Vietnam War in 13 Minutes - Manny Man Does History

Summary

The video explores the history of Vietnam, focusing on its colonial past under French Indochina, the rise of the Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh, and the subsequent conflicts that defined the 20th century. Key events include the First and Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam War, and the eventual victory of communist forces. It delves into U.S. involvement, from initial military aid to full-scale intervention, and how the war left deep scars on both Vietnam and the United States. The video's narrative concludes with the unification of Vietnam and the long-lasting impacts of the war.

Takeaways

• 🇻🇳 Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a colony established in 1887, which remained under French control until World War II when Japan invaded.
• 👑 Emperor Bao Dai ruled Vietnam as a puppet under Japanese control during WWII.
• 🚩 Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, declared Vietnamese independence after Japan's defeat, starting the First Indochina War against France.
• ❄️ The Cold War tensions influenced the conflict, with China and the Soviet Union backing the Viet Minh and the USA and Britain supporting the French-backed South Vietnam.
• ✌️ The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into North and South, with Ngo Dinh Diem leading South Vietnam and Emperor Bao Dai in a ceremonial role.
• 🚶‍♂️ The USA gradually increased its involvement, providing military advisors but initially reluctant to deploy troops under President Eisenhower.
• 🔥 The Vietnam War escalated, with US President Johnson using the Gulf of Tonkin incident to push for direct involvement.
• 🔫 The war saw heavy US bombardments, including napalm attacks, and the conflict intensified despite high US troop deployments.
• 🎖️ The Tet Offensive in 1968 was a turning point in the war, leading to declining US public support for the conflict and damaging President Johnson’s credibility.
• 🏳️ The war ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon, unifying North and South Vietnam under communist rule. Vietnam remains scarred by the war, both physically and psychologically.

Q & A

What was French Indochina, and why was it established?

French Indochina was a French colony in Southeast Asia established in 1887, primarily to reinforce Catholic missionaries and expand French influence in the region.

What led to the end of French control in Vietnam during World War II?

During World War II, France was invaded by Nazi Germany, and Japan took control of French Indochina. Japan ruled through the French protectorate Emperor Bao Dai, who acted as a puppet leader.

Who was Ho Chi Minh, and what was his role during and after World War II?

Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Viet Minh, a communist army that fought against the Japanese occupiers during World War II. After Japan's defeat, the Viet Minh declared Vietnamese independence and formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

What were the Geneva Accords, and how did they affect Vietnam?

The Geneva Accords, signed after the Viet Minh's victory over the French, divided Vietnam into two states: the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). It also granted independence to Cambodia and Laos, effectively ending French Indochina.

What was the significance of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War?

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a vital supply route used by North Vietnam to support the Viet Cong and NLF insurgents in South Vietnam. It ran through Laos and Cambodia, allowing the North to funnel troops and supplies to the South.

How did religious tensions contribute to instability in South Vietnam under Ngo Dinh Diem's leadership?

Diem, a Roman Catholic, discriminated against the predominantly Buddhist population, banning Buddhist flags and raiding pagodas. This led to widespread protests and increased instability, culminating in a coup that resulted in Diem's assassination.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and how did it lead to increased U.S. involvement in Vietnam?

The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred in 1964 when the USS Maddox fired warning shots at North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Although a second reported attack turned out to be false, the event was used by President Johnson to gain Congressional approval for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing him to escalate U.S. military involvement without a formal declaration of war.

What was the Tet Offensive, and why was it significant in the Vietnam War?

The Tet Offensive, launched by the NLF and North Vietnamese forces in 1968, was a surprise attack on over 100 cities in South Vietnam. While the U.S. and South Vietnam forces eventually countered the offensive, it was a psychological blow to U.S. morale, leading to increased anti-war sentiment in the U.S.

How did the U.S. public's perception of the Vietnam War change after the My Lai Massacre?

The My Lai Massacre, where between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians were killed by U.S. troops, was exposed to the public in 1969. The revelation shocked the American public and further eroded support for the war.

