Vietnam

1
Vietnam

• Government/History 354
• Campbell University

2
Location

• Vietnam is surrounded by China to the north
  Laos, Cambodia and the Gulf of Siam to the west
  and the Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea to
  the east.

3
Characteristics

• Vietnam is slightly larger than New Mexico in
  land area (128,066 sq miles).
• Most land is mountainous or hilly. Only 20 is
  arable.
• The climate is hot and humid, subject to the
  Monsoons.
• Its population is 84 million. 86.2Viet (Kinh)
  with significant Chinese and Montagnard
  minorities.
• 80.8 express no religious preference, 9. are
  Buddhist 6.7 Catholic.

4
After Effects of War

• Following the end of the war in 1975, Vietnam
  engaged in reeducation and collectivization,
  Soviet style.
• From 1975 into the 1990s, refugees fled Vietnam,
  many as boat people. They were accepted
• United States 823,000
• Australia Canada 137,00 each.
• France 96,000.
• Germany U.K. 19, 000 each
• The Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong were
  temporary refuges.

Vietnamese child in Thailand, 1980
5
Economy

• Up to the time of its fall, the Soviet Union was
  Vietnams principal supporter.
• In 1986, Doi Moi (Renovation) was instituted. The
  GNP is now growing at the rate of 8.4 annually.
• Per capita income rose from 220 per person to
  638 per person in 2005.
• The U.S. is its primary export partner (22.2)

Nguyen Tan Dung was elected P.M. in 2006 at the
age of 56.
China is Vietnams primary import partner.
6
Recent Foreign Relations

• Invaded Cambodia in 1978. Was punished by a
  Chinese military campaign in 1979.
• Withdrew from Cambodia in 1989.
• Normalized relations with U.S. in 1995.
• Is a member of ASEAN AFTA and is seeking
  membership in the WTO.

Ho Chi Min City in the rain. Tourism has become a
significant source of income. Vietnams beaches
are among the most beautiful in the world.
7
Early History

• The Hung Dynasty (2879-258 B.C.) was established
  by Hung Vuong, son of the Lac Dragon Lord, and Au
  Co, a Chinese immortal. The kingdom was called
  Van Lang.
• In the 6th Century B.C., established wet rice
  culture and tidal irrigation under feudal Lac
  Field Lords.

Upper Red River delta looking toward Yunnan
Province, China.
8
Formation of Nam Viet

• An Duong Vuong conquered Van Lang in the 3rd
  B.C. and united it with Thuc to form Au Lac.
• Following the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Trieu Da
  established Nam Viet in 207 B.C. It included Au
  Lac and extended from Canton to Hue.
• In 111B.C., Nam Viet became a province of Han
  China and remained so to until 939A.D.

Hue City Gate
9
The Trung Sisters

• Han Chinese rule became increasingly oppressive.
  Increased taxes and cultural conformity were
  demanded, including a patriarchal family
  structure.
• In 39 A.D., the Trung sisters lead a revolt in
  Tongkin and ruled jointly for two years, then
  committed suicide in the face of massive Chinese
  retaliation.

A celebration of the Trung sisters revolt.
10
Champa

• Kiu-lien revolted against China in 192 A.D. to
  establish the independent Champa (Lin- Yi) with
  its capital at Indrapura.
• The Chams were an Indianized Malay people who
  were involved in the spice trade and vied for
  territory with the Khmers of Funan/Chenla.

Cham towers between Hue and Danang
11
Questions

• Q1. Which country accepted most of the refugees
  from Vietnam?
• A1. The USA. The number was 823,000.
• Q2. What was Doi Moi?
• A2. It means renovation. The Communist
  government opened the economy to private
  enterprise.
• Q3. Why did China attack Vietnam in 1979?
• A3. To support its client state, Cambodia.

12
More Questions

• Q4. During which years was Vietnam first a
  province of China?
• A4. 111 BC to 939 AD.
• Q5. Who were the Lac Lords?
• A5. Native Vietnamese feudal chieftains who
  controlled irrigation and owned large rice land
  estates.
• Q5. Who were the Trung sisters?
• A5. They led a revolt against the Chinese in 39
  AD and ruled jointly for two years before
  committing suicide.

