Vietnam War Causes

The Vietnam war derived from a fear that Communism was spreading throughout Europe and China and would continue to expand until the world was Communist. Before World War II, Vietnam among Laos, and Cambodia were the French Indochina. A man named Ho Chi Minh was an advocate for Vietnamese independence and traveled around the world seeking allies to escape from French control. Ho Chi Minh Came to the United States asking for our support but was denied only because Cold War tensions were in full effect. The United States did not want to lose French support so they denied Vietnams request for help. When Ho asked the Soviet Union for support they agreed on one condition; Vietnam had to convert to Communism. Ho agreed to this and soon the Soviet Union was aiding an Independence revolt. China and other Communist countries supported Ho in his movement. The French feared the Communist support and turned to the United States for support. The U.S. saw this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone; Retain French support, and contain Communism. 

Ho Chi Minh

This is a photograph of Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh was the man who appealed to the United States for help gaining Vietnamese independence. A city, and a trail were named in his honor. 

Communist Nations

This is a map of all of the Communist nations. There are a few missing such as China but for the most part this map gives you a good idea as to which parts of the world were Communist. The U.S. was afraid that the Communists would take over all of Asia and Europe.

My Lai

This picture is from the My Lai massacre. You can see dead women and children, all of which were un-armed. This massacre was ordered by Captain Medina who was found not guilty during his war crime trial. 

War Setting

The Vietnam War mostly took place in Vietnam but their were also a few battles in Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam was split into two nations by the 17th Parallel, and became North and South Vietnam. Aerial bombings forced the fighting to spill into other parts of Indochina. The U.S. Government claimed that an American ship was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin by the Vietnamese. This attack was used as an excuse to declare war on Vietnam. In a village called My Lai, American soldiers brutally murdered innocent Vietnamese citizens, this included women and children. The Vietnamese government retaliated in revenge. A trail known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail supplied the South with supplies from the North. 

Ho Chi Minh Trail

This is a map of Vietnam and it shows where the Ho Chi Minh Trail was. This trail supplied Communist armies in the South with the supplies they needed. Tunnels were used to transport the goods. 

U.S. Involvement

The United States got involved after the attack on an American ship in the Tonkin Golf. The United States believed in a theory called the Domino Theory which states that if Vietnam falls to Communism, then it will start a chain reactions in other countries. In 1965 the United States began dropping bombs on North Vietnam, and Communist controlled areas in South Vietnam. But by 1966 there were approximately 190,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam. The U.S. began teaching the South Vietnamese war methods and training their military. By 1969 the amount of U.S. soldiers had grown to 550,000. Even with the enormous amount of soldiers in Vietnam, the U.S. was having problems defeating the Viet Cong (Communist Guerrilla Movement). With support from the Communist nations around them, the North was backed by a constant supply of ammo and other medical, and food necessities.