Ngo Dinh Diem In Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem In Vietnam
The Vietnam was a costly conflict for all who were involved. Following WWII, Vietnam broke away from France. Vietnam was then divided into North
VIetnam and South VIetnam. North Vietnam was under a communist role backed by the Soviet Union and North VIetnam was under a democratic role
backed by the United States. Ho Chi Minh rose to power in North Vietnam as did Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam. IN 1961, many SOuth Vietnamese
had come to distrust Diem. They feld that Diem favored the wealthy and ignored the peasants. Many of these peasants joined the Vietcong, who were
guerillas who opposed Diem. Their influence quickly spread through small South Vietnamese villages.
The Vietcong;s success frightened American leaders. These leaders theorized that if South Vietnam fell to communists, neighboring countries like
Southeast Asia would follow. This would result in the opposite of their goal; the spreading of communism, not the containment of it. In response,
Kennedy send American advisors. The purpose of these advisors was to assist Diem fight the Vietcong. The advisors purpose was not combat, but to
organize and train the army of the South VIetnamese. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Johnson believed that the U.S. could not allow the VIetcong to take out South Vietnam. As president, Johnson increased the aid to the South
Vietnamese. Johnson urged for congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution allowed the president to "take all
necessary measured to repel any armed attack or to prevent further aggression." It was passed so John could order to bombing of North Vietnam and
some targets in South Vietnam. THe result was that the role of AMerican ins Vietnam changed from military advisors to active fighters. Johnson raised
troops by using the draft. Many young men from wealth or middle class families found legal ways to avoid being
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Turning Point in History for Vietnam Essay
The turning point in history for Vietnam all began in the year 1954 during the Geneva Conference, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland. The
Geneva Accords both put an end to the Indochina War and began the divide of the Vietnam territory. The Geneva Accord was an obligatory agreement
stating Vietnam was to be separated into two distinct territories divided by a line of segregation at the 17th parallel. Vietnam was now separated into
North and South Vietnam, the communist north and the anti–communist south. Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam, better known as the Democrat
Republic of Vietnam, with its capital in Hanoi. Whereas in South Vietnam, better known as the Republic of Vietnam with it's capital in Saigon, the
south Vietnamese was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He uses this captivating charm to achieve an emotional influence on his listeners, communally and nationally. "He was universally called "Uncle Ho,"
a sobriquet also used in the North Vietnamese press. Before the constraint of war restricted him to official duties, Ho regularly visited villages and
towns. Simply clothed, he was especially fond of dropping into schools and chatting with the children"(Whitman, 1969). He demonstrated the ideal of a
clear–cut, humble, and zealous mature man who incorporates his wisdom in commanding the attention of his followers. He was relevant among them.
His main objective was to gain independence for Vietnam no matter the sacrifice. As a communist, Minh founded the French Communist Party in
1930 (Moss, 2010). Ho Chi Minh was a passionate democrat who shares the certainty that the desire of the people must always be provided and
permitted to triumph. ). "Ho Chi Minh was by far the best known Vietnamese leader. His leadership of the struggle to set free Vietnam from French
colonialism had earned him massive prestige and a popular following among the rural masses who comprised 85 percent of the Vietnamese population
(Moss, 2010 p. 83)." "His leadership skills were personable and this aided in his quest to employ communism in his country. Minh visited many
countries and educated himself on the communist rule of those countries. Ho Chi Minh and the other Vietminh leaders were committed to unifying
Vietnam under their

The Invasion Of The Vietnam War
Firstly, the invasion of the Vietnam War cannot be justified when the US 's ally in the war is a corrupt democracy. When the Vietnam War began the
United States' puppet state was Ngo Dinh Diem's South Vietnam. Diem was a dictator or the President supposedly of South Vietnam that took power
for himself there, and threw all of his civil and political opponents into violent concentration camps. The South Vietnamese President had also
oppressed those of different religions specifically Buddhism ("NGO DINH DIEM, FIRST PRESIDENT OF SOUTH VIETNAM."). Eventually, the Viet
Cong who would rather support a communist regime formed due to the oppressive nature of Diem's ruthless democracy. By the time North Vietnam
sought to unify the country Diem had opposition from all perspectives, including his most trusted peers. Even with his mockery of a democracy, the
United States believed it had to support his efforts in the defense of democracy in South Vietnam. The United States did want a change of power, but
were willing to continue with Diem if deemed necessary to win. Benjamin Frankel states this by stating "advised the State Department that the United
States should begin to search for an alternative to Diem. On 1 November 1963 South Vietnamese military officers overthrew Diem, and he and his
brother were shot to death" ("Vietnam War: Was U.S. Military Intervention in Vietnam Justified?"). Democracy is about everyone having fair trials,
civil liberties, and the right to free speech.

The Vietnam War. In The Vietnam War, Mark Atwood Lawrence
The Vietnam War
In The Vietnam War, Mark Atwood Lawrence goes in depth with research from many different sides of the Vietnam war and accounts for the different
events that took place during this time and the many elements that led to the war. He talks about the significance of the war and how it wasn't just
another war. Lawrence also discusses the effect it had on not just our history but world history.
Lawrence gives a visual of the war from all sides, from the earliest days of French colonization to the last helicopter fleeing the American embassy, but
mainly focuses on the American involvement from 1965 to 1975. He clearly and precisely goes over and researches to accurately examine the motives
of both the Vietnamese communists and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
economic aid to the Diem regime, it was doomed due to its internal corruption. The same argument is used to evaluate U.S. military tactics: Successes
on the battlefield petered out due to a fundamental flaw in strategic assumptions. Revisionists such as Mark Moyar will surely disagree, but Lawrence
does represent the majority opinion among U.S. historians at the moment.
His narrative begins well before American forces set foot in Vietnam, delving into French colonialism 's contribution to the 1945 Vietnamese
revolution, and revealing how the Cold War concerns of the 1950s led the United States to back the French. The heart of the book covers the
"American war," ranging from the overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem and the impact of the Tet Offensive to Nixon 's expansion of the war into Cambodia
and Laos, and the final peace agreement of 1973. Finally, Lawrence examines the aftermath of the war, from the momentous liberalization–"Doi
Moi"–in Vietnam to the enduring legacy of this infamous war in American books, films, and political debate.
A. The author's particular bias or point of view. Is the writer impartial, objective or prejudiced, sympathetic to any social class or group or economic
and political practices? Why have they written this book––do they have "an ax to grind?" For example, a participant in the Russian Revolution of 1917,
World War II, or the German Revolution of 1989 who then authored a work on the

