Why did the US lose the war in Vietnam? Military or political failure?

This article discusses the reasons behind the US losing the war in Vietnam. It explores whether it was primarily a consequence of military failure or political failure. The article examines the strategies used by the US military, the impact of media, and the tactics employed by the North Vietnamese. It also highlights the lack of public support for the war and the involvement of other countries in the conflict.

Why did the US lose the war in
Vietnam ? Was it primarily a
consequence of military or political
failure ?

TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHY DID US LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM?.........................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

WHY DID US LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM?
The Vietnam war is cold war which is famous as second Indochina war. It starts from 1st
November 1955. War occurred between North Vietnam and South Vietnam where North
Vietnam favoured by soviet union, china. South Vietnam favoured by united state, South Korea,
Philippines and Australia, Thailand and anti communist allies. This war was long, expensive and
heritage disputes which pitted the politician government of North Vietnam. Dispute became
heighten by ongoing cold war between US and Soviet union. Vietnam's war was going on
between 1954 and 1975 . it occurred between the communist government of north Vietnam and
allies in south Vietnam. America involved in second half of the 20th century in Vietnam war
when country suffered from marches, riots and deaths. It is known as American war because
America supports South Vietnam for two decades (Allen, 2016). During this war North
Vietnamese made assumption that foreign forces who are going to fight in this war they all are
Americans but there was number of people from Thais, Australian and South Korean. These all
are involved in Vietnam war but few were fought on the behalf of south Vietnam. French was
supporting of south Vietnam so it gave name as French Indochina. Vietnamese took help dense
jungles and mountains terrains for attacking on French forces and flight detection. While
America provided training to local forces for fight against North Vietnamese.
Vietnam's war was civil war along with communist North fighting which was against
anticommunist south. In this war north was hard-backed by communist china and the America
while south was covered by the west. South Vietnamese becomes financially and technically
weak where US supported south Vietnamese by offering finance and equipment for fighting. In
this war Vietnamese became testing ground of weapon where number of equipment such as
Douglas A-4 sky hawk, S-75 Dvina air missiles and American M16 etc (Moss, 2016). North
Vietnamese used Douglas A-4 sky hawk against S-75 Dvina air missiles which is mad by south
Vietnamese. While AK-47 used against American M-16. War stars from 1946 where
communists in the north which began fight with France for maintain of the country. In 1949,
France established the state of Vietnam in the southern half of the country. While Ho Chi Minh
became leader of Dong Lao Dong Vietnam in 1951.
In this war number of countries involves such as north Vietnamese, south Vietnamese
and anti communist allies, United state, Australia, Philippines, South Korean etc. Leader of this
war was Ho Chi Minh. He was leader of north Vietnam in country. In this war five U.S.

president involved during war. In this war two millions civilians got die in both sides and other
side 1.1 million north Vietnamese. While united state military has calculated between 200,000
and 250,000 south Vietnamese. The main reason of this war was that china became communist
in 1949 and North Vietnamese controlled by communist. America was scared that communist
could be spread to south Vietnamese and remaining Asia. In that state US decided to help of
south Vietnamese by offering money and military authority. In this war south Vietnamese, Laos
and Cambodia were communist while United state almost resolve the conflict against the
Vietnamese Cong but war won by communist. United state lost their 58,220 soldiers during war
it was great fetal for America.
Beside of military failure US has another reason for lost war such as US was unable to
control on operating rolling thunder. For example America organized bombing campaign but that
was failed because bomb felled in empty jungle, thus this operation was failed. Media also was
the reason to loss of war of Vietnamese (Turley, 2019). For example My Lai Massacre was event
in America which addressed US press about American war in Vietnamese and their condition
where US press uploaded film footage of US soldiers who burned homes and through media,
after watching this footage public became against of the war (Hess, 2015). This footage also
damaged image of America in front of American peoples.
Military failure:
the U.S. lose the war because of the failure of the military in the country. Because of the
negative impacts of the press and the failure of the military results in the victory of the Vietnam.
The strategy of the military of the US was flawed fatally in the war. The military of the US
chooses the strategy of the attrition. The meaning of the attrition is destroying the forces of the
other party till that they loose the strength and power to fight. In the war the attrition to work
have the three strategies like that the people involve in the war control the time and the terms
and condition of the engagement (McNamara, 2017). The second condition is that the losses of
the enemy's increases the rate of the replacement in the war. The enemy easily replace the troops
which is lost at the faster rate than they are being destroyed. And in the third conditions the loss
of the US in the war they are lower from the enemy that must be still tolerable in the context of
the war making. These condition are not applied by the military of the US and they know about
that they didn't change the strategy of the fundamental.