13
Still More Questions

• Q6. Who were the Chams?
• A6. An Indianized Malay people who lived in the
  southern part of Vietnam and became independent
  of China in 192AD.
• Q7. Who was Trieu Da?
• A7. The Chinese general (war lord) who founded
  Nam Viet in 207 BC, after the fall of the Qin
  Dynasty.

14
Dai Viet Independence

• Chinese suzerainty over Vietnam was destabilized
  by
• The Thai kingdom of Nan Chao briefly seizing
  control of the country in 862.
• The collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 907.
• In 939, Ngo Quyen, a Vietnamese general, pushed
  Chinese forces out of the country.
• In 968, Dinh Bo Linh, a local chieftain, united
  the country and established a peasant
  mobilization system capable of producing a
  100,000 man militia, called the Ten Circuit Army.

15
March South

• Binh Bo Linh died in 979. Le Hoan, his military
  commander, seized the throne, repulsed a Song
  Chinese attempt to regain control of Vietnam and
  began the March South in 982 by sacking
  Indrapura.
• By 1079, the Chams were forced to cede three
  northern provinces. Vietnamese peasants quickly
  occupied the land and converted it to rice
  production, delta by delta along the narrow
  coastal plain.

16
Ly Dynasty

• Le Hoan was succeeded in 1009 by Ly Cong Uan,
  commander of the palace guard. He took the reign
  name of Ly Thai To and established his capital at
  Dai La (Hanoi). The dynasty lasted until 1225.
• The Ly kings established a stable and prosperous
  state
• Buddhism became the state religion.
• Copied the Chinese civil service model with
  examinations and a nine-grade rank structure.

17
Tran Dynasty

• Tran Thai Tong founds the Tran dynasty thru
  marriage to a Ly princess in 1225. The Tran had
  served as regents to the Ly Dynasty for many
  years.
• Under the Tran dynasty (1225-1400), the country
  prospered and flourished. The Tran retained
  continuity of rule thru ritual and ideology, made
  extensive land reforms, introduced standardized
  dike construction, improved public administration
  thru bureaucratic forms, and encouraged the study
  of Chinese literature.

18
The Mongols

• Between 1257 and 1287, the Mongols attempted
  three invasions of Vietnam. The first two were
  defeated thru strategic withdrawal. The third
  involved destruction of a force of a ½ million
  troops and a 400 ships by General Tran Hung Dao.
• The Chams defeated the Mongols thru equally
  heroic guerrilla warfare.

Kublai Khan
19
Le Dynasty

• Dynastic decline led the Ming Dynasty to
  intervene in Vietnam in 1407. A 20 year period of
  harsh and exploitive rule followed.
• In 1418, Le Loi led the Lam Son Uprising which
  resulted in the defeat the Chinese army after 10
  years of guerrilla warfare and established the Le
  Dynasty (1426-1788), a cultural highpoint.
• In 1471, Le Thanh Ton conquers Champa. Only the
  area around Nha Trang remained under Cham
  control. At the same time, Laos became a vassal
  state.

20
Early Christian Contact

• In 1615, the Jesuits open a mission in Hoi An
  (Fai Fo), south of Danang. Alexander de Rhodes
  devises a system for Romanizing Vietnamese called
  quoc ngu, which he used to write a catechism.
• Converted 6,000 Vietnamese before being forced to
  leave the country in 1630.

Alexander de Rhodes
21
Vietnam Partitioned

• The Trinh-Nguyen Wars (1627-73) resulted from
  General Mac Dang Dungs attempt to seize the Le
  throne in 1527. The Trinh and the Nguyen entered
  the civil war. Each claimed to be defending the
  Le.
• The Chinese recognized the claims of each Trinh
  in the north and Nguyen in the south.
• In 1631, the Nguyen built an 18 foot-high wall
  11.5 miles long with fortifications from the
  Annam Mts. to the sea near Dong Hoi (close to the
  17th parallel) to defend against Trinh attacks.

