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The Second French Indochina War becomes Vietnam War 1954 - 1961
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In 1954, Vietnam was divided into North and South. The North was led by __________.
In 1954, after a long conflict, French colonial rule ends in Vietnam. The League for the Independence of Vietnam, known as the Viet Minh, emerges victorious. Vietnam is temporarily split at the 17th parallel into two parts primarily due to political differences. North Vietnam is communist, led by Ho Chi Minh. South Vietnam is anti-communist and supported by the United States under Ngo Dinh Diem.
An international agreement temporarily divides the country until national elections can be held in 1956. However, South Vietnam's leader, Dinh Diem, afraid to lose his power, refuses these elections. He takes control, giving important jobs and land to his friends and family, while suppressing opposition. In the North, Ho Chi Minh implements reforms, redistributing land from landlords to impoverished peasants. He gains widespread support among not only the Vietnamese population in the North, but also in the South.
The process, however, turns violent, with thousands of people wrongly labeled as landowners being killed or imprisoned. The government later admits to these mistakes, stops the reforms, releases prisoners, and returns land to those who were affected. US President Eisenhower is worried. He describes the situation as a line of dominoes: “if one country falls to communism, the others will quickly follow” — The Domino Theory. For the United States, communism is the greatest threat to Western democracy and capitalism.
America vows to provide political, military, and economic aid for any democratic countries under threat from communist influence. As a result, even though Diem's government in South Vietnam is controlling and corrupt, the US supports it to stop communism from gaining influence. In South Vietnam, Diem, who is Catholic, strongly opposes Buddhism despite most Vietnamese being Buddhist. He orders thousands of Buddhists, and other rebels, to be imprisoned or killed by the police and military. This action causes Diem to lose support among the South Vietnamese.
By 1957, communists, Buddhists, and other rebels in South Vietnam organize, violently protesting Diem’s oppressive government. The protests soon lead to a civil war. The rebels are called the Viet Cong (VC). They hide in the jungle by day and attack by night. The Viet Cong operate stealthily, blending in with peasant farmers, and employ guerrilla warfare, causing chaos in South Vietnam.
The North Vietnamese Army sends supplies and soldiers to help the Viet Cong fight within South Vietnam. A secret supply network of foot and bike paths is established. The Ho Chi Minh Trail runs from the north to the south through the rough Cambodian and Laotian jungles and mountains. In 1959, Ho Chi Minh officially declares a People's War against South Vietnam, aiming for reunification under communist rule. America is committed to defending South Vietnam.
At any cost — but with one exception. The US will not send soldiers into combat in Vietnam. It’s too risky. The threat of China or the Soviet Union entering and starting a world war is real. The Soviets already support North Vietnam with weapons, And what’s more, the Soviet Union also has nuclear bombs.
Stopping the spread of communism, without direct US combat, is the challenge. So, instead of soldiers, large amounts of money, weapons, and over 700 US military advisers are sent to Vietnam. South Vietnam will fight for itself — and the United States. This is a proxy war.