The failure of the US in the war because in the south Vietnam there have no organic
nations. In the are of the Vietnam and the US there will be the killing of more than 9 soldiers and
the US cannot bear the cost of the loses (Hearden, 2016). The America become against the war
and demanded to stopped the war and the large number of the soldiers went their home in the
bogs of the body which is lying and the savagery.
The north Vietnamese make the strategy against the strategy of the US they use the
strategy of the enervation and the war was protracted. So the meaning of the enervation is
moving out of the war, harassment with the enemy, before the loses were sustained, seriously
engagement were avoided except the area where the success is greater (Walt, 2018). The military
of the US cannot win the support the population which is local and they cannot win on the
grounds. The loss of the US from the war of the Vietnam are really not very difficult to identify.
The America was the about the out-thought in the war they are not the outfought. In the
ware military is the biggest factors which leads the war and it is easy to blame for the loss of the
war. It was only the media from which the people of the country against the war. There are the
numbers of the factors which have impact and influences on the international and the domestic
which contributes to the US in the Vietnam war to defeat.
One of the main reason that the America lost the war in the Vietnam is that they are the
often fuelled nations. The Vietnam used the same strategy in the war from the US which is used
in the war from the French. The strategy of the Vietnam works successful to defeat the
Americans. The superiority in the power of the fire, communication, mobility and the impact of
the resources is inconceivable in the US. These conventional asset assumed to make sure that the
victory (Werner and Huynh, 2015). The countries Australia, Zealand and Thailand are from the
sides of the Vietnam that will provides the help to the Vietnam in winning the war. The general
of the air force of the US said to dropped the bomb on the Vietnam three times but unfortunately
it didn't works. In the war there are the 90 % of the cases in which the firefights were involves in
choosing the time and location from the enemy. And because of the 20000 young Vietnamese
from the north are involves in the war every year which is greater than the people killed in the
war. The strategy of the enervation America loses the war from the Vietnamese. The America
have no experience to the war so this is also the reason of loosing the war from the Vietnam.
Without having the experience of the war the planning of the bomb blast is failed in the war and
US loses the war from the Vietnamese. The steps which is more deadly elixir of the denial,

arrogance and profiteering these things determines that there is the continuous loses of the US in
the major wars. In this report has been concluded that America didn't get supports from their
public cause this they were unable to fight against North Vietnamese. These all are the reason of
America to loss war in Vietnam.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Allen, J., 2016. Vietnam: The (last) war the US lost. Haymarket Books.
Hess, G.R., 2015. Vietnam: Explaining America's lost war. John Wiley & Sons.
Moss, G.D., 2016. Vietnam: An American Ordeal. Routledge.
McNamara, R., 2017. In retrospect: The tragedy and lessons of Vietnam. Vintage.
Hearden, P.J., 2016. Tragedy of Vietnam. Routledge.
Werner, J. and Huynh, L.D., 2015. The Vietnam War: Vietnamese and American Perspectives:
Vietnamese and American Perspectives. Routledge.
Walt, S.M., 2018. US grand strategy after the Cold War: Can realism explain it? Should realism
guide it?. International Relations. 32(1). pp.3-22.
Turley, W.S., 2019. The Second Indochina War: A Short Political and Military History, 1954-
1975. Routledge.