- French Controlled
- Many resources
- Controlled by Japan in WW2
- Ho Chi Minh turns to communists to drive out French
- Ho exiled
- Returned in 1941 and helped found Vietminh an independence league
- Thought French would give up colony
- They didn't
- Nationalists and communists joined to fight French
- Vietminh held countryside while French held most cities (peasant support)
- In 1954 French defeated at Dien Bien Phi
- They surrender
- Domino Theory forced Eisenhower to do something about it.
- A peace conference at Geneva divided it at the 17 parallel.
- North- Communist under Ho Chi Minh
- South- anti-communist under Ngo Dinh Diem. Backed by US and France
Problems
- Diem was a ruthless dictator while Ho Chi Minh began a popular land redistribution campaign.
- US feared elections so backed cancellation.
- Vietcong-Guerrillas who wanted Diem out
- slowly gained control of country-side
- 1963 General, backed quietly by US assassinated Diem, new leader no better
- US feared helped from North would lead to a united communist Vietnam
- Sent advisors in late 50's
- increasingly sent more along with military equipment
- August 1964 Johnson told congress about Gulf of Tonkin (2 destroyers attacked)
- Troops authorized (Gulf of Tonkins Resolutions)
- 1965 185,000 American troops
- Bombing etc.
- 1968 500,000 troops
- Best military in world
- Had to fight in uncertain terrain
- Guerrillas
- North supported Vietcong in south
- USSR and China helped supply as well
- Bombed large areas; alienated south more
- public outcry
- Vietamization
- bombing "Ho Chi Minh trail" Cambodia and Laos
- 1973 last US troops left; 58,000 American dead, 1.5 million Vietnamese
- Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh city