What were the consequences of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 for the Vietnam War?

The Paris Peace Accords, signed in January 1973, officially ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. All U.S. ground troops were withdrawn by March 1973, although fighting continued between North and South Vietnam.

Outlines

00:00

🇻🇳 The Rise of Vietnam and the First Indochina War

This paragraph discusses Vietnam's colonial past under French Indochina and the rise of anti-colonial movements. After World War II and Japan's brief occupation of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh declared independence and formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The First Indochina War broke out between the French-backed State of Vietnam and the communist Viet Minh, supported by China and the Soviet Union. Following the French defeat, the Geneva Accords split the country into communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam, with the U.S. increasing its involvement in the South.

05:04

🔫 The Escalation of the Vietnam War and U.S. Intervention

As tensions grew between the communist North and the anti-communist South, the U.S. involvement in Vietnam escalated. The South, led by Diem, was plagued by corruption, failed rural reforms, and growing unrest. The U.S. under President Kennedy sent military advisors but was reluctant to commit ground troops. In the South, the Viet Cong, with support from North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, gained strength. Political and religious tensions worsened, leading to a coup and the assassination of Diem. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident, President Johnson authorized direct U.S. military action, leading to full-scale American involvement in Vietnam.

10:04

💣 American Troop Buildup and the Vietnam Quagmire

The U.S. began a large troop buildup in 1965, but despite superior technology and military strength, they struggled against the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. General Westmoreland pushed for an offensive strategy, while the U.S. and its allies contributed more troops to defend South Vietnam. Meanwhile, bombings and harsh war tactics, such as the use of napalm, led to growing public discontent. The North Vietnamese, led by Ho Chi Minh, were determined to continue fighting, and the conflict became a war of attrition. The U.S. public, seeing the horrors of the war through media coverage, increasingly lost faith in the war effort.

🎯 The Tet Offensive and the Decline of U.S. Morale

In 1968, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive, a surprise attack during the Vietnamese New Year. While the U.S. and South Vietnam eventually pushed back, the intensity of the fighting, including the battle for the city of Hue, shocked the American public. Graphic media coverage and discrepancies between official reports and battlefield realities diminished trust in the Johnson administration. The massacre at My Lai further damaged U.S. credibility. Peace talks began in Paris, but the war dragged on. Nixon, elected in 1968, began the process of withdrawing U.S. troops, though bombing campaigns continued.

📜 Nixon’s Withdrawal and the Fall of Saigon

Nixon initiated troop withdrawals while secretly escalating the war, including bombing Cambodia and Laos. Protests across the U.S. intensified, especially after incidents like the Kent State shootings. Despite attempts at 'Vietnamization,' the South Vietnamese forces were unable to hold off the North. The Paris Peace Accords in 1973 officially ended U.S. involvement, but fighting continued. In 1975, North Vietnam launched a final offensive, quickly capturing Saigon and marking the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnam was unified under communist rule, with Hanoi as its capital. The war left deep scars on Vietnam, Cambodia, and the United States.

Keywords

💡French Indochina

French Indochina was a French colony in Southeast Asia, established in 1887. It consisted of modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. This region played a central role in the events leading up to the Vietnam War, as the French attempted to maintain control until their defeat after World War II, which led to Vietnam's struggle for independence.

💡Viet Minh

The Viet Minh was a communist-led independence movement in Vietnam, formed to resist Japanese occupation during World War II and later the French colonial rule. Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh declared independence in 1945, marking the beginning of Vietnam’s fight against foreign powers. They played a pivotal role in the First Indochina War and ultimately achieved victory over the French.

💡Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a network of roads and trails used by North Vietnam to supply the Viet Cong in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It passed through Laos and Cambodia, making it a crucial strategic supply route that the U.S. attempted to destroy but never fully succeeded. The trail played a key role in North Vietnam's ability to support its forces in the south.

