Did America lose the Vietnam war?

[visser300]

In communist country such as China, Cuba and Vietnam, the students study that American was lost the Vietnam war. Is it really a fact? People agrue that American never declare war on North Vietnam so they cannot lose the war. However, if they have no business in Vietnam war, why did they join the Paris agreement 1972? Why did they save a lot of South Vietnamese in 1975? Why did they have the 7th fleet in the South Sea at that time and why did Americans always against the war that it never exist between 1965-1973?

I'm so confused .

[hellheaven1987]

American lost Vietnam War, case close.

[Incontinenta Buttox]

Of course they lost the war.

The USA was not defeated in a traditional military sense, but the will to continue fighting in the USA gradually ebbed away as the casualties mounted. So, Yes. The USA was certainly defeated politically.

[Azog 150]

Yes, they were defeated. The US went into Vietnam to stop the spread of Communism. Not only did they fail to stop South Vietnam falling to the Communists, but Communism also subsequently spread to Laos and Cambodia. The US was forced to retreat mainly through a lack of will to carry on amongst the US population. Militarily they did quite well, but were never able to fully crush their opponents or achieve their goals.

[Jaketh]

we where not ruthless enough in our determination to defeat the North Vietnamese, combine that with the large hippie population of the time and it was a disaster

[hellheaven1987]

we where not ruthless enough in our determination to defeat the North Vietnamese, combine that with the large hippie population of the time and it was a disaster

You guys did use lies to involve in South Vietnam.

[Elmar]

we where not ruthless enough in our determination to defeat the North Vietnamese, combine that with the large hippie population of the time and it was a disaster

Quite the opposite.
The US lost in Vietnam in large because they tried to implement what the British did in the Malaya emergency. But instead they went in heavy handed, with not a care for what the ordinary Vietnamese might want or need. The US used force, often indiscriminate, while propping up a very disreputable government.They had nothing to offer the Vietnamese.
What the Brits managed with the fortified villages, the US mishandled in to what were more or less concentration camps. Displacing people from their ancestral homeland for the convenience of their troops only. The Malayans on the other hand, in the end benefited from the deal with security and improved housing, electricity and plumbing.
Had the US been less ruthless and used more finesse they would have gotten infinitely further.

More ruthless? That war killed millions of people, most of them at the hands of US and US backed forces. How much more ruthless did you want it to be? There's still large swathes of land in Vietnam where nothing will grow! Who do you think the US were fighting for, if you think the strategy adopted required to be more ruthless?

[Incontinenta Buttox]

The fact that the US did not/could not apply the brutal and ruthless methods that would have been required to defeat the North Vietnamese, is a credit to them as a nation.

[Lord de Lyonesse]

The fact that the US did not/could not apply the brutal and ruthless methods that would have been required to defeat the North Vietnamese, is a credit to them as a nation.

Lol, My Lai massacre is pretty brutal, the fact the US government supplied drugs to its own soldiers to keep fighting and finally the tonnage of bombs dropped on Vietnam was more than the entire tonnage of bombs dropped throughout World War II shows for me, Vietnam was an ugly mess and a credit to no-one, least of all L.B Johnson, Nixon or Henry Kissinger.

we where not ruthless enough in our determination to defeat the North Vietnamese, combine that with the large hippie population of the time and it was a disaster

Dude, they were people who didn't want to be drafted into a war they didn't believe in. News of American soldiers raping Vietnamese girls disgusted everyone. By 1969 when the average age of American soldiers death was 19, it wasn't just the hippies complaining it was the whole damn society.





America still haven't learned due to events in Afghanistan

[43rdFoot]

Lol, My Lai massacre is pretty brutal, the fact the US government supplied drugs to its own soldiers to keep fighting and finally the tonnage of bombs dropped on Vietnam was more than the entire tonnage of bombs dropped throughout World War II shows for me, Vietnam was an ugly mess and a credit to no-one, least of all L.B Johnson, Nixon or Henry Kissinger.

My Lai was far more the exception than it was the rule. And such massacres were never part of overall strategy.[QUOTE]

Dude, they were people who didn't want to be drafted into a war they didn't believe in. News of American soldiers raping Vietnamese girls disgusted everyone. By 1969 when the average age of American soldiers death was 19, it wasn't just the hippies complaining it was the whole damn society.

Again, just because you were in the American army during the Vietnam war doesn't mean you raped Vietnamese girls and massacred villages. Most were volunteers. Also, the average age of the American soldier was more like 22. And also, there was huge controversy over the American involvement in Vietnam because it wasn't the "whole damn society" complaining.

Misrepresentation. THis airstrike was done by the South Vietnamese.