22
Tayson Rebellion (1771-1802)

• The Tayson rebellion ended the rule of the Trinh,
  Nguyen and puppet Le dynasty. The rebellion was a
  reaction to uncontrolled inflation, famine and
  confiscatory taxes. The goal was to eliminate the
  Nguyen dynasty and redistribute the property of
  the rich.
• The rebellion was led by three brothers from the
  village of Tayson in the South who took the
  Nguyen sir name.
• The Taysons deserve credit for the first Tet
  Offensive in 1789. On January 25, in a five-day
  campaign Nguyen Hue (reign name Quang Trung)
  defeated a Chinese force of 200,000 that had
  invaded the North to support the Le dynasty.

23
Emperor Gia Long

• Nguyen Anh was the last of the Nguyen royal line.
  He took refuge in Thailand from the Tayson
  rebels, but returned in 1788 to captured Saigon,
  then Hue in 1801 and Hanoi in 1802.
• His successful restoration of unity to the
  country was partially based on support from the
  French. A French missionary, Bishop Pegneau de
  Behaine, took up his cause, traveled to France in
  1787 and arranged a treaty with Louis XVI that
  provided military assistance. That was just a
  year before the French revolution.

24
Gia Long (Contd)

• The Franco-Vietnamese treaty granted the French a
  monopoly on Vietnamese external trade, an island,
  the port of DaNang and allowed missionary
  activity in exchange for military aid.
• Nguyen Anh took the reign name of Gia Long a
  contraction of Gia Dinh (Saigon area) and Than
  Long (Hanoi area) when he proclaimed himself
  emperor of Nam Viet.
• He took Hue as his capital and built the Purple
  Forbidden City.

Gia Long
25
Questions

• Q1. What was the Ten Circuit Army? Who organized
  it?
• A1. A peasant militia capable of producing a
  100,000 man force. It was designed to defend 10
  geographic districts (circuits), each composed of
  10 armies of 10 brigades each, ten companies
  strong. Founded by Binh Bo Linh in 968.
• Q2. What and where was Indrapura?
• A2. It was the capital of Champa, located between
  Hue and Danang.

26
More Questions

• Q3. How did General Tran Hung Dao destroy the
  Mongol fleet of 400 ships in 1287?
• A3. He drove steel tipped spikes into the bed of
  the Bac Dang River, then lured the fleet into the
  river at high tide.
• Q4. When and why was Vietnam first partitioned?
• A4. It was partitioned during the Trinh-Nguyen
  Wars (1627-1673), when the Nguyen built a wall
  from the mountains to the sea near Dong Hoi in
  1631.

27
Still More Questions

• Q5. What factors led to the Tayson Rebellion?
• A5. Taxation, inflation, famine and dislike of
  the Nguyen dynasty.
• Q6. When was the first Tet Offensive?
• A6. In 1789, against Chinese forces stationed
  around Hanoi. Led by Nguyen Hue, one to the
  Tayson brothers.
• Q7. What is quoc ngu? Who invented it?
• A7. A system for writing Vietnamese using
  Romanized script. It was invented by Alexander de
  Rhodes, a Jesuit missionary.
• Q8. The Lam Son Uprising led to the establishment
  of what dynasty?
• A8. Le Loi led the uprising to establish the Le
  dynasty.

28
And Still More Questions

• Q9. What were the conditions of the
  Franco-Vietnamese Treaty of 1787?
• A9. In return for military assistance, the
  Vietnamese granted the French a monopoly on
  external trade, an island, the port of Danang and
  the right to proselytize.
• Q10. What was Nguyen Anhs reign name? What did
  it symbolize?
• A10. Giah Long. It symbolized unity of the north
  and south. Gia came from Giah Dinh(Saigon area)
  Long from Than Long (Hanoi area).

29
The Christian Wedge

• In 1820 1833, reinstitution of repressive taxes
  and cultural Sinification led to rebellions in
  Giah Dinh.
• By 1841, there were 450,000 Christians in
  southern Vietnam.
• Emperor Minh Mang attempted to suppress
  Christianity by banning missionaries and closing
  ports to Europeans.
• In 1846, the French blockaded and then bombarded
  Tourane killing thousands to free a condemned
  priest.

