The Vietnam War: A Historical Overview and Analysis of the Conflict

This report offers a comprehensive overview of the Vietnam War, beginning with the French colonization of Vietnam and the rise of Ho Chi Minh. It details the Vietnamese struggle for independence, the role of the United States, and the events leading to the war. The report highlights key events such as the Geneva Accords, the Diem regime, and the controversial Operation Phoenix. It also addresses the My Lai Massacre and its impact. The analysis underscores the Vietnamese victory against the United States and the factors contributing to this outcome, including the involvement of the general population. The report utilizes references to provide a well-rounded and detailed understanding of the conflict.

Running head: HISTORY OF VIETNAM
HISTORY OF VIETNAM
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Author Note

1HISTORY OF VIETNAM
The country Vietnam that was a peasant state in the area of Indo- China was led by the
French colonists and power. The citizens of Vietnam fought bravely and valiantly against the
French forces and the USA also played a critical role in ending the war. Ho Chi Minh, who was a
communist revolutionary, led rebel storm throughout the country to break her from the shackles
of colonialism and emerge her as a nation state independent of any foreign ruler. In the year
1945, when Vietnam celebrated her spectacular victory against the imperialists, Ho Chi Minh
and his army issued a Declaration of Independence. The Vietnamese spoke against the French by
saying “They have enforced inhuman laws, they have built more prisons than schools..”
depicting the misery and plight they had to face at the mercy of French imperialists
(Historyisaweapon.com). However, the USA secretly conspired against the Asian nations that
had chances to fall into communism. By speculating the Domino theory, the USA made every
possible ways to keep Asian nations away from socialism by providing machine guns and
weapons to French army to fight against Vietnam. Despite of international assemblage at Geneva
for peace treaty between France and Vietnam that stated French would vacate South Vietnam;
America tried to prevent the unification in order to establish South Vietnam as their territory
(Gibbons).
The Diem regime of South Vietnam was unpopular because Diem had Catholic views in
a Buddhist nation and his land reforms were highly bourgeois in nature that did not meet the
expectations and requirements of the working class and peasants. The Diem regime were
blatantly opposed by the Buddhist monks who immolated themselves or committed suicide in
order to show their protest and solidarity. The communist parties and socialist revolutionary
groups started plotting against the Diem regime. The reason for such anger was that Diem regime

2HISTORY OF VIETNAM
was pro- bourgeois and could not meet the expectations of the religious sentiments of the
Vietnamese population, majority of whom were Buddhists (Short).
A string operation that was led by CIA in South Vietnam killed almost twenty thousand
civilians whom they suspected could be a member or sympathizer of communist parties of
Vietnam. The operation was named “Operation Phoenix” and the whole operation happened with
absolute secrecy and confidentiality (Herring). The ruthless Vietnam war finally ended but it
caused massive harm of life and property. According to a war journalist Seymour Hersh, women
and children, along with old people and other general population were ruthlessly killed by
American soldiers in 1968 in a hamlet of My Lai 4. “People were diving on top of each other;
mothers were trying to protect their children.” Hersh wrote (Historyisaweapon.com). However,
the plotters of My Lai massacre were trailed and penalized accordingly. However, through active
revolution and proper leadership, the United States of America and its power was completely
defeated by the Vietnamese population, which could be proposed as the first defeat of America
after the Second World War. Students, women, professionals and common people were highly
involved in the war struggle that led Vietnam towards a massive victory.

3HISTORY OF VIETNAM
References:
Gibbons, William Conrad. The US Government and the Vietnam War: Executive and Legislative
Roles and Relationships, Part IV: July 1965-January 1968. Princeton University Press,
2014.
Herring, George. "The Vietnam War and the My Lai Massacre." History Now 31.
Historyisaweapon.com. Available at:
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnimvivi18.html
Short, Anthony. The origins of the Vietnam War. Routledge, 2014.