America still haven't learned due to events in Afghanistan

Actually, the war in Afghanistan is going pretty well, as far as wars go. It may be long, but that's the nature of such conflicts. Steadily and assuredly the Taliban is losing ground and friends.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

The fact that the US did not/could not apply the brutal and ruthless methods that would have been required to defeat the North Vietnamese, is a credit to them as a nation.

They did use those tactics and that's why they lost. They could have had Ho Chi Mihn on their sidewithout a war but they didn't due to the fact he was communist. Better a US-aligned communist in the cold war than a Soviet aligned one.

The UK used random killing of civilians in reprisal for attacks in Ireland in the 20s, and interned thousands of innocent people. They turned it from a revolt despised by most Irish people to a universally supported revolution.

The Vietnamese were even more determined, and the USA considerably more brutal.

the reason the ISAF is winning is because it is friendly with the population while the taliban are murderers.

My Lai was far more the exception than it was the rule. And such massacres were never part of overall strategy.

My Lai happened hundreds of times over. Nearly 3 million civilians were killed in total. Obviously most of them were VC supporters, but only because of the brutality inflicted by the USA.

If a village was suspected of insugent activity the army would go there and completely destroy it. Of course the civilians were supposed to be released or interned but sometimes they were killed.

I recall one operation where over 3,000 "Vietcong" were killed yet only 250 or so weapons were found.

The USA was responsible for its own defeat.

[hellheaven1987]

the reason the ISAF is winning is because it is friendly with the population while the taliban are murderers.

ISAF is winning?? Now that is a news to me.

[Xanthippus of Sparta]

The fact that the US did not/could not apply the brutal and ruthless methods that would have been required to defeat the North Vietnamese, is a credit to them as a nation.

Like dropping an A-Bomb on them and causing WWIII like some US politicans wanted to do at the time.

The US did lose the Vietnam War. It was a war that never should have been waged aganist Vietnam in any capacity.

There's still some crazies in the US that regret the loss of the war. But, realistically, what else could have been done? What terrible complications did pulling out of Vietnam cause on the world stage?

After the war North Vietnam...

Crushed the Khmer Rouge who were in mid-genocide in Cambodia.

Went to war with Communist China in 1979. Proving once again that Communist countries did not pose a united front aganist the "Free World".

In the 90's the Vietnamese became very friendly to US investment.

Today Vietnam is practically a regional ally of the US, due to the Vietnamese being very untrusting of China.

[43rdFoot]

Like dropping an A-Bomb on them and causing WWIII like some US politicans wanted to do at the time.

The US did lose the Vietnam War. It was a war that never should have been waged aganist Vietnam in any capacity.

There's still some crazies in the US that regret the loss of the war. But, realistically, what else could have been done? What terrible complications did pulling out of Vietnam cause on the world stage?

After the war North Vietnam...

Crushed the Khmer Rouge who were in mid-genocide in Cambodia.

Went to war with Communist China in 1979. Proving once again that Communist countries did not pose a united front aganist the "Free World".

In the 90's the Vietnamese became very friendly to US investment.

Today Vietnam is practically a regional ally of the US, due to the Vietnamese being very untrusting of China.

I can't say I disagree with any of this.

[conon394]

we where not ruthless enough in our determination to defeat the North Vietnamese, combine that with the large hippie population of the time and it was a disaster

Why should we have been more ruthless - the regimes we supported were corrupt and inspired little loyalty and the cost of a defeat was minor and risked little to the US. A small colonial war is hardly worth the effort we spent of the damage we did.

[Darth Caesar]

In communist country such as China, Cuba and Vietnam, the students study that American was lost the Vietnam war.

Add Australia to the list that teaches the commies won the war.

[Dr. Croccer]

Because it did.

[Ayleid]

Of course the Americans lost. Add to the list the UK, at A level, which is also taught that the Americans lost the vietnam war.

The Tet offensive undermined everything, and showed that all the gains made by the Americans could easily be undone in a spur of the momment, fanatical, offensive; which of course Westmoreland never anticipated.

Overall, massive failure which is still being repeated in Americas foreign policy today: case being Afghanistan.

[Phier]

Of course the Americans lost. Add to the list the UK, at A level, which is also taught that the Americans lost the vietnam war.

The Tet offensive undermined everything, and showed that all the gains made by the Americans could easily be undone in a spur of the momment, fanatical, offensive; which of course Westmoreland never anticipated.

Overall, massive failure which is still being repeated in Americas foreign policy today: case being Afghanistan.

The Tet offensive was a military disaster for the north/vc, it was a political success.

Vietnam showed how a modern nation could lose a war without really losing a major battle.

[charles the hammer]

we lost I am fairly certain that is taught everywhere. Luckly it did provide lessons that we have used to be more effective in Iraq and Afghanistan though.