The Buddha Riot: A Turning Point in Vietnam's History
A Turning point signifies a change in the past that has a great impact on the lives of people or an individual. The 1963, Buddha Riot is considered as
a turning point in Vietnam history, it impacted the lives of Vietnamese people forever. It also captures the attention of millions of people globally and
locally. There are many minor events that occurred in history that did not significantly affect individual's lives like how the Buddha's Riot printed the
hearts of the Vietnamese people. However, the turning point that is chosen to be discussed in this research paper is the event that took place many
years ago on June 11th, 1963 in Vietnam. The Buddhist Riot was not just an event that occurred out of pleasure; it was a dramatic event that ... Show
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After the self–immolation it was not only the Buddhist that were protesting against Diem leadership, it was people from everywhere. The group got
increasingly bigger joining to support the Buddhists to bring his Diem's leadership down. This event brought pressure on the United States because
they were the ones that were supporting Diem's in his governance. "The officials brought intense pressure on Diem to rescind the ban and conciliate
the Buddhists." Diem did not listen; he did not act on the U.S. request to make peace with the Buddhist. Instead his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu who was
the right hand for Diem's condemned the Buddhists cry for help. "On August 21, 1963 Diem and Nhu perpetrated a series of wanton acts that sealed
their fate"(Moss, p.106). Nhu carried out several malicious acts instead of encouraging Diem to pacify the Buddhist. "The American trained praetorian
guards and police forces take on a cascade of midnight raids on pagodas all over South Vietnam, over 2,000 temples were raided, they arrested more
than 1400 monks, nuns, neophytes and ordinary citizen and initiated a curfew."(p.106). Ngo Dinh Nhu even instigated Diem to disobey the American
request and further "suppress the Buddhist revolt"(p.105). The Americans were getting very disappointed with Diem behavior against the Buddhist and
his disobedience to change his regime. Although the Americans were supporting him

The Political Relationship Of The United States And South...
The Vietnam conflict was a ruthless and long war that had serious consequences for everyone involved and would prove to be a shameful and
infamous snapshot of American foreign policy at work. This paper will highlight the geo–political relationship of the United States and South Vietnam,
focusing on events taking place after the Geneva accords of 1954, in the attempts to insure a non–communist Vietnam.
The United States' refused to sign the Geneva accords (because the U.S. refused any possibility of communist control over Vietnam), but elections were
to be held in 1956 to decide the ruling government by popular vote. The U.S. government created SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization), a
regional alliance that swore to protect South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in the event of Communist rule. SEATO quickly came into full force and
became the exact mechanism Washington used to justify its support of South Vietnam. This support of course even became the direct involvement of
U.S. troops in Vietnam. In 1955, the U.S. picked Ngo Dinh Diem to replace Bao Dai as the head of the regime in South Vietnam. In a move to
consolidate the power, Prime Minister Diem called for a referendum between Emperor Bao Dai and himself. In a very banana republic–esque way,
Diem won that referendum by over 98% of the vote (although a questionable legitimacy to say the least). With help, guidance and U.S. encouragement,
Diem refused participation in the Geneva–planned elections that Ho Chi Minh

America's Role in Containing Communism Essay
Immediately after World War II, another war emerged from the horizon. The Cold War, a battle for both political and military superiority between the
Soviet Union and the United States, began soon after World War II, with Vietnam as a central issue. Vietnam, bordered by China, Laos, and Cambodia,
became a colony of the French in the late 1800s, who exploited the locals for raw material, such as tin, rubber, and oil. They justified imperialism by
insisting that they were protecting the Vietnamese and held power over Indochina until World War II. Desperate for resources, the Japanese conquered
Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, for raw materials during World War II. While the French did naught, Ho Chi Minh took advantage of the political...
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However, due to Bao Dai's weak leadership, the democratic South could only remain independent if "aid [kept] coming at an increased tempo"
(Puppets). The inexperienced emperor could do little to win the support of the majority of the Vietnamese and retaliate against the guerillas of Ho Chi
Minh, forcing the Americans to intervene if democracy was to prevail over communism. As the Red pressure escalated, more aid became necessary for
preventing communism from spreading to other nations. When it became clear that Bao Dai could not expel the communists, the United States
decided to support the puppet, Ngo Dinh Diem, whose brother abused government powers for personal interests, such as raiding pagodas. After
refusing to sign the agreements at the Geneva Conference, the United States elected Diem, who adopted "a policy of peace" as the governor of South
Vietnam (Elections). Diem became a key pawn in American attempts of stopping communism, but Diem occasionally disregarded advice and did little
to end the poverty that plagued the majority of the Vietnamese. In early efforts of containing communism, the United States made an alliance with
Southeast Asia, known as the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO, to protect the developing egalitarian nations from falling to the Marxists.
However, Diem's brother, Nhu, took the top position in the government and abused its

The Battle Of Ap Bac
The battle of Ap Bac was a small battle engaged between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the insurgents, or the People
Liberation Armed Forces (Viet Cong AKA VC) with the assistance of American's weapons and advice during the Vietnam War. It took place on 2
January, 1963, near a small village named Ap Bac which is located approximately 65 km southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta. (Starry, 2002).
As a senior leader, it is important that we have to be technically and tactically proficient. In order to be proficient, we not only need to be trained, but
also we have to know how to gain experience from past battles in history using battle assessment, and critical thinking process to study the battle. That
way, we know what needs to be improved, how to sustain it, and how would we execute it better next time. Therefore, studying the history of the battle
of Ap Bac will enhance the knowledge of how the commanders used the most effective and efficient method for applying decisive action on the battle
field. It would be a successful outcome for the South Vietnamese ARVN, and Kennedy's administration would have gained more trust from American
people for the presence of American troops in Vietnam, if the American advisers and the ARVN's commanders would have integrated intelligence
preparation of the battlefield (ITP) throughout the operations process to identify the gaps of intelligence between human intelligence (HUMINT),
outsourcing

Vietnam War Research Paper
The Vietnam War was a bloody dispute that lasted 20 years, from 1955 to 1975. After winning its own independence from France in 1954, the country
itself split into two parts, North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader who lead his country into its
revolution against the French. The North had a communist style government styled off of the successful Communist revolution in Russia. The South
on the other hand, was backed up by the United States and had an anti–communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem was a very repressive
leader though, and soon enough a guerilla force made up of communists now called the 'Viet Cong' started to attack and kill Southern Vietnamese
government officials. The Viet Cong... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If the U.S hadn't participated in the war, then more anti–communist people of South Vietnam would have been killed.
North Vietnam broke the Geneva Agreement by not allowing its citizens to leave under the new rule and start a new life in the south. The U.S then
came in to enforce this Geneva rule since it had been broken
The U.S wanted to stop the spread of communism to neighboring

Characteristics Of Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem was a man who had been described by many different titles. This was due to the many decisions he made in order to advance in his
political career. There is evidence which proves that Diem had both nationalist and opportunist characteristics in him. This essay will investigate
whether he was predominately a nationalist or an opportunist through an analysis of different sources which exhibit what Ngo Dinh Diem did. The essay
will investigate whether he was a nationalist or an opportunist by analysing the state in which South Vietnam was in, the decisions which Diem made
and how the people of South Vietnam and the world reacted to them.
A nationalist is defined as somebody who tries to obtain political independence for their country. An opportunist is defined as somebody who takes
advantage of circumstances to their benefit. In Source H there is evidence which shows that Diem played an active and important role in achieving his
political success. This suggests that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
On the 11th of June 1963 in Saigon, a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang, set himself on fire in the middle of a busy street. Quang did this in protest
against Diem's anti–Buddhist campaign, which did not allow Buddhist to have religious freedom as the Catholics did. (Source B, Photographer:
Malcolm Browne.) Despite such a big form of protest Diem did not stop his anti–Buddhist campaign. Diem became unstoppable as many Buddhists
were now being murdered (Source E: Author: J. Llewellyn et al, "South Vietnam", Alpha History.) this could have been a result of Diem's extreme
dislike of the Buddhist. Diem also may have felt like the Buddhists were standing in his way of gaining more political power. This is evidence that
shows that Diem was opportunistic as he was trying to get rid of the Buddhists as he believed that they were the

