The Vietnam War, popularly known as the Second Indochina War, saw the Vietnamese civilians and troops suffer in pain, both physically and emotionally. Not to forget, America was also torn into pieces, especially on their financial front, by aiding in the warfare between the Northern communists and Southern Vietnam! Though the Vietnam War kept a bloody mark on history, there are still many unknown sides of the warfare that never came into the limelight. This article will take you to the time of the war between the two Vietnamese regions and will unfold some of the unrevealed facts about Vietnam War.
While the US joined hands with the South Vietnamese in the hope to hinder the communist influence over the state, it had no intention to continue the warfare. Finally, On March 29, 1973, American troops evacuated Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) as the United States ended its involvement in the Vietnam War.
Facts About Vietnam War
This section will tell you the untold story of the Vietnam War and the pain and suffering faced by innocent civilians and the poor. So, without further ado, let’s learn some quick facts about Vietnam War.
1. Kennedy Never Promoted Warfare
Though John. F. Kennedy joined the war against North Vietnam in the hope to ban communist rule in the Southeast Asian countries; he never promoted any warfare. His only aim was to stop the spread of communist rule.
2. The War Wasn’t Only Between The US And North Vietnam
It is widely believed that the war was fought mainly between North Vietnam, powered by China against South Vietnam, aided by the US forces. But, there was involvement from other countries as well. Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea also contributed their fair share to the blood-curdling battle.
3. AK- 47 Vs M-16
The US military faced huge problems with their weapons of war, the M-16 rifle. The first generation of the rifle could not be used efficiently to its full potential. Thus, the US military often took up the AK-47 rifles of the Vietnamese troops, after they had been killed.
4. The US Didn’t Win All The Battles
The North Vietnamese troops were in no way weaker than the US troops. They were trapped in the vicious clutches of the Chinese forces who would keep the efficient weapons to them and placed poorly functioning ammunition as a substitute for the North Vietnamese Army. Thus, they couldn’t help themselves and lost almost every battle to the US. But, this does not mean that the US never lost the wars. The battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord is a true example of this fact.
5. The Vietnamese Deaths Were Far More Than The Americans
The War saw the helpless situation of the American troops. More than 58,220 Americans died! But, the number of Vietnamese deaths, including both Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam outreach the Americans. Excluding the Vietnamese soldiers, around 2 million civilians died. Now, just think how many soldiers might have died in the war? How many were injured? The number is insane, right?
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6. Vietnam War Or The American War?
While the war is named globally, the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese refer to the war as the American War.
7. The Vietnamese Superstitions Were Used Against Them
According to Vietnamese traditions, if the dead did not receive a proper death funeral, the souls wander into the mortal world to scare the living beings! This superstition was used against them by the US forces. To scare away the Vietnamese army, the US troops used to make sounds of ghosts at night in the jungles.
8. The Americans Joined The War According To Their Own Will
The US Army was never forced to join the war. They joined hands with South Vietnam with their own will, to knock off the influence of the Communists on the Southeast Asian countries.
9. The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident
It is said that the North Vietnamese Army attacked two US warships, the US Maddox and the U. S. S. C. Turner Joy, consecutively on the 2nd and 4th of August. But, McNamara, in one of his statements quoted that the second attack never actually happened.
10. The Operation Snoopy
It was getting difficult for the US to find and kill the North Vietnamese troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail! So, they used “ Operation Snoopy “, a sensor that could detect remnants of human sweat and urine. But, this was not as effective as expected because it led to attacks on the innocents!
11. The Scarcity Of Resources
During the war period, there was the unavailability of proper medicine and other resources. As a result, the soldiers were given super glue to control bleeding!
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12. “Agent Orange”
Unaware of the harsh effects of the chemical, Agent Orange was used in the war to clear forest cover in Vietnam. But, the after-effects of the chemical could be seen even today. It caused tumors and birth defects in the newborn!
13. Why Did South Vietnam Lose The War?
The South Vietnamese Army was a strong opponent of the North Vietnamese Army! But, in the latter half of the war, the US refused to aid South Vietnam. Thus, they were helpless and had to surrender to Communism-influenced North Vietnam, which was still aided by China and the USSR!
Conclusion
There are way too many untold stories and facts about Vietnam War. There is still much information that has been kept a secret in the hearts of the war survivors!
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