Questions tagged [vietnam-war]

Common name of two wars in Vietnam beginning in 1955 as independence revolt in French Indochina, then after partition of the country between South Vietnam and her allies (mostly United States) and North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Bloc. The war ended in 1975 with North Vietnam victory and had large cultural impact on American population.

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What is the source for the statement that red hands were used as a symbol of protest against the Vietnam War?

I have read that the red hand, or rather hands painted with red color, have been used as a symbol of protests against the Vietnam War: During the Vietnam era, it was a symbol calling for strikes ...
C4X's user avatar
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What is the source of the cartoon against the US war in Vietnam ending with "I just get killed"?

There was an antiwar cartoon that showed a sequence of persons from the United States, each with words suggesting they had little or no responsibility for the war, e.g. "I just do the ...
tell's user avatar
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Where can I find a specific photo from the Vietnam war?

I’m looking for a specific type photo which I’ve seen before but now I can’t seem to locate it. The photo was of a group of American infantrymen marching across some mountainous jungle area in Vietnam,...
Jason Killings's user avatar
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250 views

Was operation "Wandering Soul" any bit successful?

For anyone who doesn't know, Operation Wandering Soul was a propaganda campaign and large-scale psychological warfare attempt exercised by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. U.S. Forces hoped that ...
sadnapoleon's user avatar
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Are there any specific examples of NLF efforts to manipulate American media?

I often see mentions of National Liberation Front (NLF) efforts to manipulate US media during the Vietnam War, but I can't seem to find any specific examples of this happening. Did I misinterpret its ...
rwbc1601's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
364 views

What happened to the King Bar in Saigon?

Bar in Saigon with playing card designs in the windows (source). Considered an important location. It was on Tu Do street, now Dông Khoï street, formerly rue Catinat. Some links added in comments: ...
Tomas By's user avatar
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How did the US military "put the 'go slow'" on the use of force in the Vietnam War since the Tet Offensive?

In the recent CNN News video Retired general reacts to Trump's military comments after 00:50 Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark (ret) says (my transcription from the video): ...
uhoh's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
324 views

Were the North Vietnamese close to collapse in 1972?

I have seen snippets (first in Jeremiah Denton's book "When Hell was in Session" ) of information from recent scholarship that the North Vietnamese may have been ready to give up in 1972. I ...
Paul's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why did South Korea not go the same way as South Vietnam? [closed]

Currently, democratic South Korea is separated from communist North Korea, while Vietnam is united. These two countries had seemingly similar situations. Their former rulers, Japan and France ...
codingcodfish's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
132 views

Does Vietnamese government have an estimate of the number of civilians killed by US bombing in the northern part of the country?

So, in 1994 the Agence France Press (IIRC) had an article in which they reported that the Vietnamese government's new (as of then) estimate for civilian deaths in Vietnam, during the war with America, ...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why did the US use so much ordnance during the Vietnam War?

Never 100% on these numbers but the US evidently dropped c. 4,000,000 tons of bombs, including c. 400,000 of napalm, on South Vietnam, around 2,000,000 on Laos, over 2,500,000 on Cambodia, and 1,000,...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
655 views

Vietnam war: did infantry really have to clear the way for tanks as depicted in "Full Metal Jacket"? [closed]

In the Stanley Kubrick movie "Full Metal Jacket" a soldier being interviewed tells the reporter that his platoon's job is to pave the way for the tanks because the army doesn't want its tanks to run ...
Duke Leto's user avatar
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1 answer
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How did the the Soviet-China near-war in 1969 affect the supply of arms to North Vietnam?

This is a bit of what I am looking for:vietnamwar/chinese-and-soviet-involvement/, but it seems incomplete. Specifically, as the Soviets increased their aid to North Vietnam, where did Soviet weapons ...
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica's user avatar
43 votes
7 answers
22k views

Why did the United States not resort to nuclear weapons in Vietnam?

Before getting into this note that I am NOT saying this would have been a good idea, nor am I advocating this as being a correct approach, not at all, it would surely have been horrific and very hard ...
Duke Leto's user avatar
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Why did conquered countries after WWII recover, but countries conquered later continue suffering? [closed]

Nations damaged severely in WWII (suffered major economic collapse and civilian casualties) such as Japan, Germany and Poland have not only recovered but are doing better than ever before. Most of ...
Arbuja's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
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Were Communists drafted for the Vietnam war?