Ngo Dinh Diem And The Vietnam War Essay
This is why, the U.S started to back up and support Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti–communist politician, who strongly disagreed with the rebellion of old
Vietnamese. In 1955, Diem managed to be the leader of the South Vietnamese government, declaring the Republic of Vietnam and cancelling the
scheduled elections in 1956. However, his governance proved to be very unpopular, demonstrating corruption and persecution.
In general, his policies were created to eliminate communists from South Vietnam, which he referred to as "Viet Cong", but resulted in an increase of
sympathy for these communists and led them to form the National Liberation Front (NLF), as a representative of a united front, recognized and
sanctioned officially also by the North ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Kissinger as his national security counsel. Kissinger considered Vietnam as a mistake, so he recommended the U.S. disengagement. Taking in
consideration Kissinger's advice, Nixon started to gradually pull back a lot of American soldiers from Vietnam and return the control of the war toward
the South Vietnamese ARVN, while continuing to supply and prepare for the war the ARVN.
Despite the fact that Nixon continued to diminish American troop strength in South Vietnam, the battling proceeded. In 1972, South Vietnam faced a
massive invasion by the North Vietnamese, but still managed to prevail with U.S. airpower assistance. In January 1973, were signed the Paris Peace
Accords, under which the U.S. forces were completely withdrawn from Vietnam. However, this did not put the war to an end, because the war
continued until April 1975, when Saigon fell to the communists.
If we would be deciding who deserves to blame for the wars, the first things we need to do, is to analyze the reason why each of these countries
involved joined this war. The people of Vietnamese started these war, aiming for their independence; firstly from French, than Japan and then again
from France. From this point forward, some of them continued the war to joint their two nations, while others we fighting against communism.
As for France, it joined the war aiming to retain its colonial power, while Japan was endeavoring to conquer the world. The United

An Unwinnable War
As America find herself in today's "War on Terrorism," one can easily find a number of similarities between today's situation and the war in Vietnam. As
the Taliban steadily loses control and power over Afghanistan, it becomes exceedingly important to discuss potential replacement governments.
Afghanistan is, like Vietnam in the 50's and 60's, a very volatile country full of a variety of people speaking different dialects and practicing different
religions. It is very important, then, that the government that is installed is one that is capable of maintaining some type of control or authority over its
diverse people. On July 7, 1954, Ngo Dinh Diem came to power as the Prime Minister of South Vietnam (Fishel 107). Diem was backed by ... Show
Of course the irony is that Diem "took steps to prevent the 1956 unification election," which is normally a prerequisite for a democracy (Starr 39). He
did stage an election for himself, but it was certainly rigged being that "Saigon with roughly 405,000 registered voters, somehow cast 605,000 votes
for Diem" (Starr 39).
Diem was therefore determined to be the best man for the job of preventing communism in S. Vietnam. One reason is most likely because he was
"Westernized" being that he "lived for some time in the Mayknoll Seminaries in New Jersey and New York State" (Genesis 116). He quickly gained
the approval of American Catholics such as Cardinal Spellman, which "certified Diem as an important anti–Communist" (Scheer 116). Some Americans
were skeptical of Diem at the time, but as Secretary John Foster Dulles simply stated, "the United States could simply not find 'a better man' to carry
out its designs" and "Diem is only means US sees to save South Vietnam and counteract revolution. US sees no one else who can" (Gettleman 133).
This is, however, a little unsettling being that it sounds as though the U.S. merely "settled" on Diem in lieu of a better candidate.
The American people then, perhaps influenced by the media, agreed with their government's approval of Diem. In the June 29, 1959 edition of
Newsweek, Diem was deemed "one of the ablest free Asian leaders" and his government

Rational Solutions To The Cold War
Rational Solutions for Emotional Problems
As Carl von Clausewitz famously stated, "War is merely a continuation of politics by other means." He could not have been more accurate in the
case of the Cold War, which came more than a century after his death. The Cold War, being a war of competing ideologies as well as competing
nations and militaries, was focused more on political conflicts than military ones, thus giving it the moniker of being a "cold" war. Yet while the
United States of America, the leader of the liberal democratic side, did realize the importance of politics in the war, it was not so adept in
understanding the political climate of the areas in which the Cold War was hottest. It is undoubtedly true that the American policymakers of the war
understood its battles better than the ordinary Korean or Vietnamese when it came to facts and figures; at the same time, when it came to understanding
the emotions the battles brought to its various participants, the policymakers were often seemingly clueless. The United States, all throughout the Cold
War, showed an inability to understand the emotional climate of its chosen battlegrounds and the emotional impact its choices had on them, and
constantly offered rational solutions to issues with emotional roots. This mistake impacted the American involvement in the Cold War, and should
serve as a lesson from which the US evaluates its current actions. After all, as the leader of the free world, the United States still

Ngo Dinh Diem
The Short–lived Corrupt Regime of Ngo Dinh Diem Ngo Dinh Diem was sent into Vietnam two weeks before the signing of the Geneva Accords as
the Prime Minister of the new government in Saigon, appointed by Bao Dai in June of 1954. He claimed that the only guaranteed resolution to a
noncommunist government was a Catholic. Catholicism was a minority privileged sector of South Vietnam society which made U.S. officials
apprehensive. Notably Diem had influential connections in Washington who advocated insistently that regardless of any weaknesses Diem may
possess, he "was the only Vietnamese politician with the determination and the credentials to wage a successful struggle against communism and
preserve an independent government in the South (William ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He killed approximately 12, 000 alleged opponents and imprisoned about 50,000 individuals. Additionally, to "get their minds straight" 10,000 were
sent to re–education camps during the second wave of repression between 1957 and 1959. During May of 1959 with law 10/59 roughly 1,000 were
executed within days of convictions of anti–regime views. With a huge police state set up, the toll was principally hard for the Communist Party,
"which went from an estimated 60,000 members to less than 5,000 in five years" due to being killed, jailed, or forced to seek refuge in the North
(Class Struggle, August 31,

US Intervention In Vietnam
To what extent was US military intervention in the Vietnam War justified? This paper will examine the causes of the conflict and why the US got
involved. The paper will inspect the US' relationship and ties with the different countries and parties involved in the conflict. The paper will also
look at various US policies, such as foreign policy and the containment of communism, and the public opinion of the war. Effects of the war will also
be looked at as a reference, but these effects will not be the focus of the paper. Both secondary and primary sources will be utilized to provide context
and obtain a clearer understanding of the tension in the war.
B. Summary of Evidence (503 words)
After Japan's defeat in World War II, Vietnamese nationalists,... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The US did not want to help France reinstate colonial rule but at the same time knew that a Vietminh victory would result in a loss of another area
to communism (Gurtov 24). After France was defeated, the US started to get directly involved and in the Geneva Conference, still wanted to
explore more military solutions (Messing 1309; Schulzinger 72). The Geneva Accords failed to keep the peace as the US did not agree to its final
declaration (Messing 1312). It is assumed that the United States is bound by the Geneva accords and its actions should correspond with the accords
(Messing 1320). According to the US' legal advisor, in this case the US' actions are justifiable because North Vietnam had broken the accords first;
however, there is little evidence to support this claim and convincing cases can be made that say the opposite (Messing 1321). Even if North Vietnam
had broken the accords first, the United Nations Charter article 2, paragraph 4, unlike traditional international law "makes such forcible self–help an
unlawful means of withholding compliance with an international government" (Messing 1321). While the US' involvement in the war is legal to some
extent, there is enough evidence to cause debate in the other

