Vietnam War
The civil conflict that shook the world.
Basic Overview
The Vietnam War, starting in 1955 and ending in 1975, was the revolution for Vietnam to launch itself into a systematic and prosperous nation. This roughly 20 year war started by the country and its people being overruled by the Japanese and the French since the mere beginning of its existence. The country split into two factions, the Vietminh which would later be called the Vietcong and the Republic of South Vietnam.
The Vietnam War started because of...
- Communism; like the nations surrounding Vietnam. Half of the Vietnamese population wanted to become communist, the other half wanted to become a republic. The South also did not want to be ruled by someone who was royalty, like the North.
- Religion; Northern Vietnam's ideals did not match with the Buddhist values of the South.
- Planning; The North wanted a more powerful and rich nation, while the South preferred to stay humble.
Geography
This map tells us a little bit about the geography of Vietnam. The majority of Vietnam is swamp like with many jungles. It has a very hot and humid climate as experiences a rainy season instead of a winter.
Battle Plan
This is a map explaining the battle plan between the nations that were fighting in this war.
Important Battles
The red markings indicate important battles during the Vietnam War.
Precursor Events
- French Colonization (Late 1800s into early 1900s): The French had invaded Vietnam, occupying it under the name of Indochina. They left after Japanese invaded in 1940.
- Japanese Occupation: Throughout WWII, the Japanese had occupied Vietnam as well as other nations. At the end of WWII in 1947, the French invaded again.
- France Returns: The French returned in 1947, which ended up being the start of the three part war which we call the Vietnam war. The first part, which was the First Indochina War, started in 1947 and ended in 1954, one year before the true beginning of war in which the nation actually split in 1955.
Important People of the Vietnam War
Bao Dai
He was the decoy emperor placed by the French. He ruled over Vietnam during the first Indochina war until he was overthrown.
Ho Chin Minh
Ho Chin Minh was a Vietnamese Nationlist who led the Vietminh in the north. He started the uprising against the French and South Vietnam during the Indochina War.
Ngo Dihm Diem
Aided the United States and was an activist for the Republic of South Vietnam. He was against Ho Chin Minh and the North and later became the president of the Republic of South Vietnam.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Was the American president between 1953 to 1961. He was a lifetime military man who even fought in WWII. However, he did not believe in the Vietnam war and was very popular among young Americans. He did not send troops to Vietnam, he did however, send medical aid to the French in Vietnam.
John F. Kennedy
Was the American president between 1961 through 1963. He made some notable speeches about the war, including his speech on "The Domino Theory". He was very against communism and believed in overthrowing the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chin Minh.
Richard Nixon
Was the American president between 1969 to 1974. He believed that he had the solution to end the Vietnam war. However, it took him five years to remove troops from Vietnam and fully end the war.
Allies
VietCong
The VietCong was allied with other communist nations like China and the Soviet Union.
Republic of South Vietnam
The Republic of South Vietnam was allied with the United States of America, France, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Society
North Vietnam
The people in North Vietnam lived in a more densely populated area with many jungles and forests. The majority of them are agnostic, Chinese Buddhist or Taoist and heavily agreed with communist principles.
South Vietnam
The people in South Vietnam live in a humid climate with many cities, towns, and factories. They are very conservative Buddhist and agreed with democratic principles. They believed in having a republic and wanted to run their country similar to other important nations.
Graphs, Charts, and other Visuals
Religions in Vietnam
This graph, created by me, represents the different religions. It allows one to look at Vietnam from a cultural aspect that would aid them in understanding the differences that the North and South experienced. The majority of Vietnam is Vietnamese Buddhist with the second highest majority are non religious. This represents the split between the people in a sense of religion.
Mental Illness
This pie chart, also created by me, gives one perception of the reality of mental illness in war. The Vietnam war is known for being one of the most depressing wars, the percentages show how soldiers were diagnosed. Many of them were diagnosed after the war with PTSD with others suffering from depression.
Casualties
This graph shows the reasoning of death among United States soldiers. Many of them were killed in action with smaller percentages such as homicide, illnesses, and accidents.