Vietnam...where is it? .

Vietnam...where is it?http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/vn.htm

A Brief DescriptionThe ancient origins of Vietnam's literature, language and culture, and the country itself, began in the north along the fringes of the Red River Delta.

Long controlled and influenced by the Chinese, it enjoyed nine centuries of independence, until, in the 19th century, the French colonial period began. In 1887, Vietnam became a part of French Indochina.

At the end of World War II Vietnam declared its independence, however, France continued its control until soundly defeated by Ho Chi Minh's Communist forces in 1954.

Shortly thereafter, based on the Geneva Accord, Vietnam was divided into two parts; the Communist North and the anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam began to grow and serious conflict was on the horizon.

In March, 1965, the first American troops landed in South Vietnam, and the bloody conflict called the Vietnam War began.

After tens of thousands died on both sides, and billions in military expenditures, this sad, tragic war finally ended on April 30, 1975.

Two years later the remains of the South's army fell, and Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, and North and South joined together as one.

For the next few decades, Vietnam, demoralized by the affects of war, remained economically stagnant. Over the last five years Vietnam's government has made a series of changes (reforms) designed to make the country more competitive in the 21st Century.

gr9museumproject.asb-wiki.wikispaces.net

What does this mean?Imperialism

: the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other

areas; broadly : the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence <union

imperialism> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

imperialism

Here is another way of looking at Imperialism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHoP6suXZm4&feature=related

For a brief overview of the war

(14 minutes)

The Vietnam War ended in 1975. The USA withdrew their troops and North

and South Vietnam were reunited. After 35 years, the world no longer pays

attention to the drama. But for the Vietnamese people the legacy of

American warfare continues. It was a cruel and brutal war that was also

extremely damaging to the environment. US forces used the herbicide Agent

Orange to destroy foliage that the North Vietnamese were using as cover.

Agent Orange contains dioxins that are known to cause cancer and damage

genes. The effects of the toxic substance can be seen among Vietnamese

people to this day: cancer, immune disorders and severe deformities.

According to official estimates, there are 1.2 million disabled children in

Vietnam. In rural areas, the percentage of disabled children is significantly

higher than in urban areas. The face of 9-year-old Nguyen Thi Ly is a sad

example of this toxic legacy.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/17/5669850-unicefs-2010-photo-of-the-year-vietnam-war-causes-endless-suffering

For photos from the UNICEF site on lasting effects of the war on the Vietnamese People

Communism• Definition of COMMUNISM• 1• a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in

which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed • 2• capitalized a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and

Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d : communist systems collectively

• http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communism

The Cold War

• Open yet restricted rivalry and hostility that developed after World War II between the U.S. and the

Soviet Union and their respective allies. The U.S. and Britain, alarmed by the Soviet domination of

Eastern Europe, feared the expansion of Soviet power and communism in Western Europe and

elsewhere. The Soviets were determined to maintain control of Eastern Europe, in part to safeguard

against a possible renewed threat from Germany. The Cold War (the term was first used by Bernard

Baruch during a congressional debate in 1947) was waged mainly on political, economic, and

propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. It was at its peak in 1948–53 with the

Berlin blockade and airlift, the formation of NATO, the victory of the communists in the Chinese civil

war, and the Korean War. Another intense stage occurred in 1958–62 with the Cuban missile crisis,

which resulted in a weapons build up by both sides. A period of détente in the 1970s was followed by

renewed hostility. The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

• http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Cold+War

The Domino Effect The Domino Theory was first developed under the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. It was

argued that if the first domino is knocked over then the rest topple in turn. Applying this to

South-east Asia Eisenhower argued that if South Vietnam was taken by communists, then the

other countries in the region such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and

Indonesia, would follow.

Eisenhower’s vice-president, Richard Nixon, was a devout follower of this theory. In a speech

made in December, 1953, Nixon argued “If Indochina falls, Thailand is put in an almost

impossible position. The same is true of Malaya with its rubber and tin. The same is true of

Indonesia. If this whole part of South East Asia goes under Communist domination or

Communist influence, Japan, who trades and must trade with this area in order to exist must

inevitably be oriented towards the Communist regime.”

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3750

The theory looks like this...

Or this...

Australia’s involvement in Vietnamhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMLPjNlrTZs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSCN4RcfW_I

• Harold Holt was Australian Prime Minister from 1966 to 1967. Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was President of the United States of America from 1963 to 1969. Holt is well remembered for saying, ‘All the way with LBJ’, meaning that Australia would be with the USA all the way in the fight against communism in Vietnam.

• In the early stages of the war this decision was very popular among the Australian people, as was LBJ himself. This photograph shows the closeness of the relationship that took Australian troops to war.

• http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8152/other/photos_pop02.htm?Signature=(6b86f785-81c1-4d6f-974f-14383e950c63)

What was happening in Australia?

Anti Vietnam War sentiment grew

War is Hellhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qIgVrOy9vM

Shunned by society. Never in Australia's military history have returned soldiers been attacked psychologically by their own people....

http://www.vvaa.org.au/experience.htm

Post Traumatic Stress DisorderPTSD

Their campaign comprised an irregular sequence of skirmishes in which apparent successes were measured by ground half-secured and counts of enemy dead, which might again be innocent villagers.

O'Keefe sums up their unique involveVietnam soldiers fought an enemy that was generally indistinguishable from the village populations they were meant to protect. The enemy included women and children who might be implicated in setting lethal ambushes and maiming booby traps as well as landmines. Many soldiers had come to doubt the cause for which they had been sent to Vietnam, in a war which had never been declared and which ended in defeat. They remembered mates who were killed by accidents and 'friendly fire'. Their infantry war had mostly comprised tense, enervating patrols, clad in clothes and boots that were wet for days on end, with constant threats from foul water, unsafe local food, composite rations, skin eruptions, intestinal disorders, malarial infection and a well armed, elusive human enemyment by stating that it is a testimony to human resilience that in the outcome so few of the young men were mentally and physically broken.

http://www.vvaa.org.au/experience.htm

So...what do YOU think?

This introduction to the Vietnam conflict is designed to help you begin your own research. It has not been put together to make you think or believe in any one perspective however it is designed to introduce the stakeholders in the conflict. It is especially designed to demonstrate those who have lost the most. The surviving generations of Vietnamese are condemned to live in the ongoing contamination of their country. The returned veterans were suffering PTSD and social isolation because of their participation in the war. The families of soldiers who never returned home had their own grief to deal with, and the Governments of the day realized they were out of step with public opinion.