Vietnam War, 1800s-1975
US History
American Flag at Vietnam Veterans
Memorial
2
Basics
Where is Vietnam?
3
1800’s to WWII•Vietnam was a colony of France
•The Vietnamese elites went to school in France and were Catholic (but 90% of Vietnam was Buddhist)
Illuminated Eiffel Tower at Bicentennial
4
During WWII•1940 Japan takes over Vietnam
•The US supports those fighting the Japanese, including their leader Ho Chi Minh (a Communist)
Ho Chi Minh
5
After WWII: 1945•European colonies in Asia ask for independence (like) Vietnam
•France refuses to give up its Asian colonies
•Vietnam declares its independence and Ho Chi Minh as its leader
6
1945-1953
•Vietnam begins to fight its own war for independence
French Foreign Legionnaire Heads for Battle
By 1954: (don’t write)
•92,000 French troops died
•21,000 Frenchmen (rest from other colonial possessions)
7
1950
•U.S assumes 80% of the war’s cost
•US pushes France to give Vietnam independence
8
1954•France loses at battle of Dien Bien Phu
•Geneva Accords - Divided Vietnam into two parts
•Elections in 2 years
Battle Of Dien Bien Phu
9
1956•Communist North Vietnam is run by Ho Chi Minh
Portrait of Ho Chi Minh 1957
10
1956•Democratic South is run by Ngo Dinh Diem
•Diem is a rules as a corrupt dictator
•Has a terrible human rights record
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam seated at desk in 1958
11
1956•Diem cancels elections in the South
•Viet Cong formed (South Vietnamese fighters against Diem)
South Vietnamese Combat Viet Cong
12
1957-1959
•Ho Chi Minh Trail - supply route from North to South (warning for next)
760 US “Advisors” in Vietnam
Aerial View of Ho Chi Minh Trail
13
1963•Buddhist monks set themselves on fire to protest Diem’s anti-Buddhism
16,000 US “Advisors” in Vietnam
Ho Dinh Van Sacrificing his Life
14
1963
•JFK Assassinated
16,000 US “Advisors” in Vietnam
•Diem Assassinated (probably with US support)
Kennedy’s in Dallas Motorcade on November 22, 1963
15
1964Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
23,300 US “Advisors” in Vietnam
•North Vietnam sends missiles across bow of US boat in Vietnamese waters
16
1964Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
23,300 US “Advisors” in Vietnam
•Congress votes gives the President a blank check to wage war in Vietnam
President Johnson Announces Retaliation for Gulf of Tonkin Incident
•No formal declaration of war is made
17
1965 DevelopmentsSearch and Destroy Mission
•No front line in Vietnam
•Marines are sent into forests & villages to find the enemy
•The problem is separating “the enemy” from the civilians
Camouflaged Marines on Reconnaissance in Vietnam
200,000 US troops in Vietnam
18
1965 DevelopmentsNapalm
•Ignites organic things (people, plants)
Fire From a Napalm Explosion Demonstration
200,000 US troops in Vietnam
19
1965+ DevelopmentsAgent Orange
•Chemical defoliant (gets rid of plant leaves)•Meant to destroy the “cover” of the jungle used by Communists
Spraying Agent Orange over Vietnam
200,000 US troops in Vietnam
20
1968 - Tet Offensive
•Turning Point - Vietcong launch attack on Vietnamese new Year
•US troops win after struggle
Troops Fighting During Tet OffensiveTroops on foot and in personnel carriers trek along a street in northern Saigon which is engulfed in smoke from fierce fighting during the Tet Offensive.Image: © Bettmann/CORBISDate Photographed: May 6, 1968Location Information: Saigon, South Vietnam
550,000 US troops in Vietnam
21
1968 - Tet Offensive•Despite victory, turns Americans against what many see as an “unwinnable” war
•Protests increase
•Johnson announces he will not run for reelection
Close-Up of President Lyndon JohnsonPresident Johnson looks serious just before he announces his decision to neither seek nor accept the renomination for the presidency.Image: © Bettmann/CORBISDate Photographed: March 31, 1968Location Information: Washington, DC, USA
550,000 US troops in Vietnam
22
1969-1973 - Nixon•Vietnamization - Turn the war gradually over to the Vietnamese
•“Peace with honor”
A CIA employee (probably O.B. Harnage) helps Vietnamese evacuees onto an Air America helicopter from the top of 22 Gia Long Street, a half mile from the U.S. Embassy.Image: © Bettmann/CORBISDate Photographed: April 29, 1975Location Information: Saigon, South Vietnam
•1975- South Vietnam falls to communists
Top Related