Jun Ha

Vietnam War

  • Cold War era war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975
  • Involved the North Vietnamese, the Viet Cong (a small, lightly-armed guerilla force) and their Communist allies, against the Americans, the South Vietnamese government, and other anti-communist countries
  • After the Vietnamese freed themselves from the French, there was conflict over the fate of the new Vietnam; this led to the split of the country
  • Despite heavy support from artillery and air strikes, as well as better weapons, the guerilla war tactics were able to oust the Western forces
  • Opposition to the war was strong on the home front
  • When Nixon came into presidency, he signed the Paris Accords along the the Vietnamese, which called for an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawl of all troops


Viault, Birdsall S.. Modern European history . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990. Print.