VIETNAM or INDOCHINA WAR (s)

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VIETNAM or INDOCHINA WAR (s)
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DAI VIET

• Vietnamese kingdom originates in Red River valley
  in north.
• Becomes independent in 9th century.
• Fights for independence from China.
• Eventually expands into south part of todays
  Vietnam.

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FRENCH INDOCHINA

• French colonize parts of Southeast Asia in 1880s,
  incl. Kingdom of Vietnam
• When French fall to Nazis and Japanese in World
  War II, Vietnamese led by Communist Ho Chi Minh
  begin revolt

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HO CHI MINH

• Defeats French in 1954 at Battle of Dienbienphu
• French, Communists sign Geneva Accords

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GENEVA ACCORDS

• Laos and Cambodia to become independent.
• Vietnam split into North under Communist
  control, and South non-Communist
• Elections to be held in two years (1956) to
  decide government for whole country

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THE OUTCOME

• Elections are never held.
• US and South Vietnam
• Fear Communist trickery
• Ngo Dinh Diem is made
• President of South Viet-
• Nam with American
• backing

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DOMINO THEORY and COMMITMENTS

• US pledged through SEATO treaty to defend
  Thailand, Philippines and South Vietnam.
• Domino Theory fear that if one country in SE
  Asia becomes Communist, they all will follow. SE
  Asia is considered strategic area.

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DIEM

• Unpopular as president. Strict Catholic in a
  Buddhist country
• Authoritarian, aloof from the people
• Communists lead a movement against Diem
  National Liberation Front Communists become
  known as Vietcong
• 1963 - Buddhist protests and betrayal by
  military officers lead to his downfall

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DILEMNA!

• What was US to do about South Vietnam?
• Vietcong, backed by North Vietnam and USSR, were
  making gains in countryside.
• But there was no viable government.

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US INVOLVEMENT

• US backs a series of military governments, begins
  massive bombing of North Vietnam and begins
  sending massive numbers of combat troops in 1965.
  

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LAOS and CAMBODIA

• Communist-led uprisings also take place in these
  two monarchies
• Vietcong make great use of the mountainous border
  with these countries for their supply line from
  North Vietnam, called the Ho Chi Minh Trail

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TET OFFENSIVE

• Surprise attack by VC and North Vietnamese across
  South Vietnam during traditional truce period.
• Gives lie to US predictions of
• speedy
• victory.

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MY LAI MASSACRE

• American troops are ordered to destroy a South
  Vietnamese village and end up massacring 450
  inhabitants
• Public reaction against war inflamed, but many
  find it excusable.

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VIETNAMIZAION

• Elected president in 1968, Nixon promises to turn
  more of fighting over to the South Vietnamese.
• However, to support them he continues the bombing
  campaign on VC supply lines on North Vietnam and,
  in 1970, orders bombing and invasion of Cambodia.

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KILLLING FIELDS

• US invasion of Cambodia de-stabilizes neutral
  government
• In 1975, very extreme Communist group Khmer
  Rouge take over
• Empty cities, kill anyone not a peasant
• One million die one of every eight Cambodians.
  Many flee to Thailand, US.

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PEACE TALKS

• Begin in 1970
• Two years spent arguing over the shape of the
  table
• Cease-fire signed in January, 1973.
• American troops go home. Most prisoners of war
  are released.

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END OF WAR

• 1975-Communists break cease-fire terms and
  quickly overwhelm South Vietnamese.
• North and South Vietnam are re-unified. Saigon
  becomes Ho Chi Minh City.
• Communists also win in Laos and
  Cambodia-Bloodbath in Cambodia.

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REFUGEES