Given that it wasn't illegal to be a member of a Communist party in the US, how did the military handle draftees who might be sympathetic to North Vietnam? Were men who were members of the Communist ...
synecdoche's user avatar
2 votes
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214 views

Where was this destroyed bridge in South Vietnam?

Can anyone provide the location of this destroyed bridge during the Vietnam War? I believe the sign at the end of the bridge refers to the Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division
Photolibrarian's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
865 views

Why the M24 Chaffee was not used as a tank at Dien Bien Phu?

According to the Wikipedia page of the M-24 Chaffee, ten of these tanks were sent to the french forces in Dien Bien Phu, where they provide "fire support". Considering the French were outgunned by ...
totalMongot's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
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Was Nixon's "Madman Theory" effective?

Definition of "Madman Theory": The madman theory is a political theory commonly associated with U.S. President Richard Nixon's foreign policy. He and his administration tried to make the ...
David D's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
760 views

Did Vietnam have to pay back the Soviets / China?

According to this article, estimates of the total cost of the Soviet Union's support to the North Vietnam government range from $3.6 billion to $8 billion. China too lent its support The Chinese ...
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How does one return "war booty" to their rightful original owners? [closed]

I honestly don't know where to ask this question, so here goes. My grandfather served on the Communist side during the Vietnam War. He shot down an F-104 (or an F-4) and removed a piece of flight ...
user34729's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
739 views

Does Bob Hope hold the record for headlining the most USO tours?

Bob Hope entertaining the troops in 1944. Source: Wikipedia Question Multiple sources indicate that Bob Hope headlined 57 USO tours, including Wikipedia and Legacy's article on Bob Hope's USO, ...
Kerry L's user avatar
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Was Nixon's Vietnam claim right before the 1968 election true?

In Richard Nixon's final appeal to voters on NBC right before the 1968 Presidential Election, he made an explosive claim about the Vietnam war. Here is how the Eugene Register-Guard reported it: [...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
657 views

What kind of radio equipment is depicted in this Vietnam era picture?

The following photograph is from the first years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. These soldiers are wearing baseball caps and their patches are in color. Later, the patches were olive drab. Obviously, ...
Photolibrarian's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
364 views

Vietnam war "blue tag"

I was talking to a random former USA Vietnam war soldier - I don't know what branch - who said he got out of Vietnam on a "blue tag". What did he mean? I missed the opportunity to ask for ...
Jamin Grey's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
383 views

Was there any official affirmation from the US government that they would win the Vietnam War?

One thing that the Vietnam War showed is that there are no set parameters that can foretell the outcome of a war, such as the article in The Computer That Predicted the U.S. Would Win the Vietnam War ...
Tiago Duque's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
175 views

Where did Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (Thieu) learn his English?

I just watched a clip of Thieu's speech in English from the early 70s. He seemed to have a good command of English. His Wikipedia page doesn't have much biographical information on his formal ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
518 views

What would the Vietcong do to the Southern Vietnamese that didn't want to join them?

I have been trying to find out what the North Vietnamese would do to the Southern Vietnamese at the end of the Vietnam War. Everything I search for only talks about the PoWs, not the South Vietnamese.
user29634's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
4k views

What were an American soldier's chances of being wounded on the front lines of Vietnam?

The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the ...
Johnny's user avatar
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3 votes
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Who is this American politician holding a speech at the beginning of "In the year of the Pig" (1968)?

The 1968 Vietnam documentary In the year of the Pig begins with a speech of an American politician: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz8H_oi1ck0&t=200s Who is he and what was the occasion for ...
ye-ti-800's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
565 views

Why was Nixon never tried for treason for allegedly sabotaging the 1968 Peace Talks?

On November 2, 1968, the Government of South Vietnam pulled out of the proposed talks in Paris to try to find an end to the Vietnam War. It is alleged that Richard Nixon, through an intermediary, was ...
user33232's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
3k views

Did the military industrial complex play a role in LBJ's decision to increase America's involvement in Vietnam?

Path to War (2002) starts with LBJ's election victory in 1964 and shows him making somewhat irrational decisions, against the well-argued advice of some of his advisers, leading to the War in Vietnam. ...
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12 votes
2 answers
1k views

What was the Catholic Church's opinion of Diệm's South Vietnam?

I've started watching The Vietnam War, and would like to know something incidental to the early stages of this conflict. Ngo Dinh Diem led an increasingly brutal and unashamedly pro-Catholic ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
462 views

Is it true that Operation Popeye had a trial run in India - code name project Gromet?

