Who Won the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War began in 1959, but after thirty years of fighting in Vietnam, the Communist government still reigned strong and was in control of Hanoi. The Americans and South Vietnamese people had been expelled from the country. It would be safe to say that nobody won the war. There were over five million Vietnamese killed during the war. Both sides in the conflict experienced a high death toll.

The American involvement in the war occurred because the U.S. wanted to aid the democratic government that was in power, helping them not to fall to the Communist government that the North Vietnamese wanted to put into power.

The war occurred at the height of the Cold War with Russia and, to a lesser degree, with China. Both China and Russia were sending aid to the North Vietnamese government to help with the war effort. They were supplying guns and advisors for the military leaders.

The military might of the United States did little to help the Vietnamese hold onto their country. Up until the war, the only type of warfare that the U.S. had been involved in was conventional warfare. The Vietnamese, on the other hand, had been fighting a guerrilla war for hundreds of years between local warlords and in jungle terrain.

The U.S. aid and the soldiers and methods used in Vietnam by the U.S. were unfortunately not very effective in a guerrilla war. Most army personnel were used to seeing the enemy and engaging in a slug it out kind of battle; but, the Vietnamese were experts in the art of laying traps and using civilians to carry out missions for the army. The U.S. would never know what to expect or know whom they were fighting. Anyone on the street could be on the other side in the conflict.

With no clear understanding of the rules of engagement, it was difficult for our troops to have any success in the war. We still fought in the manner that we had used in WWII and Korea. We resorted to brute force to overcome the enemy and it just didn't work.

The Paris Agreement

In 1973, both sides involved in the conflict met in Paris to discuss the process for peace. It was agreed that the United States would withdraw its troops from Vietnam and the country would split into a north and south region. The Communists would rule the Northern region, while the South Region would model itself after the western economic and financial principles. The United States further agreed to pay $4.75 billion in aid to reconstruct the damage to Hanoi.

Following the Paris Agreement, the communists succeeded in solidifying the country under a Communistic rule. As the U.S. troops were being withdrawn, the scene was chaotic at best. The promised aid was denied after the fall of Saigon.

The war had come to an end, but the losses had been gigantic. Not only were there the economic losses from the aid given and the equipment used to wage war, but there were also the losses of human life and the U.S. suffered from a loss in global prestige.

To answer the question of who won the Vietnam War, all these factors must be examined. The Vietnamese people certainly didn’t win the war, in light of the huge loss of life and destruction in their country. The United States didn’t win the war; we lost the lives of brave men, money in economic aid and military equipment.

Life After the War

The Vietnam War provided many lessons for the American people and created many problems for the social reintegration of soldiers that returned home. The main lesson learned by the military was that conventional tactics and warfare were not suited for a war of this type. Fighting a war where you had no idea who your enemy was and who your allies were was very dangerous. As soldiers returned home, this war had taken a much harsher toll on them than any of our previous military engagements in other wars in history.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was the lasting legacy of many soldiers. The chemicals that were used in the jungles to defoliate the jungle also had a lasting effect on the health of many soldiers. Agent Orange has been blamed for many of the health problems of those that returned from Vietnam.