 56 days
Loss of the airstrip
- Anti-aircraft guns rendered airstrip unusable in first few days
- French depended on the airstrip for most supplies, so had to surrender
Immediate consequences of the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu
Geneva Agreement (May 1954)
- Vietnam would be divided temporarily along the 17th parallel, North under Ho Chi Minh and South under Ngo Dinh Diem
- Eisenhower wanted the French to continue fighting, but they had had enough. Agreed that Vietminh forces would withdraw from the South and the French would pull out of the North
- Vietminh wanted early elections so people could elect a government, and were confident of winning. Western powers wanted a long delay as they were worried about Ho Chi Minh’s popularity. A date for the elections was fixed: July 1956
Two features of the Geneva Conference
(May 1954)
Independence for Vietnam
- Discussions started just after Dien Bien Phu, a massive French defeat, so they agreed to withdraw from the North
- Decided that no foreign troops could enter Vietnam during the two-year period of elections
Most did not want to sign the agreement
- US refused to sign, as they were convinced national elections in Vietnam would result in an overwhelming victory for Ho, but abided by the agreement
- Ho signed reluctantly, but believed it cheated him out of the spoils of his victory. Diem refused, wanting a united Vietnam
- Few at the time believed that the Geneva Agreement really would end the conflict
Two features/aims of the Domino Theory
Aimed to stop communism from spreading in South East Asia
- Theory that if one country fell to communism, the next few would too, one after another
- China became communist in 1949, and North Korea and Vietnam also became communist, so what would be next?
One of the main reasons why Diem was elected President of South Vietnam
- Eisenhower wanted non-communist leader for South Vietnam
- Provided Diem with money, weapons and supplies to prop up South Vietnam
- Since Diem was Catholic and most of Vietnam was Buddhist, would have been difficult without US help
Two features of the formation of South Vietnam
(Oct 1955)
US involvement
- US feared the spread of communism
- Domino theory: if one country fell to communism, the next few would too, one after another
- China became communist in 1949, and North Korea and Vietnam also became communist, so what would be next?
Diem was elected
- Eisenhower wanted a non-communist leader for South Vietnam
- US provided Diem with money, weapons and supplies to prop up South Vietnam
- Since Diem was Catholic and most of Vietnam was Buddhist, would have been difficult without US help
Two features of life in South Vietnam
Diem was corrupt
- Diem rigged elections and restricted freedom of the press and speech, as well as ‘taking care’ of political enemies
- “Re-educated” 12,000 supporters of the Vietminh, stubborn ones were executed
Discrimination towards Buddhists, favoured catholicism
- Supporting catholicism, Diem banned the display of religious flags in May 1963
- Buddhists flew their flag on Buddha’s birthday eve, and nine were killed, eight children
Two features of life in North Vietnam
Asserting communist values
- Ideological opponents (Catholic priests, Buddhist monks etc.) taken by Lao Dao agents in the night and executed or sent to “re-education camps”
- As many as half a million people died from the Lao Dong’s re-education campaign
Land and food reforms
- Private land + wealth seized and redistributed to landless peasants, reorganised into agricultural cooperatives to produce food
- Landowners were publicly denounced, and as many as 50 000 were executed
Two features of the NLF
(Founded in Dec 1960)
Started due to unpopularity of Southern government
- Commies in South knew that peasants wanted to fight back, but Diem’s attack on Vietminh was successful and Southern Vietminh supporters were getting eliminated by Diem’s police and army
- Dec 1960: Communists in Hanoi set up NLF in South to overthrow Diem, get rid of Americans and reunite Vietnam
Utilised guerilla warfare to get upper hand on US
- Ho called it a “grasshopper fighting an elephant” and frequently used hit and run attacks, taking advantage of the dense forests in South Vietnam
- Used small arms supplied by China and the Soviet Union to increase motility and later built the Ho Chi Minh trail along with youth volunteers to create a long series of roads that went everywhere throughout North Vietnam
Two features of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Kept communists in the South supplied
- Network of 15,000 kilometres through jungles and mountains, if one route bombed, another used
- Despite bombing, at least two-thirds of the North’s supplies made it to the South
Bombed by US
- Airstrikes against villages and roads along it due to the amount of weaponry it supplied
- Became very controversial in the media and increased criticism from Americans
Two features of the response of the US
(~1960-63)
Kennedy wanted people to think he was tough on communism
- Increased American involvement in South Vietnam, which was against communism
- Increased number of military experts training ARVN (South Vietnam army), 16,000 by 1963
Refused to send troops to South Vietnam
- During the Korean War, the Koreans brought the Chinese to defend their fellow communists
- Didn’t want to increase tensions so it wouldn’t happen again and maybe escalate to nuclear wars
Two features of the Strategic Hamlet Programme
(1962)
Increased resentment towards Diem
- Entire village populations were moved many kilometres away unwillingly
- Had to pay to rebuild homes, which were free from the USA, and not enough food was provided
Communist supporters could spread their ideas
- Despite villagers not providing them food, NLF did not starve since food was easy to come by
- Supporters inside could spread ideas in new areas, many became supporters because of terrible treatment
Two features of the fall of Diem (1963)
(1 Nov 1963)
Caused by Buddhist opposition
- Most of South Vietnam was Buddhist, so many people were against Diem, leading to his fall