There are speculations that the artificial rains created by US over the Ho Chi Minh trail during Vietnam war to slow down the enemy movement, had a prior trial run in drought hit states of India. ...
Ashutosh Joshi's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
835 views

Were toilets used more than once as a weapon in a military conflict?

So I was reading about the Douglas Skyraider airplane on Wiki and then I saw this: (reuploaded from Wikipedia because SE refused to hotlink it, original url) You probably have some questions right ...
PTwr's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
822 views

Who were those Vietnamese translators?

I was watching a footage from (I believe an early stage) Vietnam War and here and there I see Vietnameses troopers among American troopers. You can distinguish them by red robe on their necks (like ...
Marian Paździoch's user avatar
28 votes
3 answers
28k views

Why did the United States not invade North Vietnam?

The United States was fighting in Vietnam two battles: The "conventional" NVA (North Vietnamese Army) An insurgency "guerrilla" organization. The US tried desperately to stop both, and spend huge ...
Charles Shiller's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
8k views

How did the United States treat POWs in Vietnam?

Did the USA take prisoners of war in Vietnam? Did they administrate POW camps? Or were the South Vietnamese in charge. I know there is a famous photo of a South Vietnamese police officer summarily ...
William Vickery's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
251 views

What activity would convey the Burma railway & Hanoi Hilton POW project?

I am a junior in high school, and I have to give a large history exhibition at the end of the year. As my topic, I chose to compare the POW camps following the construction of the Burma railway during ...
Hollis's user avatar
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23 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why didn't the participants of the Korean War also fight in the Vietnam War?

In the Korean war from 1950 to 1953, a lot of countries including the U.S., the U.K., France, Canada, Australia, and even Colombia, the Philippines and Ethiopia participated in the war under the U.N. ...
Rathony's user avatar
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30 votes
5 answers
13k views

Why didn't China assist in the Vietnam War like they did in Korea?

In the Korean War (1950 - 1953), China sent in about 1 million troops fairly quickly and actually fought the American and UN forces. In the Vietnam War (1950's - 1975), the only Chinese assistance I ...
DrZ214's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
678 views

What does the phrase "Vietnam, the mixture of up and down" mean?

I bought this lighter today and it's supposed to be in the style of what soldiers fighting in Vietnam carried. I don't understand the quote on the back, though.
Gregory T. Sakas's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
4k views

What was Poland's involvement in the Vietnam War?

So far I've found a few stories about Poland's involvement in the Vietnam War: historycy.org (in Polish) Operation Marigold Multinational UN peacekeeping force International Commission of Control and ...
Marian Paździoch's user avatar
-2 votes
2 answers
961 views

Why America waged war against Vietnam? [closed]

First of all I am non American so I am novice in American History ( thats why raising very basic Question ). I am looking to google for it but everything is too descriptive. If anybody know very ...
Pramod Nikam's user avatar
23 votes
5 answers
24k views

Is it true that US tracer rounds were red and VC green during Vietnam war?

Quote from American Marine diary about tracers during vietnam: 0200 hours - Heavier fire coming in. Never had seen green tracers used against us. In a way, kind of pretty to look at, red ...
DVK's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
429 views

How "excellent" were relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people?

Major Colin Powell, investigating on the massacre at My Lai, concluded that "relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent". Surely in the case of My Lai they were not, ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
3k views

How many USA men dodged the draft in Vietnam, and how?

During the Vietnam war, men who should serve just didn't, hiding or something else. Are there any numbers as to how many men should have served but didn't? Also, is there some information about what ...
msb's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
449 views

What was the death toll of non-Americans in the Vietnam War?

How many Vietnamese and Cambodians were killed in the Vietnam war? How many civilians, and how many soldiers? What are the best sources on this question?
fraxture's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
18k views

Did Ted Nugent dodge the draft?

I've asked whether this is in scope: Are draft-dodgers in scope?. I'm not sure,but I'll crack on anyway. Too what extent did Ted Nugent dodge the draft for Vietnam. He certainly did receive ...
Nathan's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Which Japanese military officers helped Ho Chi Minh?

According to Wikipedia, in 1946 during negotiations between the French and Ho Chi Minh, One demand by the French was the return to French custody of a number of Japanese military officers (who had ...
Arani's user avatar
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