Origin of the conflict [ edit]The history of Vietnam began in the twelfth century , with the group of people displaced by the Mongol invasion . In the peace agreement signed by the Vietnamese King Trần Nhân Tông , Vietnam agreed to pay tribute to China to avoid further confrontations. This period of independence and expansion of the kingdom ended in the late eighteenth century when the country was invaded by France.18 During World War II , the Japanese empire also invaded Indochina , but retained French administrators to keep gear After the colonia.19 Strife , France wanted to restore their colonial rule , but failed in the attempt. A front called League for the Independence of Vietnam, Viet Minh in the Vietnamese contraction , 20 led by Ho Chi Minh in the political and Vo Nguyen Giap I agreed at first the return of the French to avoid the threat of China, but in 1946 attacked the colonial forces . At this point there is no consensus among the

authors : Peter Arnett, 1946 would be the beginning of the conflict and confrontation with the United States just an extension within which called War of the 10,000 días.21 Other works , such as " Nam Chronicle the Vietnam War " , begin to address the issue in depth from 8 March 1965.22 when the Marines landed at the base Đà Nẵng.nota 4The Indochina War [ edit]Main article: War of Indochina  Foreign Legionaries in the Indochina War . At that time advisors already in Vietnam estadounidenses.23In Indochina War nationalists joined the Communists in the Viet Minh fought to leave the French Colonial Empire. But not to be considered the metropolis alone fighting against the Vietnamese people as a whole ; much of the colony , especially monarchists Vietnamese, supported throughout the conflict to franceses.nota 5 Nevertheless, since 1950 , Harry S. Truman helped France

with approximately 15% of military spending. Four years after Dwight D. Eisenhower contributed more than 80 % of the war effort and even offered to French two nuclear weapons, which they consider to be non útiles.25 Despite not provide the aircraft needed at the appropriate time , President Eisenhower engaged with the material , weapons and advisors in building a fortified base at Dien Bien Phu.23 Thus, a third of the material brought there was part of the basis pursued Such estadounidense.26 help cut the connection between the Viet Minh and the guerrillas operating in Laos , plus pretend fight a conventional battle with the forces of Vo Nguyen Giap.27Giap " took up the gauntlet " and turned Dien Bien Phu in one of the biggest defeats of France, 20, who lost his best fighting force , 28 and the government of Paris placed in a disadvantaged position to finish the Geneva conference After the defeat of 1954.29 and the agreements signed in the Swiss city , the French

Indochina was divided into the independent nations of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam more separated in turn by the 17th parallel north would be an area for the reunification of Viet Minh and south to the colonial army francés.30 the two divisions were renamed Democratic Republic of Vietnam , better known by North Vietnam, and Annan Empire , under the command of Emperor Bao Dai , 27 but included a clause which a referendum would be held in 1958 to decide whether Vietnam would continue to separate the two or reunificaban.30Not reunified Vietnam [ edit]Main article: Domino Theory  Ngo Dinh Diem and Eisenhower on May 8, 1957 . Neither wanted to hold a consultation on the re- unification.The April 30, 1955 General Ngo Dinh Diem gave a coup supported by the CIA, said the Republic of Vietnam and imposed a dictatorship based on three people : himself , his brother Ngo Dinh

Nhu and his wife brother. Also annulled the 1956 elections to the foreseeable loss to Lao Dong and referendum for reunification of 1958 , which the Eisenhower Administration did not want permitir.31 But the low level of South Vietnam as a country and the huge corruption in the government , led to the dictatorship of Ngo Dinh Diem hiciese unpopular. In this situation occurred two parallel and complementary actions :• Slow development of a resistance movement that would eventually integrate the National Liberation Front of Vietnam, later known as Viet Cong or communist vietnamitas.32• Started pressure North Vietnam over the South in the form of delivery of supplies and weapons to the opponents of the pro-American dictatorship.Since 1945 the progress of communism concern to the United States. Countries like Malaysia , Indonesia and the Philippines had been very close to passing the communist side; China , North Vietnam , Burma, Cuba and all