In 1954 This Is When Vietnam Was Divided Into Two States
In 1954 this is when Vietnam was divided into two states known as the, communist North Vietnam and non–communist South Vietnam. When
Vietnamese communists began attacking South Vietnam, the United States sent out their troops to support and help. Over five hundred thousand
United States troops were fighting in care of South Vietnam. Ultimately, many Americans soon came to believe that the US troops should be withdrawn
from the Vietnam war. It became one of the most conflict–ridden and ostracized causes in U.S. history. In 1973, a break in fighting agreement with
North Vietnam was signed and U.S. forces withdrew. Just two years later, Vietnam was brought together under communist power.
The Vietnam war was immensely costly. "More than 3... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Vietminh controlled North Vietnam, andSouth Vietnam was being governed under the emperor Bao Dai. There was supposed to be an election held
in two years to set up a lasting rule, but the United States did not support these terms. Subsequently after the conference, the U.S. stimulated to make
the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization to defend Indochina from communist antagonism. The United States maintained the new leaderNgo Dinh Diem
when he took control in South Vietnam. Vietcong, was a paramilitary group whom strengthened the communist North Vietnamese and conflicted with
the Diem rule. Initially, the United States consideration was preoccupied from Vietnam to other external concerns, nevertheless with the danger of
communist appealing over all of Indochina, they were progressively strained into the struggle.
The United States had been sending support to South Vietnam and facilitated them to create the "Army Republic of Vietnam." Hopefully this would all
help stop the communist North Vietnamese from taking over. Regardless of American financial aid, the South Vietnam was still being overpowered
and were in need of grave involvement from the U.S. The United States dreaded that if one of the Southeast Asian nations fell to communism, that all
others would sooner or later follow. The U.S. saw communism wherever as a risk.
The leader of Vietnam during this time was Ngo Dinh Diem. He was Catholic, which triggered a lot of disagreement because the

The Fire Sparked by the Buddhist Crisis
The Fire Sparked by the Buddhist Crisis On June 11, 1963, Malcolm Browne took a photograph. His image would become the symbol for a period in
the Vietnam conflict known as the Buddhist Crisis. Browne's photo was of a monk sitting in the middle of the street, moments after dousing himself in
fuel and lighting a match. The monk's name was Thich Quang Duc, and his suicide would have repercussions not just in Vietnam but overseas in the
United States as well. His action stimulated major growth in the Buddhist Crisis, inspiring leaders of the movement to increase militant actions against
President Ngo Dinh Diem's regime. Duc's self–immolation was symbolic of something much larger than a single political act, representing a movement
that would completely alter United States policy in Vietnam and eventually lead to the assassination of President Diem. Revered reporter David
Halberstam wrote of Thich Quang Duc's self–immolation in his book The Making of a Quagmire of, "...a young Buddhist priest with a microphone
saying calmly over and over again in Vietnamese and English, 'A Buddhist priest burns himself to death. A Buddhist priest becomes a martyr.'" The fact
that the priest was speaking in English showed that he wanted American reporters to get the story, he wanted Americans to understand what was
occurring. The photograph captured a dramatic moment in time, but shared only a glimpse of the magnitude with which the Buddhist Crisis would
affect the future of the Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem Essay example
Ngo Dinh Diem
As the Cold War escalated in the United States, Eisenhower and Washington would make their anti
–communist policies felt by stopping Ho Chi Minh
from realizing his goal of reunification of Vietnam. The Americans would erect a new non–communist government in Nam, or south, and put at its helm,
Ngo Dinh Diem.
From 1954–1963, Diem presided over an increasingly corrupt, devious, and repressive regime. Communist guerrillas backed by North Vietnam
launched a new rebellion, but a civil disobedience campaign led by the country's Buddhist monks contributed more directly to his downfall. Brutal
persecution of the dissident monks in 1963 damaged the regime's already shaky international reputation. With American support, Vietnamese... Show
He saved all his money and gave it to Khiem and his siblings. They built a house in the village and lived peacefully. After the fall of the French, the
Viet Cong occupied the village and rounded up all the people they thought were dangerous to their movement. Among these was Khiem's father.
The Viet Cong charged him with treason against the welfare of the people and an advocator of imperialism. He was executed by decapitation.
Khiem remembers, "They came in and took my father and they said that he was a traitor. I remember that day clear as anything. I was 12 when it
happened. He was one of many. They rounded up lawyers, doctors, merchants, French translators and teachers, and anyone wearing the colors white,
red ,or green. These were the colors of the French. Many people didn't even know that. It is just clothing, but they were all caught. The Viet Cong
buried them all alive or beheaded them. Others they drowned. I remember walking out of the village and seeing hundreds of mounds." Khiem would
grow up to know the communist and fear them. In 1955 he and his family took advantage of the Cathlolic migration from north to south. They fled to
avoid communist persecution and settled in Saigon. Khiem remembers life to be relaxing and prosperous in the city. However, he was Buddhist and
would soon protest alongside monks to rebel against Diem. As the war in Vietnam escalated, Khiem is drafted to join the army and would later be
assigned to rank of

Fear And War : ' Burning Monk '
Alex Knych
10/19/15
EN–103
Fear & War
"War does not determine who is right– only who is left".Imagine being in a state of constant fear. From prosecution by the hands of your own
government to roving Communist guerillas, war is a horrific experience for everyone involved. The Vietnam War was the longest war in American
history and was by far the most unpopular war America had entered in the 20th century. "It resulted in nearly 60,000 American casualties and in an
estimated 2 million more Vietnamese"(WWW). Even today, many Americans still ask whether or not the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a
blunder, or even necessary, while others question whether it was a noble cause, or an overly idealistic, failed, effort to protect the South... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
This early attack did not lead to widespread defensive measures. When the main communist offensive began the next morning the attack was
countrywide and well–coordinated, eventually more than "80,000 Communist troops striking more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44
provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the southern capital of Saigon." The TET offensive was the largest
military operation conducted by either side up to that point in the war.
In the photo "Saigon Execution", Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan raised his sidearm and shot Vietcong operative Nguyen Van Lem in the
head, then he proceeded to walk over to the reporters and tell them that, "These guys kill a lot of our people, and I think Buddha will forgive me."
Captured on NBC TV cameras and by AP photographer Eddie Adams, the picture and film footage flashed around the world and rapidly became a
symbol of the Vietnam War's brutality. This was the scene the common person was exposed to back in the states.
Eddie Adams' picture is especially striking, as the moment captured is one almost at the instant of death. As with many photos and stories, there is a
side that is often unheard or told. South Vietnamese sources said that Lem commanded a Vietcong death squad, which on that day had targeted South
Vietnamese National Police officers, or in