30
Cochin China

• In 1858, the death of a French and a Spanish
  priest led to joint expeditionary force capturing
  Tourane.
• In 1859, the French captured Gia Dinh (Saigon)
  and the surrounding provinces in 1862.
• Emperor Tu Duc signed the Treaty of Saigon in
  1862 ceding three provinces in the Gia Dinh
  region, opening three ports to international
  trade, granting the right to navigate the Mekong
  and agreeing to pay a P 4 million indemnity.
• Tu Duc redirected his forces to Bac Bo to
  suppress a large Christian supported rebellion in
  1865.

31
Exploring the Back Door

• In 1866, Francis Garnier and Doudart de Lagree
  charted the Mekong in search of a navigable route
  into South China. None was found.
• They did find that extensive trade passed through
  Tonking.
• After de Lagree died, Garnier continued the
  mission all the way to Shanghai by joining the
  Yangtze River. He covered 5,392 miles

Stamp issued in 1943 honoring Francis Garnier. He
received the Victoria medal for his exploration
of the Mekong.
32
The Red River Alternative

• In 1868, Jean Dupuis (a trader), among many,
  discussed opening a Red River route to China with
  Garnier and others.
• In 1873, Garnier was asked to mediate a dispute
  over shipping on the Red River involving Dupuis.
  He unilaterally declared the river open to
  international trade and seized Haiphong. He was
  later killed in a battle with Black Flag pirates.
• Based on Garniers initiative, a treaty was
  signed in 1873 confirming the open status of the
  Red River and opening three ports in Tonking.

33
French Indochina

• Three countries formed Indochina Vietnam,
  Cambodia and Laos.
• In 1863, the Franco-Khmer treaty established a
  protectorate over Cambodia.
• The Thais then confronted the French with a
  secret Thai-Khmer treaty. In 1867, Thais gained
  sovereignty over Battambang and Siem Reap in
  return for giving up claims of suzerainty over
  Cambodia.

34
French Indochina (Contd)

• In 1882, Henri Riviere attempted to clear the Red
  River of pirates, only to be defeated by the
  Black Flag. The French claimed mandarin
  obstruction in violation of the 1873 treaty.
• The Vietnamese are forced to agree to a French
  protectorate over the entire country in 1883-4.
• In 1885, the Vietnamese seek Chinese assistance.
  The French naval forces easily best the Chinese
  leading to the Treaty of Tientsin. The Chinese
  recognized the French protectorate and granted
  the right to build a RR from Hanoi to Kunming.

35
Indochinese Union

• In 1887, the French formally established the
  Indochinese Union composed of Tonking, Annam,
  Cochin, Cambodia and Laos (added as a
  protectorate in 1893). Each was administered as a
  separate province.
• The Vietnamese emperor was stripped of all
  authority. A Resident Superior governed in his
  name.
• In 1898, the French took over tax collection and
  the payment of officials.

36
Questions

• Q1. How many Christians were in southern Vietnam
  by 1841?
• A1. 450,000.
• Q2. Why were the Vietnamese monarchs opposed to
  Christianity?
• A2. It was heterodox and considered subversive?
• Q3. What were the provisions of the 1862 Treaty
  of Saigon?
• A3. The Emperor ceded three provinces in the Gia
  Dinh region, opened three ports, granted the
  right to navigate the Mekong and agreed to pay a
  P 4 million indemnity.

37
More Questions

• Q4. Why did Emperor Tu Duc sign the Treaty of
  Saigon rather than fight?
• A4. He had little real support among the people,
  overestimated the strength of French forces and
  had to cope with a Christian supported rebellion
  in Bac Bo.
• Q5. For what was Francis Garnier awarded the
  Victoria medal?
• A5. His exploration of the Mekong River from
  Saigon to Shanghai.

38
Still More Questions

• Q6. What was the allure of opening the Red River?
• A6. It provided a backdoor into China.
• Q7. Who were the Black Flag pirates?
• A7. Composed of largely of Chinese soldiers who
  fled south after the Taiping rebellion. They were
  frequently in the service of the mandarin.
• Q8. How did the French acquire a protectorate
  over Cambodia?
• A8. The Franco-Khmer Treaty of 1863. The treaty
  was welcomed by the Cambodians.