European nations under Soviet occupation had. U.S. feared being surrounded by communist Vietnam constellation that would be a piece in a succession that would turn down countries like Laos or Cambodia. It was the Domino Theory . The various U.S. governments believed that the USSR did not see a strong opposition would repeat attitudes as those caused after the Munich Conference , where Adolf Hitler became more expansionary few more territories were allowed invadir.33In the 1940s , Harry S. Truman helped Greece and early next decade, Dwight D. Eisenhower elaborated on this strategy with financial support in various dictatorships military coup ; also opted for the Space Race against the Soviet Union to get Indonesia and other countries in the region do not change their bando.34 Cases of Indonesia , the Philippines and especially Singapore , South Korea and Taiwan were being successes, both political and economic , so repeat in Indochina was considered

possible . Thus, Eisenhower supported the Diem regime and its successors with 1 200 million in five years and sending 700 military advisers 27 and President Kennedy continued the same policies.Outbreak of civil war in South Vietnam [ edit]  John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1962 by Robert McNamara, secretary of defense. None wanted South Vietnam to the communist side pass as China did.Although armed actions occurring since the November 1, 1955 , the NLF or Vietcong , as it is called, began fighting in 1959 in response to government actions against the civilian population and subsequent breach of its commitments. Its objectives were to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem and reunify the country.35 This desire for national unity expressed in the phrase so often uttered by their leaders, " we will fight for a thousand years " was something that Americans did not get to understand

and eventually formed another cause of his derrota.36 his tactic was to guerrilla warfare , which brought them so much success in the previous conflict against colonial rule francés.37 So in July 1959 major Dale Buis and Sgt Ovnard Chester were the first Americans killed in Vietnam during attacks on the base at Bien Hoa.At first U.S. advisers were in Southeast Asia to form an irregular force in the Central Highlands and instruct the South Vietnamese Army in tactics , aircraft maintenance and other ancillary functions . They had permission to intervene in the fighting, much less to prepare actions against the guerrillas ; but more than once in this prohibition would be, perhaps , the first of a long list of legal violations and illegalities that would make this famous guerra.38 skippedMeanwhile, in North Vietnam, the cancellation of the re- unification referendum was not seen as an insurmountable obstacle . President Ho

Chi Minh , Defense Minister Vo Nguyen Giap and General considerablan politburo independence from France was a step in a longer strategy that could include up to all subsequent domination of Indochina , old Vietnamese dream since Age Media.39 According to this strategy, the re- unification of the country by vote or by force would be inevitable. Not being called the referendum was militarily .In 1959 FNL actions were acts of terrorism such as the murder of local leaders loyal to the Saigon government , 40 but gradually began to use the few weapons they had , with the core 10 000 Viet Minh veterans helped by communist North . These already had in 1959 with two commands for sending supplies to the South by sea mainly, but also some shipments arrived by land in what was then the famous Ho Chi Minh.41For his part, was very ineffective ARVN fighting in their own country. The weaponry unsuitable , the few native helicopter pilots and especially grand

corruption and ineptitude of his officers , most posts of political compromises between families , the soldiers did not receive South minimal military training , note 6 lacked confidence in their controls and must have taken the risk ; even watching his teammates fight to few tens of metros.42 But little fighting spirit not only lacking in the army leaders in Saigon irritated Americans wanting to negotiate with the FLN in for combatirlo.43 The government knew there had the support of the rural population and the insurgents themselves . At that time the only successful experience to invest that kind of situation the British developed during the call Emergency Malaya.44 As in Malaysia, the Vietnamese tried to create " new villages " which control the population and separate the guerrillas with the idea to earn your trust . Strategic Hamlet Program or Strategic Hamlet Program was called and began in January 1962 reaching 7200 create new urban centers with about 8,732,000

inhabitants. It was a complete failure because the Southern soldiers were not trained in the Hearts and Minds Campaign , so it did not intend to earn the trust of the villagers ; addition , many villages still could not defend and only managed to alienate the población.45President Diem was assassinated in 1963 in a military coup sponsored by the U.S. administration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 46 who did not suit him generally support a Catholic in a predominantly Buddhist country and victim of Catholic repression ; Scenes like that turned the world of a Buddhist monk sitting on a street covered by flames , the bonze ritual , to protest against the government, marking the religious differences between leaders and their people. Nguyen Van Thieu replaced Diem , one of the ten most governments that came to have the country in a single year.47Despite the points in favor of the insurgents, its major victories and

massive domination of territory occurred since the summer of 1964, when the Northmen came , 48 as they have been called sometimes the soldiers of the Army North Vietnam or EVN.49 Well , despite what it may seem, not all South Vietnamese look favorably communists and about a million people migrated south to escape the thousands murders committed by the regime in Hanoi .50 Neither the EVN relied heavily on its allies in the FNL and they ended up not overcome their reluctance to obey orders given from Hanoi.51 for these reasons the Southern regime did not collapse immediately ; but was slowly yielding territory . In 1965, direct U.S. intervention , approximately 60 % of the country was held by the FLN and had no expectations of a change in trend , all contrario.52 In February 1965 the U.S. positions Pleiku and Qui Nhon were tacadas with a balance of new Americans dead and 76 wounded, also communist infiltration had tripled to around 34 000 . Given that climbing, March 2, 1965