💡Geneva Accords

The Geneva Accords were agreements reached in 1954 that ended the First Indochina War. The accords temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel into two separate entities: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam). They also granted independence to Laos and Cambodia, formally ending French Indochina.

💡Ngo Dinh Diem

Ngo Dinh Diem was the leader of South Vietnam after the Geneva Accords. He declared South Vietnam as a separate republic and became its president. His regime was marked by corruption, oppression, and pro-Catholic policies that alienated the Buddhist majority, leading to widespread protests. He was overthrown and assassinated in 1963 in a coup supported by the U.S.

💡Viet Cong

The Viet Cong was a communist guerilla force in South Vietnam that fought against the South Vietnamese government and U.S. forces. Officially known as the National Liberation Front (NLF), they were supported by North Vietnam and relied heavily on the Ho Chi Minh Trail for supplies. The Viet Cong played a significant role in the insurgency during the Vietnam War.

💡Gulf of Tonkin Incident

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident refers to two alleged attacks on U.S. Navy ships by North Vietnamese forces in 1964. The second attack was later revealed to be false, but the incidents were used by President Johnson to justify escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam. This led to the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson the authority to use military force without a formal declaration of war.

💡Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive was a massive coordinated attack by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in 1968, launched during the Vietnamese New Year (Tet). It targeted more than 100 cities and military bases, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. Although militarily a failure for the North, it was a turning point in the war because it shocked the U.S. public and undermined support for the war.

💡My Lai Massacre

The My Lai Massacre occurred in 1968 when U.S. soldiers killed between 347 and 504 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, including women and children, in the village of Son My. This atrocity was initially covered up but eventually became public in 1969, sparking outrage and deepening anti-war sentiment in the U.S. It remains one of the most controversial incidents of the Vietnam War.

💡Paris Peace Accords

The Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973 to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. They established a ceasefire and called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, while allowing North Vietnamese forces to remain in South Vietnam. The accords did not lead to lasting peace, as fighting continued between North and South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Highlights

Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a French colony established in 1887, until Japan invaded during World War 2.

Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh in resisting Japanese occupation, ultimately declaring Vietnamese independence in 1945.

The First Indochina War began as the Viet Minh fought against French forces for control of Vietnam.

The Cold War intensified as China and the Soviet Union backed the Viet Minh, while the USA and Britain supported the French in the south.

The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North) and the State of Vietnam (South), leading to future conflict.

Ngo Dinh Diem became prime minister of South Vietnam, rigging a referendum to keep the country divided, and declared the Republic of Vietnam in 1955.

The Viet Cong (NLF) formed in the South, supported by North Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Increased US involvement began under President Kennedy, sending military advisors to support the disorganized South Vietnam army.

Tensions escalated after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, leading to the US Congress approving the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing military escalation.

By 1965, US ground troops were deployed in South Vietnam, and the war escalated with intense bombing campaigns and the use of napalm.

The 1968 Tet Offensive by the NLF and North Vietnamese forces caught the US by surprise, leading to some of the bloodiest battles of the war.

The My Lai Massacre in 1968, where hundreds of Vietnamese civilians were killed by US troops, caused a major controversy and damaged US credibility.

Richard Nixon began the withdrawal of US troops in 1969, implementing 'Vietnamization' to transfer combat roles to South Vietnam forces.

Despite peace talks and the signing of the Paris Accords in 1973, fighting continued until the fall of Saigon in 1975, marking the end of the Vietnam War.

After the war, North and South Vietnam were unified under the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with lasting scars from the conflict on both Vietnam and the USA.

Transcripts

Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a French colony in Southeast Asia

established in 1887 for the French to reinforce Catholic missionaries.