39
The Rise of Nationalism

• 1885-1913 - Can Vuong (Aid the King).
• Phan Boi Chau.
• 1902 Published Ryukyus Bitter Tears.
• 1904 Founded Duy Tan Hoi (Reformation Society).
• 1905 Published History of the Loss of Vietnam.
• 1906-07 founded the Viet Nam Cong Hien Hoi
  (Vietnam Public Offering Society) in Japan.
• 1912 - Founded the Viet Nam Quang Phuc Hoi
  (Vietnam Restoration Society).

Phan Boi Chau was arrested in 1925.
40
Rise of Nationalism (Contd)

• Ho Chih Minh
• 1919 Tried to petition Woodrow Wilson in Paris.
  
• 1920 Was a founding member of the French
  Communist Party.
• 1925 - Founded the Revolutionary Youth League
• 1926 - Wrote The Revolutionary Path.
• 1930 Founded Indochina Communist Party (ICP).
• 1941 Established the Viet Minh.

Ho Chi Minh
41
Rise of Nationalism (Contd)

• Nguyen Thai Hoc
• 1927 Founded the Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang (VNQDD)
  or Vietnamese Nationalist Party on the KMT model.
• 1930-31 Ordered the Yen Bay mutiny as part of a
  general uprising. It is suppressed and VNQDD
  crushed.
• 1936 - The ICP organized a Democratic National
  Front.
• Bao Dai returned from France in 1932 to head
  reformed monarchy. Ngo Dinh Diem was Minister of
  Interior and head of the reform commission. Diem
  resigned in frustration at French intransigence.

42
World War II

• The French Vichy government opened Vietnam to the
  Japanese.
• Ho Chih Minh set up headquarters in a cave in Bac
  Bo in 1941. Vo Nguyen Giap was appointed to lead
  Viet Minh military forces.
• Hos resistance campaign against the Japanese and
  Vichy French was supported by the U.S. Office of
  Strategic Services.

Vo Nguyen Giap 1911
43
The August Revolution

• The Viet Minh occupied Hanoi in August and
  proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
  (DRV) on September 2, 1945. No other state
  recognized it.
• The British occupied Cochin on behalf of the
  French on September 12.
• The Nationalist Chinese occupied Hanoi and the
  north with 180,000 troops on September 16 and
  forced the DRV to negotiate with the VNQDD.
• Ho agreed to the French replacing the Chinese in
  Hanoi in exchange for recognition of the DRV.

44
First Indochina War

• In 1946, 150,000 French troops replaced the
  Chinese in Tonking.
• French - Viet Minh clashes led to the French
  cruiser Suffren bombarding Haiphong.
• In 1947, the French occupied Viet Bac in the
  north and formed alliances with Hoa Hao and Cao
  Dai in the south.
• In 1949, the French announced the formation of
  the Republic of Vietnam as an associate state.
  The U.K. and U.S. recognized it. The USSR
  China recognized the DRV.

45
Dien Bien Phu

• Would you have believed that these two men could
  have defeated the French army?
• Neither did General Henri Navarre. He conceived
  of Dien Bien Phu as forward base, to be supplied
  by air, from which to disrupt Viet Minh
  operations in the north and interdict movement in
  and out of Laos. He had been a NATO commander and
  knew little about the Vietnam.

Giap Ho Chi MInh
46
Dien Bien Phu (Contd)

• On November 20, 1954, French paratroopers
  occupied Dien Bien Phu. 16,000 troops were
  eventually amassed, 3,600 of which were
  Vietnamese Tai.
• Giap deployed a force 50,000 and 200 artillery
  plus 37 mm 50 cal. antiaircraft guns over 3
  months.
• The battle lasted 56 days and cost the Vietnamese
  8-10,000 killed. The casualties forced a change
  in tactics from assault to trenching and mining.

47
Dien Bien Phu (Contd)

• French success depended on maintaining an air
  bridge from Haiphong to Dien Bien Phu.
• Vietnamese anti aircraft fire effectively closed
  the airfield and made daylight airdrops
  prohibitive.
• CAT provided C-119 and A-26 air support.
• French resistance ended on May 7. There were
  11,721 French prisoners 4, 436 were wounded. In
  all, 3, 290 lived..