The Vietnam War Of Vietnam
During the 1940's Vietnam was trying to break free of French reign over their country. During this time period Vietnam was split into two parts, north
and south. The Japanese had decided to take over Vietnam in 1942. They couldn't capture all of Vietnam, so they decided to retreat. North Vietnam
proclaimed independence on September 2, 1945 as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The State of Vietnam declared independence on June 14,
1949, but remained under French rule until August 1, 1954. South Vietnam was the successor state to the State of Vietnam under the name of Republic
of Vietnam. Both parts of Vietnam merged into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975, after the Vietnam War. During the
Cold War, the
US and Russia could never risk an all out war against each other, so instead, they decided to proxy war Vietnam. This left Vietnam in shambles after the
war. Starting from 1862, The French had Vietnam under control for 79 years. During these 79 years, the French changed nearly everything in Vietnam.
A western style system of education was being developed in Vietnam at the time. Vietnam had an extremely low literacy rate before the French had
come. After they invaded Vietnam, the literacy increased by a great amount, more than half of the country was literate. Roman Catholicism was
propagated widely throughout the country as their religion. The French developed a plantation economy to promote exportation of goods. These goods
included tobacco, indigo, tea,

Essay about Research on History of Vietnam
Research on History of Vietnam
To start with Vietnam was in the control of the French, they had gained control of it in 1883. They took charge of all the natural resources in Vietnam
and added it to there empire.
In 1940 Japan demanded the right to place Vietnam under military occupation. The French could not refuse as they were in WWII and they did not
have the strength to fight the Vietnamese.
By 1940 two parties had been formed; the Indochinese communist party and the national party. The two parties united and formed the Vietminh. The
Vietminh was formed to create opposition to the Japanese. The Japanese bombed houses burnt crops and killed innocent people. The USA supplied the
Vietminh ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At the Geneva conference in 1954 the Americans were critical of the French for being 'peace at any price'. This is what the agreement was;
* France to give independence to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
* Vietnam to be temporarily split in two by a partition along the 17th parallel
* A strip of land separating the two sides to be a demilitarised zone
* Free and Democratic elections to be held in 1956 to reunite North and South Vietnam under one leader.
The US didn't sign this agreement as they saw it to be like defeat for them. US critics said the agreement had 'tilted the balance of world power
towards communism.' This was seen as very bad for the US as they were totally focused on stopping the spread of communism across the world. They
saw a big threat in what they named the 'Domino theory'. This meant that if one Asian country such as Thailand or Malaya became communist its
neighbours would follow and spread it throughout the East.
However the new ruler of the south, Ngo Dinh Diem, refused to hold the 1956 elections in Vietnam. He was unwilling to be the puppet rules that the

Americans wanted but as he was against communism and was actively stopping the spread of it the Americans had no choice but to support him.
Diem was very controversial and not very popular with the Vietnamese people. He put South Vietnamese people

Buddhist Crisis
The Buddhist Crisis as a Turning Point in the Vietnam War
Anonymous
March 24, 2013
There were several events during the Vietnam War that can be considered "turning points", which can be described as the occurrence of an event that
changed the course of history. One such event was the Buddhist crisis in 1963. The Buddhists of South Vietnam had experienced decades of religious
persecution during French colonialism that continued with the Catholic government, which was backed by the United States (Toong, 2008). The
demonstrations, protests and self–immolations that followed as a result of this religious persecution and the media coverage it generated encouraged
the Kennedy administration to back a coup d'Г©tat against Ngo ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Diem's reaction to this event was denying responsibility and he put the blame on communists. Despite repeated encouragement from the United States
government to reconcile with the Buddhists, Diem remained unyielding and asserted that there was no presence of religious persecution (Toong,
2008). The height of the Buddhist crisis was reached when Thich Quang Duc ignited himself and burned to death in as a protest in the street in front
of a large crowd in Saigon (Moss, 2010). The appalling images of the self–immolation of Thich Quang Duc were spread throughout the world by
international media coverage. Demonstrations by the Buddhists and retaliation by the GVN continued to escalate to a point where the United States
could no longer support the Diem government, which despite financial assistance that amounted to over $1,000,000 per day and the support of the
American military, refused to cooperate (Toong, 2008). Subsequently, and dependent on Diem's lack of response to pressure from the United States
regarding the Buddhist crisis, the Kennedy administration decided to participate in a coup to overthrow him (Toong, 2008). The final straw was the
pagoda raids on August 21 and Diem's declaration of martial law with threats to shoot and kill Americans on the

Essay On Ngo Dinh Diem
When I was young, I always wanted a simple life with no significant vicissitudes. I had just wanted to live selfishly on my own until I witnessed
HIV–infected kids who were too guiltless to be victimized, and then the war in Syria that led to the destruction of Aleppo and countless deaths of
innocent human beings. From that moment, I knew I could no longer stay still. But as soon as I decided to act, I realized the heartbreaking truth: I
am living in Vietnam, a country that used to be so strong and brave but now is afraid to speak up for their rights and neglects the invaders trying to
take over their land, I cannot thrive here. Vietnamese citizens are scared of the unaccustomed and do not dare to speak up because even freedom of
speech is ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We are not allowed to receive a sustainableeducation that provides us with knowledge coming from different sources other than national textbooks.
Public books must be strictly examined by the government to show a view that must either advocate the regime or adopt a neutral stance. Therefore,
many books on the same topic are identical in content, some would even copy each other's lines of reasoning. My friend in the U.S. once asked me
what Vietnamese's general knowledge about Ngo Dinh Diem was and just to her expectation, I quickly replied that they abominated him. I thought it
was the most proper answer that any students here could think of until she asked me why and gave reasons that Diem had contributed so much to
Vietnam, especially to the Southern part after the Indochina war by establishing five universities and legislating new laws that helped enhance the
country's development. I was shocked. Not because she knew so much, but because I knew nothing. Until now, even being a senior student at a top
high school in the most modern city, I still have no idea that Diem once wanted to create a better Vietnam and because of the money pressure, he had
to seek support from other countries, which is the complete opposite of what I was taught in History class – that Diem took the force of the United States
to ruin this

Vietnam War : A Cold War Era Conflict
Vietnam Conflict
The Vietnam War was a Cold War
–era conflict that started in 1946 and ended in 1974, taking nearly 30 years to resolve. The war was fundamentally a
conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, where the North was communist and South was not. The United States, France, the United
Kingdom and other non–communist allies supported the non–communist South Vietnam. China, Russia (USSR), Cuba, Cambodia and other Communist
allies supported the regime in the north. North Vietnam saw the United States involvement in the North as foreign aggression, so they fought guerilla
wars against the anti–communist forces in the region. Guerilla forces (the Viet Cong) and the regular North Vietnamese Army were responsible for
fighting the anticommunist forces. The conflict mainly consisted of small battles until the onset of air attacks –– part of an overall strategy of massive
bombing and search–and–destroy operations, which South Vietnam and the Americans hoped would win the war.
During the 1950s, US advisors were sent to French Indochina or what is South Vietnam (Eckhardt, 1991:6). Because of many internal conflicts with the
North trying to take over the South, U.S. increased their involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s, nearly quadrupling the number of American troops in
South Vietnam during 1961 and in 1962 (Hayes, 2014). The US continued to deepen its involvement, so that by the end of 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin
resolution gave the President the authority to assign massive

The Political Ideology Of Vietnam
It has been nearly five decades since the first President Ngo Dinh Diem, the founder of the Republic of Vietnam was assassinated in a military coup.
Vietnamese history on its media in general and its education in particular are still unclear about the data, events related to this president who had the
logical policy line, great political ideology of the South Vietnam and his people at that time. The remained images of Ngo Dinh Diem in new
Vietnamese generations' thoughts are just "Ngo Dinh Diem was regarded as a puppet of the United States, tied in a phrase meaning sarcastic and
offended word, "U.S. –Diem clique", and the Diem government is just a creation of the United States in order to serve geo–strategic purposes during
the Cold War". However, those ambiguous images of the first president of Vietnam are still questioning to its whole Nation because there's none logical
evidence to offend his existence.
I do not represent for any faction that condemns my country but I 'm standing in the truthful voices buried over the years, especially the historical facts
that took place under Ngo Dinh Diem's term. Why all the words in the Vietnamese history books about him do not resemble what I 'm being told by my
family and people around me. There must be some mysterious things in this issue that is related to the contrast between the state apparatus of the North
Vietnam and the revolutionary way of the first president of South Vietnam, which also clarifies the differences between

