The Vietnam War is among the most intense conflicts of the twentieth century. Dozens of citizens, groups of military units, and countless other soldiers have been killed on battlefronts. From 1965 to 1973, the US spent over $120 billion just on the Vietnam War, and such massive expenditure helped contribute to pervasive rising prices. It was aggravated by a global oil shortage in 1973 and soaring fuel costs. Yet, these are only a few traumatic but intriguing statistics.
President Kennedy Wanted to Get the US Army out of Vietnam
President John F. Kennedy had no idea how to bring the United States away from the Vietnam War. Throughout his mandate, he and McNamara successfully looked for a way to exclude Vietnam, and they wanted to do that while still preserving their pledge to an unrestricted South via monetary and technological assistance. The president eventually demanded the withdrawal of all American army personnel. His strategy included bringing the North to toe by dropping bombs at critical points and limiting surface attacks.
The US Didn’t Always Win
On the other hand, the theory that America prevailed in every fight is a false narrative. The northern army was supplied with cheap replica weapons from China, while the regime in South Vietnam was incessantly provided with money, soldiers, and weapons. Therefore, the northern army was believed to be conquered by American soldiers. And it was a reality that the country was critically wrecked at certain times. Yet, the Vietnamese people were still able to win their country back and establish independence from America.
The Roots of the Vietnam War Go Back to WWII
Prior to the Vietnam War, Vietnam was colonized by France, and as WWII commenced, France and Japan came together to further exploit Indochina and fuel their battles. When the allied forces were slowly weakening on the WWII battleground, the United States started taking over Vietnam. This ultimately resulted in the split of Vietnam into two other parts in 1950: Northern Vietnam was its own government, while the South was receiving sponsorship from the US.
South Vietnam Suffered from Internal Problems
A further issue was the state’s contribution at the cost of regional commoners. The people were frequently forced to serve as tenant laborers for the landholders, which reflected the rigged system used throughout the French colonization timeframe.
The Independence Palace – formerly the “White House” for the Diem’s regime in Southern Vietnam – funded by the US
Eventually, Diem permitted bribery to blossom. There was a manipulation of the election results in his favor, earning over 100% of the ballots at one moment. All of these variables, and many others, contributed to pervasive opposition to the authorities in the area.
The War Wasn’t Just between the US and Vietnam
The conflict took place not only between the United States and Vietnam. During WWII, the US had alliances with France, and throughout the late 1940s, they sometimes gave supplies to the French colonizers in Vietnam. France was also in conflict with the grand party of Communists, represented by the Soviet Union.
This marked the point at which the United States became formally engaged in the effort to eliminate the Communists in Vietnam, as well as the Communist expansion of influence in general. America started by providing financial assistance and giving top generals to South forces fighting the Communists. Furthermore, the US collaborated with Ngo Dinh Diem and connected with other rulers to establish a different state in the South.
The US Sprayed Vietnam with Dangerous Chemicals during the War
As the United States proceeded to assist South Vietnam in the battle, its army employed firearms far ahead of its time. The US troops were over the top of their time during the early 1960s as they had developed some powerful munitions that they utilized successfully during the war. Many stories and essays have been written about the Vietnam War, and from them, you can learn more about the events of that time. Such papers, based on real history, contain a lot of information about the fate of people. Readers can also get acquainted with the features of weapons that were actively used during the hostilities.
Many examples have a brief story about the chemicals used there. Aside from the aggressive bombings, Agent Orange was among the most vicious tactics. The US army’s worst nightmare in Vietnam was the “guerilla attacks” as the South army took full advantage of the native jungles for their strategies. As a result, Agent Orange was developed as a synthetic combination splashed all over North Vietnam by aircraft with the purpose of destroying the jungles. They did this for 11 consecutive years while using 19 million gallons of Agent Orange in the procedure, and this was such a toxic chemical that the effect of such a heinous act left behind critical imprints on the Vietnamese people until today.
More than 3 Million People Died in Total
The number of casualties of the protracted war was enormous. North Vietnam and the Viet Cong brutally murdered over a million troops and up to two million innocents. Over 58,000 Americans were killed on the job, and more than 4,000 South Koreans were killed, as were 350 Thais, over 500 Australians, and a hundred New Zealanders.
US and South Vietnamese Presidents Were Shot in 1963, and This Would Be Significant
The Diem brothers’ assassination marked Vietnam’s liberation from the US invasion. Kennedy would be found dead in the rear of a vehicle twenty days afterward, and while his death remains a mystery, there are speculations about its relevance with the overturn of the Southern Vietnam regime.
A Majority of the Men Who Fought in Vietnam Weren’t Drafted — They Volunteered
More than three-quarters of the men who fought signed up to serve and around 2 million of the 8 million soldiers who joined the armed forces were conscripted. Almost 3 million military personnel ended up fighting in Vietnam. Only 25% of those were compelled, and recruits accounted for 30% of military casualties during the war.
Richard Nixon Ended the War — But Invaded Cambodia First
President Nixon’s “Vietnamization” schemes were progressively created to withdraw American troops, yet he was doing this while arming ARVN powers with the latest machinery, techniques, and coaching. It also included strategies to assist the Saigon authority in gaining regional support and enhancing the country’s political viewpoints.
To Sum up the 10 Most Interesting Facts about the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War has emerged as an indelible component of American cultural context and combat historiography in the years since it concluded.
The conflict was a rousing major defeat for the United States and caused political unrest and individual trauma in America. But several scholars believe it successfully prevented the emergence of communism in the Indochina Peninsula.