Indochina was controlled by France up until World War 2 when France was

invaded by Nazi Germany and Japan invaded Indochina. The Japanese ruled

through the former French protectorate Emperor Bao Dai as a puppet. Ho Chi

Minh was the leader of the Viet Minh, a communist army who rose up against the

Japanese occupiers. After the Japanese defeat in 1945, the Viet Minh declared

Vietnamese independence with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and Hanoi

as its capital, and extended their war against the French, becoming the First

Indochina war. During this time, the Cold War was setting in and the USA were

backing anti communist regimes while the Soviet Union and People's Republic of

China were backing Pro communist regimes; the Korean War was a fine example of

this. Thusly, China and the Soviet Union backed the Viet Minh and the USA and

Britain backed the French in the south. The State of Vietnam was established

with Emperor Bao Dai as the leader in an anti communist regime. American military

advisors had been helping the French, though President Eisenhower was

reluctant to put US troops on the ground. The Viet Minh ultimately were victorious

and it was decided in the Geneva Accords that Vietnam be divided into the State

of Vietnam and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Cambodia and Laos were also

granted independence, ending French Indochina. Ngo Dinh Diem became the prime

minister in the south as South Vietnam prepared for a referendum on reuniting

North and South. Many northern Vietnamese Catholics fled south while many Viet

Minh went north to plan ahead. The North Vietnam regime sought to take power away

from the landlords and distribute the wealth among the peasants. Many people

were executed and wrongly imprisoned. The referendum was held but many were

skeptical about its fairness. Diem rigged the votes, winning a ridiculously massive

majority in keeping the South separate. Diem declared the south independent and

became the Republic of Vietnam with Saigon as its capital. Thus Vietnam

would move into the Second Indochina War, or simply known in the West as the

Vietnam War. The U.S. looked on in fear, believing that communism would spread

like dominoes and if Vietnam fell, it would threaten India, Japan and other

nations in that region. Diem set about quelling any communist actions in the

South arresting and executing many people. He was a Roman Catholic which was

often at odds with the predominantly Buddhist population. In 1960, communist

forces and other anti-government groups in the south were organized into the

National Liberation Front or the Viet Cong, as they were branded by the

South. North Vietnam support came via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a border hopping trail

connecting north and south via Laos and Cambodia. Support for the NLF was

strongest in the countryside which was being crushed by extreme rent and

landlord reforms by the South government. The government under US advisement and

funding tried to relocate many rural peasants into strategic hamlets to keep

them away from the influence of the NLF insurgents but the program was a failure

and actually ended up strengthening the NLF. New US President John F Kennedy

faced many embarrassments with the spread of communism such as the Bay of

Pigs disaster, the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the growth of communist

power in Laos. He believed Vietnam was where he could make a strong stand

against the spread of communism. Kennedy was reluctant to put US troops on the

ground believing that the South Vietnam Army

had to defeat the NLF on their own, but they were disorganized, crippled by

political corruption, and under constant attack from guerrilla forces. More and

more US military advisors and equipment were sent to Vietnam to help, but despite

this, the South Vietnam Army continued to suffer silly defeats at the hands of the

NLF. By 1963, religious tensions ran high as the Pro-Catholic government

discriminated more and more against Buddhists, banning their flag, killing

protesters and raiding pagodas. Protests intensified. On November 1st, officers of

the South Vietnam army rose up against the government and captured the leaders

in a coup d'état. Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother and advisor in Ngo Dinh Nhu were

brutally assassinated the following day. NLF took advantage of the political

chaos of the south and strengthened their position with the people. To add

even more instability, John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas less than a

month after the coup. Lyndon B Johnson became the new US president and things

changed. After some more coups, General Nguyen Khanh became head of the South

Vietnamese military council. The CIA had been training South Vietnamese forces

and sending Vietnamese commandos on raids in the north. On August 2nd 1964,

the u.s. navy ship the USS Maddox was monitoring signals coming from North

Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. It fired three warning shots at some North

Vietnam torpedo boats who opened fire with torpedoes and machine guns.

The skirmish resulted in four Vietnamese casualties and no US casualties. Two days

later, a similar incident was reported from the Maddox but it would later turn

out to be false, but not before these incidents were used by President Johnson

to order an air strike and get Congress to push through the Gulf of Tonkin

Resolution which allowed him to escalate the United States involvement in Vietnam

without an actual declaration of war. Johnson ensured the u.s. people that he

would not be sending American boys over to Vietnam... before he was reelected.