Cold War Manderin Essay
The book, Cold War Mandarin Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam 1950
–1963, by Seth Jacobs is a comprehensive retelling
of the rise and fall of Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam. In that retelling Jacob focuses on the major events that took place in Vietnam as
well as showed how America backed a leader that did nothing to booster his nation and led America into one of the worst wars in its history. The Diem
regime was a corrupt and tyrannical government that used the United States' fears of communism to push its own goals that ultimately led to its own
demise. Jacob viewed the escalation of America's involvement in Vietnam as the following, "The nine–year "experiment" that ended when Diem died
was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Diem stood at odds with Ho Chi Minh who was, "eager to expand his base of support, Ho reached out to anti–communist nationalists: he especially
wanted to attract Vietnam's Catholic minority, and understood that the presence of a predominant Catholic in his first coalition cabinet would go a
long way to accomplish this goal" (22). Diem refused to work with the Viet Minh and upon breaking communications with them would then work
organize an anti–Viet Minh political party.
Diem was very much a nationalist, but not communist, and this is what drew the Americans to Diem. The need had arisen to replace the Bao Dai
emperorship, for in the eyes of many Vietnamese it was a sham and the only other alternative was that of the communists and Ho Chi Minh. Diem
understood this and he, "insisted that France's "Bao Dai solution" was all but handing Indochina to the Viet Minh. Only a Vietnamese leader who had
not collaborated with either the French or Communists could succeed in forming a government to rival that of Ho" (28). His arguments of Vietnamese
nationalism made sense to many political figures in Washington, thus putting him further in the front running for American support. Diem also secured
further support from his Catholic faith, which put him in good with many influential figures in America, such as Cardinal Spellman who was very
influential in right wing political circles. Faith was a very strong motivator

Battle Of Ap Bac Essay
The Battle of Ap Bac The battle of Ap Bac was a small battle engaged between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the insurgents, or
the People Liberation Armed Forces (Viet Cong AKA VC) with the assistance of American's weapons and advice during the Vietnam War. It took
place on 2 January, 1963, near a small village named Ap Bac which is located approximately 65 km southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta.
(Starry, 2002). As a senior leader, it is important that we have to be technically and tactically proficient. In order to be proficient, we not only need to
be trained, but also we have to know how to gain experience from past battles in history using battle assessment, and critical thinking process to study
the battle. That way, we know what needs to be improved, how to sustain it, and how would we execute it better next time. Therefore, studying the
history of the battle of Ap Bac will enhance the knowledge of how the commanders used the most effective and efficient method for applying decisive
action on the battle field. It would be a successful outcome for the South Vietnamese ARVN, and Kennedy's administration would have gained more
trust from American people for the presence of American troops inVietnam, if the American advisers and the ARVN's commanders would have
integrated intelligence preparation of the battlefield (ITP) throughout the operations process to identify the gaps of intelligence between human
intelligence (HUMINT),

The War in Vietnam Essay
The War in Vietnam
Why did the USA become increasingly involved in The war in Vietnam?
In 1950, the USA was obsessed with stopping communism from spreading in South East Asia. Every one was anti–communist in the USA and they
were very worried about the domino theory. The domino theory was a 20th Century foreign policy theory that speculated if one land in a region came
under the influence of communists, then more would follow in a domino effect. The domino effect says that some small change will cause another
change nearby, which then will cause another change, and so on, to a falling row of dominos.
The final declaration of the Geneva agreement on the 21st July, 1954, on restoring peace ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The protests that followed were that a Buddhist, monk Quang Duk, committed suicide in the street by setting himself on fire and burnt to death at the
persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government. The government of Diem did not take much notice of this and then they lost any other
support. The US started to get impatient and did nothing to prevent a military coup in November 1963.
Ho Chi Minh argued that the opposition forces in South Vietnam should concentrate on organising support instead of carrying out acts of terrorism
against Diem's government.
In 1959, Ho Chi Minh sent his adviser, to visit South Vietnam. He returned to tell Ho Chi Minh that Diem's imprisoned the leaders of the opposition was
successful and that unless North Vietnam encouraged armed resistance, they would never get a united country.
Ho Chi Minh agreed to supply the guerrilla units with aid. He encouraged the different armed groups to join together and form a more powerful and
more effective organisation. They agreed to do this and in December, 1960, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam was formed. The
NLF was made up of over a dozen different political and religious groups. Although the leader of the NLF, Hua Tho, was a non–Marxist and a lot of
his people were communist.
After this came the Guerrilla war. This is

Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh
Mr. Kerkman
Research Methods
01 Oct 2015 Ho Chi Minh "Remember that the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and cypress to show their strength and their stability." That was
proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh about the hardship that Vietnam would endure. Minh would be the one to lead Vietnam through their hardship. He led his
country through two different wars in his life time. One of which was against a very formidable foe, the USA. Through the storm Minh and Vietnam did
show their strength, creating a country that still stands today. Ho Chi Minh was a hugely influential person who helped his people gain independence,
protect their new freedom, and unite them to form a new country. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This was the Vietnam War, or the second Indochina war or the American war to the Vietnamese (Herring). Both sides had their allies. The south had
Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand all helped the south during the Vietnam War. Where the north had China and the
Soviet Union who helped by sending supplies but not troops (gilbert). Even without their troops the north had a plan, the Tet offensive. The plan was
to attack major cities and military basses in the south on the day before Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Their hope was that these attacks would
discourage the confidence in their government and revolt (Gilbert). The plan didn't not work there was no wide spread revolts in the south, but it did
make President Jonson to begin peace talks (gilbert). The Vietnam War was the longest war theUnited States had ever fought in, and caused some
bickering at home. During the war American began to separate themselves into doves and hawks. Doves those of who were against the war and the
hawks who were for the war (Gilbert)." By late 1967, increased casualties and Johnson's request for new taxes helped produce a sharp drop in public
support for the war" (Gilbert). During Nixon's presidency the protest the war grew rabidly creating more distain with the war and creating more doves
(gilbert). When the peace takes that Johnson started failed Nixon felt it was time to begin ending US involvement in the conflict. "On June 8, 1969, he
announced a new policy known as Vietnamization. This policy called for stepped–up training programs for South Vietnamese forces and the gradual
withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Vietnam"(Gilbert). Once all the US troops are gone the north would win an easy victory over the south. On April
30, 1975 the south surrendered making a single Vietnam. Even with the help of the United States North Vietnam and the