48
French and U.S. Air Support
Douglas A-26 Intruder
Fairchild C-119 Boxcar
Douglas C-47 Dakota
49
Geneva Accords (1954)

• Peace talks began the day after Dien Bien Phu
  fell on May 8. A cease-fire and a final
  declaration resulted.
• The 17th parallel was established as a
  provisional line of demarcation with a DMZ. All
  French and DRV forces were to withdraw to their
  side of the line. Civilians were free to move
  between zones for 300 days.
• The final declaration called for elections in
  July 1956. The state of (South) Vietnam and the
  U.S. refused to agree to the elections and stated
  their reservations.
• The DRV compromised due to Russian and Chinese
  pressure and fear of U.S. involvement.

50
S.E.A.T.O.

• John Foster Dulles created the Southeast Asia
  Treaty Organization (SEATO) in 1954 to defend
  South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as protocol
  countries.
• The U.S. feared the domino effect, i.e., if
  Vietnam fell to Communism, all of Southeast Asia
  would fall eventually.
• The member nations were Pakistan, Thailand, the
  Philippines, the U.S., the U.K., France.
  Australia and New Zealand.

51
Questions

• Q1. Who was Phan Boi Chau?
• A1. He was a classically educated scholar who led
  an anti French resistance movement in the early
  1900s.
• Q2. Who was Ho Chih Minh?
• A2. Founder of the of Indochinese Communist
  Party (ICP) and leader of DRV.
• Q3. Who was Prince Bao Dai?
• A3. He was the last Emperor of Vietnam. He was
  brought back from exile in France to lead a
  reformed monarchy. His interior minister was Ngo
  Dinh Diem.

52
More Questions

• Q4. What was the purpose of the August Revolution
  in 1945?
• A4. To establish a (Communist )Vietnamese
  government in Hanoi and preempt the return of the
  French.
• Q5. When did the First Indochinese War begin?
• A5. Most people consider the bombardment of
  Haiphong in 1946 as the beginning.
• Q6. Why did the French choose to establish a base
  at Dien Bien Phu?
• A6. To disrupt Viet Minh operations in the area,
  protect Laos, disrupt the flow of supplies from
  China and force a fixed-piece battle.

53
Still More Question

• Q7. Why was SEATO formed?
• A7. To protect South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
  from Communist aggression.
• Q8. On what date was the Geneva Conference on
  Indochina scheduled to convene?
• A8. May 8, 1954
• Q9. On what day was the French surrender forced
  at Dien Bien Phu?
• A9. May 7, 1954

54
After the Accords

• In the South, Bao Dai installed Ngo Dinh Diem as
  his prime minister, but remained in Paris.
• Diem handled the resettlement of almost a million
  Catholic refugees from the North.
• 90,000 Communist moved north, but 10,000 Viet
  Minh fighters quietly remained in the South.
• Bao Dai was ousted as head of government by a
  (rigged) referendum in 1955.

Bao Dai in Paris
55
Ngo Dinh Diem

• Diem cracked down on Binh Xuyen criminal elements
  and controlled Cao Dai and Hoa Hao.
• Shipments of U.S. aid to SVN began as Ho Chih
  Minh launched radical land reforms in the North
• Diem refused to participate in the 1956 national
  unification elections.

Pres. Dwight Eisenhower, Sec. of State John
Foster Dulles and Pres. Ngo Dinh Diem.
56
The Beginning of Conflict

• 1957 The Viet Minh stepped up terrorists
  activities in the South assassinated hundreds of
  government officials. Diem counters with the
  arrest of 65,000 suspected Communists and
  established a quasi-police state.
• 1957-62 The strategic hamlet program was
  implemented. 8,000 hamlets were established
  1,500 were viable. Many were infiltrated.
• A weak land reform program was instituted.
  Acreage in excess of 247 was redistributed,
  benefiting about 10 of the tenant farmers.