Conscription in the United States known as The Draft had been on the go

constantly since 1940 to fill gaps in the army where volunteers weren't

joining. As tensions in Vietnam escalated, many young men tried to avoid the draft

which could be a criminal offense. From 1965, the NLF and North Vietnam forces

continued their victories against the south. In February, while new Soviet

premier Alexei Kosygin was on a state visit to strengthen ties with North

Vietnam, the MLF attacked a US helicopter facility in Pleiku. In retaliation,

Johnson ordered bombing campaigns over North Vietnam. It was also decided that

the South Vietnam Army weren't enough to guard the u.s. air bases so on the 8th

of March, the first u.s. ground troops were sent to South Vietnam in the form

of 3,500 Marines. Neighboring Laos fell into civil war between the us-backed

government and the Communist Pathet Lao. US operation Barrel Roll saw the aerial

bombardment of the Pathet Lao, trying to deny Viet Nam's

access to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but this didn't work. One particular bomb which

was used by the US throughout the war was napalm, a sticky, flammable chemical

which was very effective at destroying jungle and causing mass devastation and

terror. By the end of 1965, US ground forces had swollen to 200,000 troops

still with the view of defending South Vietnam, but troop morale was low. This

defensive position was soon to change however as General William Westmoreland

believed that US troops could end this war if they went on the offensive. A

three point plan was made with a view to winning the war. Johnson approved and the

war escalated. South Vietnamese Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky became prime

minister in mid 1965, bringing a little political stability to the south. The

u.s. called its SETO allies to contribute troops to the conflict, which

they did, as did South Korea. Despite the change of focus to go on the offensive,

the harsh conditions, and lack of progress, President Johnson

and the US government reassured the public that everything was going as

planned. Amidst the war, the United Front for the

Liberation of Oppressed Races rose up to oppose both North and South and defend

minorities in the central highlands of Vietnam. In December 1966, Ho Chi Minh

said of the Americans "if they want to make war for 20 years, then we shall make

war for 20 years. If they want to make peace, we shall make peace and invite

them to tea afterwards." It was a hard and grueling war of attrition in which the

US had the technological advantage, but the NLF and North Vietnam had the

knowledge of the land and the support of many of the people. Underground tunnel

networks were used by the NLF to secretly move around the countryside

near Saigon, surprising US troops seemingly out of nowhere. Nguyen Van Thieu

became president of south vietnam in 1967 and would remain until 1975. On

January 30th 1968, the Vietnamese new year known as Te't, the NLF and the North

Vietnamese launched a massive offensive across the south, taking everyone by

surprise. The Te't Offensive saw 85,000 troops attacking over 100 cities

including the US Embassy in Saigon. Despite being caught unawares, the u.s.

and South Vietnamese counter-attack was powerful and effective. The city of Hue,

the former capital which lay near the border of north and south, was fiercely

fought over. While occupying the city, NLF and North Vietnam forces brutally

executed over 3,000 people after a month of fighting. The city was retaken by the

US and the south, but there was little after the city standing. It was one of

the bloodiest battles of the war. Media coverage of journalists on the ground in

Vietnam differed from the official line coming from President Johnson, which

damaged his credibility. The u.s. people's approval of Johnson and the war

plummeted. The conduct of some US forces was also very controversial. The My Lai

massacre in March 1968 saw between 347 and 504 unarmed men women and children

massacred by US troops in Son My. The story didn't emerge to the public until

November 1969. Peace talks between US and North Vietnam began in Paris in May 1968

