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Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War conflict between the South Vietnamese Viet Cong and their Communist allies and North Vietnam and the U.S.-led anti-communist allies. The Vietnam War began November 1st, 1955 and ended on April 30th, 1975 with the fall of Saigon, the South Vietnamese capitol.

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha.com for Vietnam War

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  1. Who was secretary of defense during the Vietnam War?

    Robert Strange McNamara served under Presidents John F. Kenne...

  2. Why did many civil rights advocates oppose the Vietnam War?

    The Vietnam War was the legacy of France's failure to suppres...

  3. How many names are on the Vietnam War memorial?

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  4. Who was most likely to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War?

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  5. What Wha was the average age of us comabt soldiers during vietnam war?

    Of the 50,274 Americans enlisted in the Vietnam War, the aver...

  1. Why did many civil rights advocates oppose the Vietnam War?

    The Vietnam War was the legacy of France's failure to suppres...

  2. Who was secretary of defense during the Vietnam War?

    Robert Strange McNamara served under Presidents John F. Kenne...

  3. Who won the Vietnam war, the Viatminese, or the United States?

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  4. How many americans died in the vietnam war?

    The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities. Est...

  5. Who was most likely to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War?

    The Selective Service System drafted men at the age of eighte...

  1. What was the most important details of the vietnam war?

    An important detail of the Vietnam War include it being the f...

  2. Who was most likely to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War?

    The Selective Service System drafted men at the age of eighte...

  3. Who was secretary of defense during the Vietnam War?

    Robert Strange McNamara served under Presidents John F. Kenne...

  4. Why was the Vietnam war viewed differently from previous wars the U.S. Had fought?

    The Vietnam War was the only war,during the COLD WAR,which th...

  5. What different opinions did Americans have about U.S involvement in the Vietnam war?

    In 1964 public opinion poll carried out that year indicated t...

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha Mobile for Vietnam War

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  1. When did the vietnam war start and end?

    The Vietnam war began September 1959 and ended in April of 19...

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    Who won the Vietnam War? The US entered the war to reach an o...

  3. Where was the Vietnam War fought?

    As the name suggests, the Vietnam war was fought in Vietnam, ...

  4. How did the Vietnam war. start?

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  5. What was some music during the Vietnam War?

    Hits of the Vietnam War era were mainly by Elvis as he pumped...

  1. Who won the vietnam war?

    Who won the Vietnam War? The US entered the war to reach an o...

  2. When did the vietnam war start and end?

    The Vietnam war began September 1959 and ended in April of 19...

  3. What caused the vietnam war?

    The Vietnam War first began in 1959, five years after the div...

  4. How did the Vietnam war. start?

    The Vietnam War started as a dispute between communism North ...

  5. Why did the Vietnam war start?

    The Vietnam War lasted from May 7, 1954 to April 30, 1975. Tw...

  1. Who won the vietnam war?

    Who won the Vietnam War? The US entered the war to reach an o...

  2. How could the Cold War tensions contribute to conflicts in Vietnam and in Egypt?

    The Vietnam conflict was in some ways a turning point in the ...

  3. Who was president when the war in Vietnam ended?

    Richard M. Nixon was the President when the Vietnam War ended...

  4. When did Vietnam war begin and end?

    The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam fro...

  5. Who was the sitting president when war was declared on vietnam?

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About Vietnam War

Principal Fighters
The ARVN, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, defended South Vietnam. The US military aided the ARVN at first, however as time progressed, full-scale military operations took place. The North Vietnamese armies and Viet Cong, a liberation army in South Vietnam, fought the US army and ARVN.

French Forces Retreat - US operations begin
France withdrew from Indochina in 1949, with support from the People's Republic of China aiding the North Vietnamese army with weapons and expertise. The US sent over a small contingent of US forces to aid and train the ARVN. Fighting had ended between the two countries between 1949 - 1955, which allowed North Vietnamese Catholics to flee south. However, from 1954 - 1955, the leader emperor of South Vietnam, Ngo Dignh Diem, halted elections and launching military campaigns to eradicate various religious sects. He rigged the election in his favor with a 98.2 percent vote nationally, and a 133% vote in Saigon.

Kennedy in 1960 began to increasingly support Diem as other US foreign policies to overthrow Communist governments had failed, notably the Bag of Pigs Invasion. In 1962, the ARVN's most trusted General failed to repel a much smaller and ill-equipped NVA force. The general was discovered to be promoted based on his Catholic beliefs, not his skill. In 1963, the CIA and State Dept. approved a military coup of Diem; but Kennedy and the Defense Department did not approve. However, the coup had already occurred, as Diem was assassinated. Chaos erupted in Hanoi; but for the US Kennedy was assassinated shortly after in the US.

Johnson Takes Charge
Johnson originally did not want to drag America into war, however, by the end of his administration America would be fully engaged into war. From 1961 to 1964, the soldiers deployed went from 2,000 to 16,500. Aerial bombings increased greatly by the US. In 1965, in response to use Air Force attacks by NVA forces; the US deployed 3,500 Marines to protect the Air Force. Nine months later, the US deployed 200,000 US forces. The US had a one-year tour of duty, which meant that the US was short of experienced leadership .

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Vietnam War