57
The Beginning of Conflict (Contd)

• In 1957, the Soviet Union proposed a permanent
  division of Vietnam into two separate countries.
  The U.S. rejected the proposal.
• In 1959, North Vietnam established the Central
  Office of South Vietnam (COSVN) to oversee the
  war in the South.
• COSVN began construction of the 1500 mile-long Ho
  Chih Minh Trail. By 1968, transit time was only
  six weeks.

58
Interdiction of the Trail
The AC-130 was developed to interdict the Ho Chih
Minh Trail
59
The Beginning of Conflict (Contd)

• On February 27, 1962, the presidential palace in
  Saigon is bombed by two renegade pilots.
• July 1962, the U.S. signed the declaration of
  Laotian neutrality. It prohibits the invasion of
  Laos to interdict the Ho Chih Minh trail.

North American Aviation P-51 Mustang
60
Buddhist Protest

• May 1963 - Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc (Diems
  brother) forbad the display of the Buddhist
  flags in Hue to celebrate Buddhas birthday.
  Buddhist riots followed.
• June 1963 Thich Quang Duc is the first of 7
  monks and one American to commit self immolation.
  
• Madame Nhu calls the immolations BBQs.

Thich Quang Duc Self Immolation Saigon,1963
61
Diems Assassination

• At Washingtons direction, Ambassador Henry Cabot
  Lodge encouraged Diem during the summer to reform
  his government.
• Failing that, he was instructed not to
  interfere should an attempt be planned. General
  Duong Van Big Minh emerges as the leader of a
  coup. Lodge assured him that U.S. support would
  continue, if Diem was removed from office.
• President Diem and brother Nhu were assassinated
  on November 1, 1963.

62
Gulf of Tongking Resolution

• Official estimates revealed that the South
  Vietnamese government controlled only 34 of the
  country the NLF controlled 42. The rest was
  contested.
• The USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy were attacked
  by North Vietnamese PT boats on August 2 3,
  1964 while supporting covert South Vietnamese
  raids on the North Vietnamese coast.
• On August 7, congress passed the Gulf of Tongking
  resolution.

63
Rolling Thunder

• The Viet Cong attack on the U.S. Air Base at
  Pleiku served as provocation to launch Operation
  Rolling Thunder in 1965.
• Rolling Thunder was a bombing campaign against
  North Vietnam that last without a break until the
  1968 Tet Offensive. It continued until 1972 and
  Linebacker I II.

Republic F-105 Thunderchief Wild Weasel
864, 000 tons of bombs were dropped on NVN during
Rolling Thunder.
64
The Tet Offensive

• In 1965, Gen. William C. Westmoreland predicted
  the fall of Vietnam in a year without U.S.
  forces. By 1967, U.S. force levels reached
  525,000.
• The Tet Offensive was launched on January 31,
  1968. While a political victory, it was a
  military disaster for NVN. NVN losses were
  estimated at 25,000 to 45, 000.

65
Tet Victory or Defeat

• The objective reality of Viet Cong defeat was
  overshadowed by the offensives psychological and
  propaganda value. It was the turning point of U.S
  involvement.
• The NVN expected a spontaneous uprising in the
  South in response to the offensive. They did not
  anticipate the magnitude of its impact on the
  U.S. public.

Saigon Police Chief executes Viet Cong Captain
66
Questions

• Q1. How many Catholics took refuge in the South
  after the 1954 Geneva Accords were signed?
• A1. About one million.
• Q2. Why did the Diem regime and the U.S. refuse
  to participate in the unification elections of
  1956?
• A2. They did not agree to them at the time of the
  accords and feared their outcome.
• Q3. How many strategic hamlets were actually
  established between 1957 and 1962? How many were
  viable?
• A3. 8,000 were established and 1500 were viable.

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More Questions

• Q4. When did COSVN start construction of the Ho
  Chih Minh Trail?
• A4. In 1959.
• Q5. What solution did the Soviet Union propose to
  the Vietnam question in 1957.?
• A5. Establishing two separate countries.
• Q6. Who was Thich Quang Duc?
• A6. He was a Buddhist monk who immolated himself
  in Saigon in 1963.
• Q7. Who was Norman Morrison?
• A7. He was a Quaker who immolated himself in
  1965.

