2. What is Vietnam War?
• The Vietnam War, also
known as the Second
Indochina War, is a
military struggle fought
in Vietnam from 1959
to 1975. It involves the
North Vietnamese and
the National Liberation
Front in conflict with
the United States forces
and the South
Vietnamese army
3. How it Started?
• Vietnam had been under French
colonial rule since the 19th
century.
• Following its 1945 defeat in
World War II Japan withdrew its
forces from Vietnam.
• Seeing an opportunity to seize
control Viet Minh forces
totakingok control over the
northern city of Hanoi and
declaring a Democratic Republic
of Vietnam with Ho as president.
4. What happened next?
• The Vietnam War and active U.S.
Involvement in the war began in
1954.
• After Ho’s communist forces took
power in the north, southern forces
win the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in
May 1954.
• In 1955 the strongly anti-communist
politician Ngo Dinh Diem pushed
Emperor Bao aside to become
president of the Government of the
Southern Vietnam
5. Viet Cong
• In 1955 President Dwight D. Eisenhower
had pledged his firm support to Diem
and South Vietnam.
• With training and equipment from
America Diem’s security forces cracked
down more than 100,000 Viet Cong,
many of them were brutally tortured and
executed.
• By 1957 the Viet Cong and other
opponents of Diem’s repressive regime
began fighting back with attacks on
government officials and other targets,
and in 1959 they had begun engaging
the South Vietnamese army in firefights
6. Live War
• Air Assault on Vietnam’s Village
• Viet Cong army attack U. S army
• The Americans are retreating.
7. The Domino Theory
• Working under the “domino theory,”
which held that if one Southeast Asian
country fell to communism, many other
countries would follow them.
• 1961 President John F. Kennedy sent team
to report conditions in South Vietnam and
to help them to confront the Viet Cong
threat.
• In 1962 U.S military reached 9.000 troops.
8. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
• Johnson announced that North
Vietnamese torpedo boats
attacked U.S. ships in the Gulf of
Tonkin, off the coast of North
Vietnam.
• He asked Congress to allow him
to have full authority to do
whatever it took to resolve this
conflict and prevent further North
Vietnamese aggression.
• Changed the U.S. role in Vietnam
from military advisors to active
fighters.
9. My Lai Massacre
• In the March 1968 U.S. Soldiers had mercilessly
slaughtered more than 400 unarmed civilians in the
village of My Lai.
• After that on November 15, 1969, the largest anti-war
demonstration in American history took place in
Washington, D.C., as over 250,000 Americans
gathered peacefully, calling for withdrawal of
American troops from Vietnam.
10. When Did the Vietnam War End?
• In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam
concluded a final peace agreement to end the war.
• War between North and South Vietnam continued,
however, until April 30, 1975, when DRV forces
captured Saigon City which led to the end of war.
11. Lasting Effects
• More than two decades of violent conflict had
inflicted a devastating toll on Vietnam’s population:
After years of warfare, an estimated 2 million
Vietnamese were killed, while 3 million were wounded
and another 12 million became refugees. Warfare had
demolished the country’s infrastructure and economy,
and reconstruction proceeded slowly.
12. Most important people of Vietnam War
• American President
Mr. Kennedy • Ngo Dinh Diem – leader
of Southern Vietnam
• Ho Chi Minh – leader of
Northern Vietnam
13. Apply your knowledge
After watching the video – Answer the following question
Why did Johnson not run for re-election in 1968?
