The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

Was Vietnam just a war?

Ultimately, the actions of the United States in the Vietnam War were unjust according to the Just War Theory. America failed to meet the requirements of both jus ad bellum, justice of war, and jus in bello, justice in war. ... Vietnam had shown no aggression towards the United States.

Why was Vietnam considered a war?

Since 1941 Congress has declared war only six times, all during World War II. Congress authorized troop deployment in Vietnam, but, because it did not issue a declaration of war on North Vietnam or the Viet Cong, the Vietnam War is, technically speaking, not considered a war in the United States.

Was Vietnam a war or police action?

The Vietnam War and the Kargil War were undeclared wars and hence are sometimes described as police actions. The Soviet–Afghan War was an undeclared war and hence also could be described as a police action, especially since the initial troop deployments into Afghanistan were at the request of the Afghan government.

Why did America go to war with Vietnam?

China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.

The Vietnam War Explained In 25 Minutes | Vietnam War Documentary

24 related questions found

How did Vietnam War end?

Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.

Did the US win the Vietnam War?

Explanation: The U.S. Army reported 58, 177 losses in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese 223, 748. ... In terms of body count, the U.S. and South Vietnam won a clear victory. In addition, just about every North Vietnamese offensive was crushed.

What do the Vietnamese call the Vietnam War?

In Vietnamese, the war is generally known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ (Resistance War Against America). It is also called Chiến tranh Việt Nam (The Vietnam War).

Why was the ground war in Vietnam so difficult to fight?

Explanation: Firstly most of the war was fought as a guerrilla war. This is a type of war which conventional forces such as the US army in Vietnam, find notoriously difficult to fight. ... The Americans, laden down with conventional weapons and uniform were not equipped to fight in the paddy fields and jungles.

When did the Vietnam War end?

Having rebuilt their forces and upgraded their logistics system, North Vietnamese forces triggered a major offensive in the Central Highlands in March 1975. On April 30, 1975, NVA tanks rolled through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war.

Why was Vietnam a failure?

Although a number of factors and influences, domestic and international, contributed to America's defeat in Vietnam, the overriding reason the United States lost the war was one that has often fueled nations' losing military efforts throughout history: the fundamental error in strategic judgment called “refighting the ...

How did US defeat Vietnam?

The Tet Offensive

On January 31 1968, during celebrations of the Vietnamese New Year (known as Tet), North Vietnam, supported by South Vietnamese Vietcong launched surprise assaults on towns and cities in US-held areas of South Vietnam. ... They suffered many casualites and the Tet Offensive was a military defeat for them.

Why did America lose the Vietnam War BBC?

America “lost” South Vietnam because it was an artificial construct created in the wake of the French loss of Indochina. Because there never was an “organic” nation of South Vietnam, when the U.S. discontinued to invest military assets into that construct, it eventually ceased to exist.

Was Vietnam War a mistake?

For many who study foreign affairs, the Vietnam War was a tragic mistake brought about by U.S. leaders who exaggerated the influence of communism and underestimated the power of nationalism. ... In this view, Vietnam was neither a crime, a forfeit nor a tragic mistake. It was a proxy conflict in the Cold War.

Was Vietnam a pointless war?

As the other answers have indicated, the Vietnam war was, to a very large extent, a pointless, costly failure. Starting with cost, the war, in inflation-adjusted dollars, carried a price tag of $738 billion, according to defense specialist Stephen Daggett.

Why didnt we invade North Vietnam?

Why didn't the US just roll over North Vietnam and occupy the entire country? The military was afraid of a repeat of Korea. US leadership knew that if a full scale invasion was launched, the Chinese and possibly the Russians would retaliate; Beijing made this very clear.

Is Vietnam still communist?

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a one-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society.

Who lost Vietnam War?

A series examining contentious issues of the Vietnam War

Although the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong sustained enormous casualties—upward of a million killed by wounds, disease and malnutrition—the communists eventually prevailed.

Is Vietnam still divided today?

Vietnam, a one-party Communist state, has one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies and has set its sights on becoming a developed nation by 2020. It became a unified country once more in 1975 when the armed forces of the Communist north seized the south.

Did any American soldiers stay in Vietnam after the war?

It's estimated that tens of thousands of veterans have returned to Vietnam since the 1990s, mostly for short visits to the places where they once served. Decades after the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) many former soldiers still wonder why they were fighting.

What happened to Vietnam after the US left?

What happened after the United States withdrew from the war? After the U.S. had withdrawn all its troops, the fighting continued in Vietnam. South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, Vietnam was reunited as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Did America ever lost a war?

Before World War II, the United States won nearly all the major wars that it fought. And since World War II, the United States has barely won any major wars. ... And since Korea, we have had Vietnam—America's most infamous defeat—and Iraq, another major failure.

Did Vietnam ever lose war?

America never lost any major battles in Vietnam, yet the North Vietnamese lost many, including the 1968 Tet Offensive. America never lost or gave up ground, yet many NVA/VC strongholds were decimated.

How long was Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War may have defined 1960s and 1970s America, but it lasted 10 years by the most widely accepted metric (and, officially, it was never a war at all). And while World War I and II may have killed far more American troops, the fighting didn't linger for a decade and a half.

Why were the Viet Cong so successful against United States?

They were extremely successful because they had very good and vital knowledge of the forests and jungles and were able to protect their supplies from damage by using the Ho Chi Minh Trail.