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Still More Questions

• Q8. To what extent was the U.S. involved in the
  assassination of Diem?
• A8. The U.S. tacitly encouraged it.
• Q9. What was the Gulf of Tongking resolution of
  1964?
• A9. It was essentially a declaration of war based
  on our ships being attacked?
• Q10. What were the objectives of Rolling Thunder?
• A10. To destroy the NVN will to fight, destroy
  their industrial base and anti aircraft
  capability and restrict the flow of men and
  material on the Trail.

69
Disengagement with Honor

• In 1968, following the TET Offensive Pres. Lyndon
  Johnson announced that the U.S would seek a
  political settlement with Hanoi.
• In 1969, four party peace talks began in Paris.
  The participants are U.S., NVN, SVN, and the NLF.
• Later in 1969, Pres. Richard Nixon announced the
  Nixon Doctrine and Vietnamization of the war.
• U.S. forces reduced by 115,000 by years end.
• In 1972, Pres. Nixon visits Beijing, China, a
  major realignment of the Cold War adversaries.

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Easter Offensive

• Encouraged by the drop U.S. force levels
  to156,800, ARVNs poor performance and U.S. anti
  war sentiment, Giap launches the Easter Offensive
  in March 1972.
• NVN forces number 200,000. It is an all out
  offensive to conquer the South focused on Quang
  Tri Province just below the DMZ, at Kontum in the
  mid section of SVN and An Loc in the south..

71
Linebacker I

• In response to the Easter Offensive,Pres. Nixon
  ordered a major bombing campaign in the South and
  North in May 1972, including the mining of
  Haiphong harbor.
• Use of B-52 carpet bombing became a key to
  success in defense of the South. It also impeded
  the ability of the North to support the
  offensive.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Wingspan 185 feet
72
Snatching Defeat from Victory

• The Easter Offensive was another serious military
  defeat for the North. NVN casualties reached
  100,000. Additionally, the North lost half of its
  armor and artillery.
• Giap was quietly replaced General Van Tien Dung.
• The U.S. image of the war was captured by a photo
  of napalmed children.

South Vietnamese aircraft napalm the wrong target
73
The Christmas Bombing

• The Paris Peace negotiations collapsed in
  December 1972 over demands by SVN Pres. Nguyen
  Van Thieu.
• Nixon ordered Linebacker II, a maximum force
  bombing of military targets in Hanoi and Haiphong
  to force a return to negotiations.
• On January 8, 1973, negotiations resumed.
• The Peace Accords were signed on January 27,
  1973. The conditions are withdrawal of U.S.
  forces, return of POWs and a cease fire in place.
  SVN was considered to have two governments.

74
Final Conquest of the South

• Emboldened by the Watergate Scandal, the North
  launched a final offensive on March 10, 1975.
  ARVN forces in the highlands are routed.
• Saigon falls on April 30, 1975.

Vietnamese escape Saigon as it falls.
75
Questions

• Q1. Why did the media portray the Tet Offensive
  as a NVN victory?
• A1. The NVN ability to amass forces and organize
  a major offensive was a shock.
• Q2. What was the Nixon Doctrine?
• A2. The U.S. would not commit ground forces in
  regional or local wars in the future. It was the
  rationale for Vietnamization.
• Q3. What was the impact of Nixons visit to
  China?
• A3. It turned the Cold War on its head.

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More Questions

• Q4. How did the U.S. respond to the Easter
  Offensive of 1972?
• A4. Linebacker I, a major bombing of Communist
  forces in the North and South.
• Q5. What was the purpose of the 1972 Christmas
  bombings?
• A5. To force the NVN back to the bargaining table
  in Paris.
• Q6. What were the conditions of the Paris Peace
  Accord of 1973?
• A6. The withdrawal of U.S. combat forces, return
  of POWs and a cease fire in place.

77
Epilogue
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho won Nobel Prize in
1973.
Ho Chih Minh died in 1969. Giap is still alive.
Jane Fonda said shes sorry for supporting the
enemy on her 1972 trip to Hanoi.
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The End