Vietnam War : The Evolving War
Jonathan Gonzales
History 1302
Section 04
4 May 2015
Vietnam the Evolving War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War
–proxy era war that had significance on a global, and domestic scale with an everlasting effect that has shaped
modern day politics. The Vietnam War also known as the second Indochina War was fought between November 1955 and April 1973. A large time
frame that would span many presidencies, and include millions of deaths, corruption and tragedy. The prominent effects after the war, and the time
leading up to the war gives great insight to the mindset of American officials and the public as the war progressed. Specifically in regards to the way
American Officials, and citizens alike fought and engaged in this ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
President Harry S. Truman would also adopt the idea of "containment" as a part of his foreign policy. This was a key turning point in U.S foreign
policy. Many United States military and political leaders would adopt this ideal. President Eisenhower would be the United States, 33rd President and
would take this containment policy in fear of the "domino theory". The ideal of the time period that once a country "fell" to communism that the
immediate surrounding countries would soon fall. The rise of Soviet Union and the Cold War era became a major factor in the mindset of Americans.
Such things as the "Red Scare" and the controlling force of communism placed fear in many Americans. The Soviet Union would directly affect the
agenda America would have for the coming decades. Perceived as a threat to the American way of life. The spread of communism would be stopped at
all cost, including innocent lives. After years of funding the French. In 1954 Geneva Peace Accords would officially establish two separate
governments within Vietnam; as the world saw the fall of French prominence in Vietnam. The country was officially split into two separate
governments at the 17th parallel. The people of Vietnam were given 300 days to decide where they would reside. Diem would become the Prime
Minister of South Vietnam, and would eventually take rule as a dictator he would crushing his political

How Did Ngo Dinh Diem Left Vietnam
Ngo Dinh Diem (1901–1963) was a staunchly against confidant Vietnamese statesman who declined to band together with Ho Chi Minh after the
Franco–Vietnamese War. With the support of the United States government, Diem drove South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963, when he was slaughtered
close–by his kin in a military oust.
Ngo Dinh Diem was imagined in Vietnam in 1901. His ancestors had been changed over to Christianity by Catholic evangelists in the 17th Century.
Diem, as past times of his family, was taught in French Catholic schools. After he graduated he was arranged as an executive for the French
overwhelming habitations in Vietnam. At a years of age quarter century transformed into an ordinary congressperson.
In the midst of the French–Indochina War, Diem left Vietnam for the United... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The French battled against this stating that Diem was "insufficient and also berserk". Regardless, over the long haul it was picked that Diem showed
the most obvious opportunity to keep South Vietnam from falling under the control of communism.
Once in power, the Americans discovered that Diem was unwilling to be a "puppet" ruler. He persistently rejects their suggestion and settled on
decisions that wonder the South Vietnamese people. A couple tries were made to topple Diem yet regardless of the way that the Americans were sad
with his execution as president, they felt they had no genuine alternative but to support him.
In October, 1955, the South Vietnamese people were asked for that pick between Bo Dai, the past Emperor of Vietnam, and Diem for the activity of the
country. Colonel Edward Lansdale suggested that Diem should give two vote papers, red for Diem and green for Bao Dai. Lansdale assumed that the
Vietnamese conviction that red implied favorable circumstances whilst green demonstrated dreadful fortune, would help affect the

How The Domino Theory Backfired
How the Domino Theory Backfired
Brought up in the 1950s, a theory primarily gave way to a supporting a war started in regards to it. After two world wars had started and ended in
the span of less than 50 years, the first half of the 1900s were influenced and shaped by the war and war effort. This was a time in world history ruled
by vulnerability, but not long after the end of the infamous world wars, the Cold War followed. This war was an American effort against the Russian to,
in part, fight the rise of communism. One of the most notorious wars for America, the only war they ever lost, was the Vietnam War; a branch of the
Cold War effort of containment, or at least the effort to stop the spread of communism, was a theory coined as the domino theory. While the theory
made sense at the time, in hindsight, it was flawed, and there were other ways to accomplish the what the domino theory was then thought to achieve.
The domino theory was defined as the held belief that if one communist country fell, neighboring communist countries would fall with it, and in turn,
communism would eventually reach America and take over the world. This was theorized by American foreign policy advisors, but the phrase was
popularized after Dwight D. Eisenhower's use of it in one of his speeches. In this speech, he talked about the importance of American intervention in
South Vietnam to allow the creation of a buffer country (South Vietnam), a country or state that stood between a potentially

Was the War in Vietnam Justified?
Was the war in Vietnam justified? The Vietnam War was the longest war in the history of the United States it lasted from 1959
–1975. Billions of
dollars was spent trying to win and unwinnable war. Countless of lives were lost and America failed to achieve its objective. The origins of the war
stem from the Indochina wars that occurred in the late 40s and early 50s. After many years of colonial war, the Viet Minh a communist group led by
Ho Chi Minh sought independence for Vietnam. The French were not reluctant to let go of their crowning jewel without a fight. The French were
aided militarily by the Unites States who sought the membership of France to the NATO and were willingly to provide as much aid to ensure that
they won the war and Vietnam did not fall to communism. This led to an eight year war which culminated with the defeat of the French at the Battle
of Dien Bien Phu. A cease fire was issued and peace agreements known as the Geneva Accords where drawn during the 1954 Geneva Conference. The
agreement issued a temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel which created a Communist North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh and a
democratic South Vietnam led by prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem. Vietnam was supposed to unify after the nationwide election of 1956 which Diem
refuse to acknowledge.
The United States began to support South Vietnam, but Diem proved to be a horrible leader and in 1963 was killed during a coup issued by John F.
Kennedy. The National Liberation

Malcolm Browne's Film, The Burning Monk
"The Burning Monk." –11 June 1963
This photograph of Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, was taken on June 11,1963, by photographer Malcolm Browne.
The historical context of the photograph is that following the Geneva Conference in 1954; the Republic of South Vietnam was set up in 1955, by the
oppressive and corrupt, Ngo Dinh Diem. He was supported by the United States, as he was anti– communist. He was a catholic and he discriminated
against the Buddhists who made up approximately 90% of the population.
On May 8, 1963, South Vietnamese soldiers killed nine civilians, who were protesting the ban of the Buddhist flag. Diem refused to respond to
Buddhist leaders' demands to end religious oppression. Buddhists then organised demonstrations, and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Diem, however, refused to meet with Buddhist leaders, and did not stop his persecution of the Buddhists. By August 1963, his troops had arrested and
imprisoned more than 1000 Buddhists.
The photograph of "The Burning Monk" shocked the world, and brought the realities of the oppression of Buddhists into the spotlight. President John
F. Kennedy said: "no news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as this one." He then ordered a review of his
administration's Vietnam policy. The international community was outraged by the lack of religious freedom and oppression of the peaceful Buddhists.
This photograph marked a turning point in the Vietnam War as the Americans no longer supported Diem.
The photograph is a primary source and is consistent with other photographs of self–immolation in South Vietnam, at that time. A limitation is that it
depicts one specific moment, and does not give an overview of the whole period. The photograph is limited to the oppressed Buddhists point of view.
This photograph is of value as it captured an important moment in history, which had many consequences. The image was able to convey the message
that the Buddhist monk was trying to achieve, namely to request religious equality and an end oppression, through his