- Buddhists flew the Buddhist flag on eve of Buddha’s birthday on May 1963, and nine were killed, eight children
- Brutality only increased unpopularity
The Coup D’état
- Kennedy realised that Diem was not popular enough to win against the Vietcong, so he approved a coup to change government
- On 1 Nov 1963, troops surrounded Diem’s palace, so Diem and Nhu fled
Two features of the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964)
(3 Aug 1964)
USA escalated its response in Vietnam
- Congress thought a second attack had taken place and they needed to teach North Vietnam a lesson
- Johnson proposed Gulf of Tonkin resolution on 7 August, let him take any military measures and escalate level of American involvement
Lack of clear communication
- 3 Aug 1964, captain of Maddox and Joy reported an attack without evidence
- Johnson didn’t believe it was real, but wanted to prove his Republican opponent wrong for shaming him as a coward who didn’t fight communism
Two features of the Second Indochina War
(1955-1975)
Rapid escalation of US involvement
- Johnson elected after JKF’s assassination, much harsher approach to communism. Approach to domino theory: “if you let a bully come into your front yard one day, the next day he’ll be up on your porch, and the day after that he’ll rape your wife in your own bed”
- Proposed Gulf of Tonkin resolution on 7 August, let him take any military measures
Televised
- Dec 1966, Harrison Salisbury first American reporter permitted to North Vietnam, reported casualties and destruction to civilian areas
- Crucial events such as Tet Offensive was shown to US public, as well as film of a 15-man suicide squad fighting into Saigon American embassy who were only killed six hours later. Seeing the horror of war themselves shocked the US public
Two features of Johnson
More aggressive approach
- Proposed Gulf of Tonkin resolution on 7 Aug, let him take any military measures and escalate level of American involvement
- Approach to domino theory: “if you let a bully come into your front yard one day, the next day he’ll be up on your porch, and the day after that he’ll rape your wife in your own bed”
Widened credibility gap
- Battles were fabricated, too optimistic and exaggerated, only bare minimum told to the public
- Tet Offensive showed true extent of Viet Cong control and US military weakness
Two features of McNamara
Motivated Johnson to escalate the war and to send many troops into Vietnam
- Committed to helping South Vietnam overcome communist influences, including the Viet Cong
- Initially encouraged further military action in Vietnam after visiting the country thrice in 1962, 1964 and 1966
- US troops in South Vietnam increased from 900 to 16,000 advisers in 1963
Later pushed for de-escalation
- Used enemy body counts instead of territory objectives to measure the American’s success, but this led to a war of attrition
- Began voicing doubts about the war as early as 1965, privately urged LBJ to limit troop levels and pushed for an unconditional end to the bombing past the 17th parallel
- Eventually resigned in 1968 due to his disillusionment
Two features of Westmoreland
Emphasis on body count
- Convinced that the war would be won by killing large numbers of the enemy, used body count to boost morale and show the public that they were winning the war
- To increase the body count, patrols baited NVA or VC with more men, then called in airstrikes or artillery fire, causing terrible casualties
Search and Destroy campaign
- Soldiers searched out and destroyed the big enemy forces and the regular or professional troops of the NVA in the South. This would leave the South Vietnamese troops to deal with the less well-trained guerrilla forces or Vietcong
- Often couldn’t find the enemy, so the frustrated troops settled on searching and destroying Vietnamese villages instead to find Vietcong supporters
Two features of the jungle war
(1965-68)
Guerilla warfare
- Jungle effectively hid Vietcong members, allowing for more evasive maneuvers
- Small arms (more portable, let them overcome vast difference in technological advantage) and booby traps, (hidden well, forced US soldiers to pay attention to everything, slowing forces and degrading morale)
Defoliants
- US troops often could not find or destroy their enemies, failure of Search & Destroy
- Chemicals sprayed in jungles to kill off vegetation to prevent Vietcong from using the jungle for cover
- Most used defoliant was Agent Orange, later found to cause cancer
Two features of Search and Destroy
Military failure
- US troops searched and destroyed big enemy forces in the South, South Vietnamese troops dealt with the less well-trained guerrillas or Vietcong
- Though they had better firepower, couldn’t find the elusive enemy in the jungles
Lowered morale in USA soldiers
- Frustrated, settled on searching out innocent villages and destroying those instead
- Called “Zippo” raids after the name of the lighters they used to set fire to the thatched houses
Two features of Operation Rolling Thunder
(2 Mar 1964-2 Nov 1968)
Utter American military failure
- Highly ineffective as bombs missed a lot due to environment
- More bombs were dropped than in the World War II, 3 million tonnes
- No goals were achieved and it was a major resource drain
Major humanitarian crisis
- Due to inability for accurate targeting, many civilians were caught
- The usage of cluster bombs caused major damage maiming people rather than killing them
- Many cluster bombs go undetonated in Vietnam
Two features of a televised war
Shocked American public
- Witnessed 15-man suicide squad fighting into American embassy in Saigon, killed after six hours
- Loss of support including Walter Cronkite, most respected journalist at the time, which influenced millions of opinions
Widened credibility gap
- December 1966, Harrison Salisbury first American reporter permitted to North Vietnam, reported casualties and destruction to civilian areas
- US military always denied that their bombs hit civilian targets, and there weren’t many of them
