War is Hell

Remembering Vietnam

The conflict between North and South Vietnam began in 1941 with the creation of Communist Vietminh (which resided mainly in the northern part of the country) under the control of Ho Chi Minh. The Nationalists of South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem strongly opposed the Vietminh. There was a struggle of power regarding who controlled Vietnam until the Geneva Conference divided Vietnam into northern and southern areas. The separation was to be in effect until elections could be held in 1956. However, South Vietnam claimed independence after Ngo Dinh Diem canceled national elections. He suspected the elections would be unfairly influenced by Ho Chi Minh. The Vietminh, or the National Liberation Front (NLF), created the People's Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF), more popularly known as the Vietcong (VC). The VC specialized in guerilla warfare and was designed to supplement the NLF's forces. President John F. Kennedy sent a team to Vietnam to assess the seriousness of the conflicts. In 1961, the US and South Vietnam signed a military and economic aid accord. In 1965, fulfilling the agreement, the US began to bomb North Vietnam.
By 1968 there were 550,000 American troops in Vietnam. They could only hold the Vietcong. On January 30, 1968, the start of the Vietnamese New Year celebration, North Vietnam and the VC launched the Tet offensive attacking the major cities of South Vietnam. The attacks were especially savage in Saigon and Hue. This massive attack scared the US. President Lyndon B. Johnson cutback American bombing and failed to approve the request for more troops. In 1969, after building up South Vietnamese forces, US President Richard Nixon began to pull US troops out of Vietnam, a policy he dubbed Vietnamization. The official ceasefire was signed in Paris on January 27, 1973. After the departure of American troops, North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam. The Vietnam War ended with the Fall of Saigon in May, 1975.