Vietnam

1
Vietnam
2
Indochina

• Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) was
  conquered by the French in the 1800s
• The Japanese overran Indochina during WWII but
  met resistance in Vietnam

3
Indochina (continued)

• Guerrilla forces wanted to be free of foreign
  rule and were a challenge to European powers
• In 1946 the French wanted to reestablish their
  authority in Indochina

4
Indochina (continued)

• In Vietnam the French faced guerrilla forces led
  by Ho Chi Minha nationalist and a communist
• A Vietnamese victory at Dien Bien Phu in 1954
  convinced the French to leave Vietnam
• Cambodia and Laos had already gained independence

5
The Struggle Over Vietnam

• After 1954 the struggle over Vietnam became a
  part of the Cold War
• Ho Chi Minhs communists controlled North Vietnam
• Ngo Dinh Diem led a non-communist government
  supported by the U.S. in South Vietnam

6
Vietnam and the Cold War

• The U.S. saw the situation in Vietnam in the
  context of the Cold War
• They believed in the domino theorythat other
  countries in Southeast Asia would fall to
  communism if communism spread to South Vietnam

7
The War Intensifies

• Ho Chi Minh was determined to reunite Vietnam
  under communist rule
• He aided the Viet Cong, the communist rebels
  attempting to overthrow South Vietnams
  government
• The U.S. was drawn into the war as the struggle
  over Vietnam turned into a major Cold War conflict

8
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam

• Under President Kennedy, the U.S. had committed
  military advisors to Vietnam
• Later, President Johnson wanted to continue
  Kennedys position in Vietnam but this became
  difficult

9
The Situation in Vietnam Escalates

• In August 1964
• 2 U.S. navy destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin
  reported that they were fired upon by North
  Vietnamese gunboats

10
Situation Escalates (continued)

• On August 7, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin
  Resolution
• This allowed President Johnson to take all
  necessary measures to prevent further aggression
  in Southeast Asia

11
Situation Escalates (continued)

• Eventually more than 500,000 U.S. troops were
  committed to the war in Vietnam
• The U.S. had a very hard time fighting a
  successful war due to guerrilla warfare used by
  the Viet Cong

12
Viet Cong Tunnels
13
Viet Cong Tunnels
14
Tet Offensive

• In 1968 guerrilla forces attacked U.S. and South
  Vietnamese forces in an unexpected assault
• This took place during the Tet, the Vietnamese
  New Year

15
Withdraw from Vietnam

• President Johnson decided not to run for a second
  term in 1968 due to domestic problems in the U.S.
  and the lack of success in Vietnam
• President Nixon finally was able to negotiate a
  cease-fire and in 1973 signed the Paris Peace
  Accord
• The U.S. agreed to withdraw its troops

16
North Vietnam Wins the War

• 2 years after U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam
  the North Vietnamese conquered South Vietnam

17
Southeast Asia After the War

• After the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam Cambodia and
  Laos fell to communism
• It appeared that the domino theory that they U.S.
  feared became a reality

18
Reading

• Use your book
• Start on page 742 and answer the questions in
  complete sentences.