Cold War rivalry - EduqasUS withdrawal from Vietnam

There were more and more problems that undermined the USA’s military efforts in Vietnam. At the same time, the Viet Cong made good use of the limited equipment and personnel that they had.

Viet Cong advantages

North Vietnam, the Viet Cong and their supporters in South Vietnam were fighting for their independence from the USA and for the reunification of their country. This made them very determined to succeed. As a result, bombing and heavy casualties only made them more determined to fight.

The Viet Cong’s guerrilla tactics were very effective. They made good use of their local knowledge and could hide effectively among the local population. The Americans’ tactics were indiscriminate, resulting in high numbers of civilian deaths because the Viet Cong were difficult to find and isolate. This undermined the effectiveness of the USA’s advantages in terms of its resources and technology. It also helped to increase opposition to the war back in the USA as people were horrified at the impact American tactics were having on the people of Vietnam.

American disadvantages

Inexperienced American troops were killed by Viet Cong guerrillas or booby traps. This affected the American troops’ morale, making them hesitant about taking risks. In some cases, this caused hostility towards their officers and led to them joining opposition groups back in the USA when they returned after their tour of duty was complete. The Tet Offensive in 1968, in which the Viet Cong simultaneously attacked American bases across South Vietnam, also undermined the faith of many US troops, who began to see the Viet Cong as unbeatable.

The American tactics were making more South Vietnamese people join the Viet Cong. Additionally, when the suffering of Vietnamese civilians was shown on television broadcasts in the USA, more and more American people became opposed to the war back at home. This opposition increased as the growing number of American casualties became clear - over 58,000 Americans were killed and more than 150,000 were wounded in the Vietnam War. There was also increasing concern over the financial impact of the war, which would eventually cost the USA around $168 billion.

The end of America’s involvement in Vietnam

President Lyndon B Johnson did not stand for re-election in 1968 as a result of the hostility towards him because of his continued support for the war.

Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968 after he promised to end the war in Vietnam. While he secretly increased American bombing of North Vietnam, he publicly began to replace American soldiers with Vietnamese troops, a process he called Vietnamisation. After Nixon got China’s help to pressure the North Vietnamese government into negotiating, both sides signed a ceasefire and then a peace treaty in Paris in 1973.

After the peace agreement was signed, American troops left Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese army invaded South Vietnam in 1975. Vietnam became a united country again, ruled by a communist government. Communists took control of neighbouring Laos and Cambodia as well.