US Involvement in the Vietnam War
Involvement in the Vietnam War Over thirty years ago the Vietnam War ended, and the U.S. came back home with their tails between their legs and
nothing to show for other than a high number of casualties, and a huge pile of debt. The U.S. underestimated the North Vietnamese army, and it was
costly. Many believe that the Vietnam War was none of the U.S. business, but on the contrary, many believe we should have tried to stop the spread of
communism. The long–lasting Vietnam War was unnecessary for the U.S. to be a part of; it put many people through unneeded stress and hard times.
The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam communists led by their leader Ho Chi Minh andSouth Vietnam anti–communists led by their
president Ngo Dinh Diem. North Vietnam was trying to taking over South Vietnam to make it a communist country. That is when the U.S. came
knocking on South Vietnam's door and gave them much needed help in 1950. In Eric Foner's and John A Garraty's essay, "Vietnam War," they
explain, "from Washington's perspective, . . . [a]ny communist anywhere, at home or abroad, was, by definition, an enemy of the United States"
because of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "domino theory" (Foner). Eisenhower's "domino theory," was a theory that if communists took over
Vietnam, they would gradually control all of Southeast Asia. The first aid given by the U.S. was to France. Willbanks explains in his essay that the
U.S. provided France, a South Vietnamese ally, $2.6

Why Did The US Involvement In Vietnam
The longest war in America's history of involvement was the Vietnam War. This war lasted almost twenty years and it involved a lot of land mines,
firing and deaths. Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia; it was run by France before it got separated in to north and south under the Geneva Accord.
The north was the communist area run by Ho Chin Minh, whereas the south was anti–communist run by Ngo Dinh Diem. Unhappy with the French
rule, most of the Vietnamese moved to China, there they started following Ho Chin Minh, who wanted to turnVietnam in to a self governed communist
country free from the rule of any other country. Minh, with help and support of most Vietnamese tried his best to overthrow the French rule and turn
Vietnam into self governed ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Diem wanted the elections of 1956 to be canceled for the same reason as he knew Minh had a larger following than he did. Diem being a catholic
was not a favorable thing amongst a country with a majority Buddhist population. This led to a rise of another regime in the south Vietnam called
the Vietcong. These people were against the rule of Diem and support the communist rule of Minh. They were an extremely violent group, and they
massacred a lot of Diem's political and government officials. Minh was very happy with this uprising of this radical group and wanted to support the
Vietcong in every possible way. Minh started a trail called the Ho Chin Minh trail which ran from the North Vietnam all the way through Thailand
and Cambodia to Saigon the capitol of the south. He supported the Vietcong with anything they needed through this trail. With Minh gaining more
power and diem losing his support of what little he had was a big concern for the United States. The people of the south were tired of all the killings
and bloodshed, most villagers of the south were tortured and killed by the Vietcong this led to a constant state of fear among these people. Diem
decided to help these people by having them moved to safer locations. President Kennedy, before his assassination had planned to pull out of the war
but the plan never went through due

Leadership Styles of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem Essay
The turning point in history for Vietnam all began in Geneva, Switzerland during the year 1954 in the Geneva Conference. The Geneva Accords both
put an end to the Indochina War and set in motion the divide of territory in Vietnam. The Geneva Accord was an obligatory agreement stating Vietnam
was to be separated at the 17th parallel, a line of separation, into two distinct territories. Vietnam was now separated into North and South Vietnam, the
communist north and the south, which was anti–communist. Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam, better known as the Democrat Republic of
Vietnam, with its capital in Hanoi. Whereas in South Vietnam, better known as the Republic of Vietnam with Saigon as its capital, Ngo Dihn Diem
commanded the South ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"He was universally called "Uncle Ho," a sobriquet also used in the North Vietnamese press. Before the constraint of war restricted him to official
duties, Ho regularly visited villages and towns. Simply clothed, he was especially fond of dropping into schools and chatting with the
children"(Whitman, 1969). He demonstrated the ideal of an unambiguous, humble man who incorporates his wisdom in commanding the attention of
his followers. He was relevant among them. During Ho Chi Minh presidency, he fought through the struggle, sacrifice and all; his country and his
Vietnamese people will gain their independence. Ho Chi Minh was a passionate democrat who shares the certainty that the desire of the people must
always be provided and permitted to triumph. "Ho Chi Minh was by far the best known Vietnamese leader (Moss, 2010)". In the year 1930, Ho Chi
Minh founded the French Communist Party. His leadership of the struggle to set free Vietnam from French colonialism had earned him massive
prestige (Moss, 2010 p. 83)." Ho Chi Minh and the other Vietminh leaders were committed to unifying Vietnam under their rule (Moss, 2010)." In
comparison to Minh's leadership style, Ngo Dinh Diem had a different viewpoint on leadership. Ngo Dinh Diem had a dictatorship method to
governing South Vietnam. In the Phan–Thiet province, Ngo Dinh Diem was given the title of governor in the year of 1921. As governor his popularity
grew due to the improvements made on the land and his involvement

The War Of The Vietnam War
Every great form of government must be open to change. If a country is not open to change, then they are doomed to fail. That doesn't mean all,
change can be considered a good thing or a bad thing, but is a necessary natural phenomenon to help keep up with the modern times. In the United
States (U.S) government 's case, this change was thrust upon them in the form of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam war forced the U.S's hand in adopting
a very aggressive form of foreign policy. The Vietnam war was highly controversial and unpopular with the American public. TheUnited States'
involvement in the Vietnam war lasted from 1965–1972, and it was the first war to fight Guerilla fighters head on in the U.S. This pressured the U.S to
adopt a very aggressive form of foreign policy to combat communist guerilla fighters. Vietnam was not a mistake and was doomed to fail to begin with
because before there were any U.S troops in the country the U.S was funding the South Vietnamese government the U.S had given the South
Vietnamese $770 million. (Haugen 10) The money, however, was not being used properly, and at that point the U.S should have known that even if
they went and occupied the country, it still wouldn't have helped anything especially when the country had very a very small strategic importance.
Regardless the U.S intervened and got more than they bargained for.or the first time, the U.S experienced a situation where they would need to change
their foreign policy to combat this

Divisions in the Presidents' Administration Caused by the...
Although war comes with risk, leaders often find it inevitable when it comes to assuring the safety of their citizens. The Vietnam War was a significant
movement in history that extended from 1965 – 1973 through the political years of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. The antiwar movement
caused division within the administration as to the deciding factors of the United States involvement in Vietnam. Their decisions caused the most
traumatizing event of the 20th Century. More than two decades ago the longest war ended, yet questions remain unanswered: what was the motivation
of President Kennedy and his administration (Nolting, Lodge, Rusk and McNamara) to get involved in the Vietnam War, the role of Diem and the
escalation of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In 1961, Kennedy sent 400 Green Beret soldiers to Saigon to teach South Vietnamese how to fight a war without help from American military troops.
Kennedy insisted that it was "their war, to win or loose," observing that the US favored "whatever helps the war effort."
Despite US efforts Vietnam was not totally successful against pro–Communist. By 1963, faced with a catastrophe, "Kennedy was convinced that he
had to choose between his own destiny (and reelection) and the interests of Vietnam." The US was forced to increase their military involvement from
approximately 800 to 16,000 and provide additional resources and advisors, but they maintained their position to not intervene with troops. Kennedy
had no intentions of abandoning the cause he felt was his hope for a second term. After meeting with his advisors and facing reality it was clear to the
Kennedy Administration that Diem was incapable of running the government and it was time to take action. The course of action was to encourage a
coup to overthrow President Diem. However, there was confusion within the camp because not everyone agreed this was the correct choice of action.
Did the tactics used to solve problems by the Kennedy administration cause the US to move forward when in fact we should have remained still?
How is that people can evaluate the same information and come out with different perspectives? President Kennedy

Ngo Dinh Diem In Vietnam

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