which resulted in the stopping of bombing on North Vietnam. After a

presidential campaign with many twists and turns, Richard Nixon was elected

president of the United States. When Nixon came into office,

the war was very unpopular and looking more and more unwinnable. Nixon began to

withdraw troops from Vietnam in 1969 with a view of replacing them with South

Vietnam forces. Ho Chi Minh died at the age of 79 in September 1969. Some

ministers and military leaders formed a Politburo for collective leadership to

see an end of the war. Unbeknownst to the public until the

2000s, Nixon actually sent a squadron of nuclear-armed B-52 bombers to the Soviet

border in October in the hope that they'd believe he was mad enough to win

the war in Vietnam at any cost. The u.s. bombed NLF and North Vietnamese camps in

neighboring Cambodia. North Vietnam invaded Cambodia in support of the

Cambodian communist movement Khmer Rouge, so US and South Vietnam in turn invaded

Cambodia. This escalation angered many. Nationwide protests in America sprang

up and four students were killed by national guardsmen in Ohio. The south

vietnam army invaded Laos looking to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail but it was a

complete disaster. More controversies about the war became

publicly known, including the Pentagon Papers, revealing top-secret documents

which were leaked to the New York Times. Nixon tried to block their publishing

but the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the papers. Nixon did begin to open talks

with the Soviet Union and China possibly to isolate North Vietnam from its

communist allies. The Easter offensive saw a new invasion from the NLF of North

Vietnam in 1972. This resulted in the u.s. recommencing the bombing of North

Vietnam which stopped the North's offensive. Eventually after Hanoi and

Haiphong were heavily bombed at the end of 1972, North and South came to the

negotiating table with the u.s. Around this time, Lyndon Johnson died of heart

disease in Texas. In January 1973, Nixon suspended any attacks on North Vietnam,

ended the draft, and the Paris Accords were signed, ending the United States

involvement in the Vietnam War. All US ground troops were withdrawn by

March. US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam foreign

minister Le Duc Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but Tho refused, as

true peace didn't exist yet in Vietnam, and right he was. The South's economy

felt the vacuum left by the US Army and spiking oil prices due to the trouble in

the Middle East hit the South hard. In January 1974, the North used the dry

season to retake much lost land from the south while the United States was

embroiled in the Watergate scandal and Nixon's ultimate resignation.

Seeing the limited response from the south, the north pressed their

advantage in 1975. Poor and Confused leadership from the southern president led

to massive gains by the north, capturing Da Nang and many other cities. A stream

of retreating southern forces and refugees headed for the coast. With the

momentum built, the North moved to capture Saigon before the monsoon season. A

desperate evacuation began of many US Marines and foreign diplomats by

helicopter as Vietnam civilians, trying desperately to escape, were abandoned. On

the 30th of April 1975, North Vietnam forces entered Saigon, raising the NLF

flag and the Vietnam War came to an end. In 1976 North and South would be unified

into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

EDIT: Hanoi* became capitol of the whole country. All of former Indochina was

now communist. The massive upheaval in Cambodia led to the terrible reign of

the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot who would commit genocide of millions of

Cambodians. Vietnam would go to war with Khmer Rouge leading to more war with

China and Thailand. Vietnam's economy struggled throughout the 70s and 80s

with many southern rice farmers refusing to cooperate with the state-run system,

leading to aspects of capitalism creeping in. The wars and poor living

led to many refugees. The US had dropped 7 million tons of bombs across Indochina

throughout the war. Much of the unexploded bombs render much of the

potential farmland in the region unusable to this day. This war deeply

scarred the region. It also deeply scarred the psyche of the United States, the

great world superpower which couldn't win a war against a small nation of

Communists. It led to a weariness towards u.s. foreign intervention in the

future and whether it was worth the american lives or the lives of those in

whichever country for that matter. 58,220 American soldiers were killed during

the war. Between 1 and 3 million Vietnamese were killed. The Cold War

would chill on for another decade and communism did not spread to India or

Japan. The government of Vietnam today still claims to be socialist but

contains much of the capitalist corruption of neoliberalism. It has solid

relations with the rest of the world yet remains scarred by what they refer to as

the American War. Thank you for watching folks this video indeed has been a long

time coming and I thank you all for your patience.

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