Operation Rolling Thunder planned authorizing a year ago attacking a hundred fighter-bombers and 200 tons of bombs North Vietnam , trying to break their will " steel and concrete destroying " .47The FNL [ edit]Main article: VietcongThe December 20, 1960 , several insurgent groups formed the National Liberation Front of Vietnam , later called derisively Vietcong. They were mostly communists and their leader, Nguyen Tho Huo , neither was . However, authors like Conboy , Bowra and McCouaig (1993: 14 ff. ) Indicate that the independence of the FLN in Hanoi was only nominal , and Guerrero et al. ( 1988a , p. 25 ) state that their dependence on Hanoi was always significant , as well as compliance with the orders given from there.As such "front" was composed by a variety of volunteers , including Buddhist monks, members of minorities and one in fifteen former fighters Viet Minh.31 total

should be just over 3,000 guerrillas in 1960.7 but it was easy get volunteers to end an incompetent and repressive government corrupto.nota 7 The FNL had a fierceness , determination and amazing waivers for many American soldiers often arrived to Southeast Asia for forced replacement. A member of the FNL wrote: 55I really do not know how we could hold you all those years. There was nothing to do but fight and continue fighting after the decision. American soldiers were lucky. Return to their homes, thousands of miles away , once their task. We had nothing except the land, our land . If we rendíamos , we would have nothing . Possibly, in the bottom of our hearts, we hated them .  In tunnels large Vietnamese troops could live and fight. Many of them, like the Cu Chi transformed into a museum and photographed in 1997 , are part of the tourism industry vietnamita.56

At first they were poorly armed . the FLN who got most of his material from the southern army and used techniques for making traps, punji stakes as covers of excrement to accelerate gangrene soldier that pisaba.57 Of grenades , shells and unexploded bombs could get some 800 tons of explosives trampas.57 this month for the few who managed to aid in neighboring countries and in principle scarce inputs North , so that the weapons were a priority and other needs are accounted occupied one second plane. Almost the opposite side the enemy , where logistics superiority entailed no more than envy and hatred , and thus want to hit harder. A former guerrilla recalled: 55Our intelligence officials said that the Americans had steaks , beer and ice cream at their bases, and war are occupied only part of their time . We had war on our backs wherever we went , with or without weapons. Unlike them had little medicine and no hospital when we hurt .

In addition, its adaptation to the terrain allowed them to live hidden in tunnels or working during the day , at night to all kinds of attacks and sabotage, using the terrain, vegetation and light weapons. This night really belonged to them , because during that time , it was they who dominated the jungla.58The FLN carried out campaigns of indoctrination and terror against civilians considered collaborators with the Saigon government , sometimes with cruelty as impalements to intimidate aldeanos.59 Some sources put at 30,000 the number of civilians killed . 60 Do not lose the support of the local population , by one means or another , found it very useful to have access to food and information , essential for the success of their ataques.nota 8 This latter aspect of FNL penalties were numerous and suffered shortages of medicine, food and even water. Luckily they stopped near Saigon and elsewhere, had an infrastructure of underground tunnels , begun in times of Japanese and

progressively enlarged during the war Francia.61 They could rest invasion, and sometimes prepare incurisones medical care . footnote 9Despite its initial success , in the summer of 1964, Hanoi was considered that this force could not win Strife alone , so began shipping units EVN whole , better equipped, trained , armed and commanded by experienced officers . 48 Nonetheless, the guerrillas surprised organizing attacks on American division level. A unit attacking another when outnumbered and reinforcements were requested to repel aggression , reinforcements were Atacadao by an even larger contingent. This was achieved by increasing impatience aided and helpers , and with it , demoralization . If reinforcements were too large the FNL could always disappear in selva.61