Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also called the Indochina War was a war between 1958 and 1975 between the Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam), supported mainly by the United States and North Vietnam.

The factions in the conflict were, on one hand the Democratic Republic of Vietnam with the support of guerrilla movements such as the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong National Liberation Front (NLF) and Soviet and Chinese supplies.

On the other hand, the Republic of Vietnam had military and logistic support from the United States. In support of the U.S, combat troops were also involved from Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, New Zealand and Thailand.

Other countries like Germany, Iran, Morocco, the UK and Switzerland contributed material supplies and medical equipment. Quotas testimonials in support of the United States were sent by Taiwan and Spain, which mobilized a small group of military doctors.

Date 1958-1975
Place Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
Result Victoria North Vietnam. Defeat of the coalition and reunification of Vietnam.

Belligerents
South Vietnam
United States
Thailand
Australia
South Korea
Philippines
New Zealand North Vietnam
National Liberation Front of Vietnam
PRC
North Korea
Soviet Union
Cambodia

The war was marked by elapse without the formation of the traditional front lines, except those which were established around the perimeters of military bases or camps, so that the operations took place in areas not demarcated, proliferating war missions or “search and destroy.”

Along with acts of sabotage in the rear of the urban areas, the use of air power for massive bombings and the extensive use of chemical agents and weapons, such operations constitute violations of various international conventions of war prohibit the use of chemical and biological weapons.

The coverage of the conflict by the media led to the frequent reporting of violations and human rights abuses committed by both sides, but writers like Luciano Garibaldi claim that they attracted much attention perpetrated by the United States, with growing opposition from Western public opinion toward U.S. intervention.

In the defense, and division in American society, in 1973 saw the withdrawal of U.S troops and the cessation of direct intervention, but failed to end the conflict. This continued until 1975, following the capture of Saigon, forcing the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese troops and uniting the country under the control of the communist government of North Vietnam under the name of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on 2nd July 1976.

The war caused the death, according to the government of Hanoi, of between 2 and 5.7 million people, most of them civilians, and serious environmental damage. For the United States, the conflict proved to be the longest they had been involved in.

Then came the sense of defeat or “Vietnam syndrome” in many people, which was reflected in the cultural world and the film industry with a withdrawal of foreign policy until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.