Vietnam War Essay - 944 Words

How effective were the Vietcong tactics of underground tunnels and booby traps in the Vietnam War? The Vietnam War was a war that started during the late 1950s and ended during the late 1970s. The Vietnam War ended in the Vietcong victory over America. I believe that this was due to the underground ‘labyrinth’ of tunnels and the vast usage of guerrilla warfare used by the Vietcong. Their usage of the tunnels and booby traps were in my opinion ingenious. The variety of the booby traps that were used was astounding. Homemade mines and bombs, punji sticks, grenade traps, pit traps, deadfalls, cross-bow traps and other devices were used by them. The booby traps ranged from punji sticks to an assortment of grenades, mines and explosive†¦show more content†¦The spikes were dipped in human waste to cause infection. However, in my opinion they were used more as a means of psychological warfare rather than physical warfare. http://suite101.com/article/death-on-a-stick-punji-stick-traps-used-by-the-viet-cong-a368182 says that the Vietnam War holds a horrific place in history because the enemy was capable of inflicting the most psychological doubt upon every United States soldiers mind. However, the other important aspect of their victory is underground complex of tunnels that they built. The interesting fact is that the tunnels were not just built during the Vietnam War; they were built during the Indochina War that took place between France and Vietnam. The tunnels were maintained after that in case a war broke out with South-Vietnam. As soon as war broke out and America entered the scene, Ho Chi Minh, the leader of North-Vietnam ordered to expand the tunnels. According to http://www.warchapter.com/Vietnam_war_Tunnels.html the tunnels were a complex underworld. It included kitchens, hospitals, and workshops, sleeping areas, communications and ammunition storage; it even contained rooms for entertainment. Soldiers used these underground routes to house troops,Show MoreRelatedVietnam And The Vietnam War1987 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1945, at the end of WWII, Vietnam started their war for independence against their colonial rulers, France. Nine years after the start o f the First Indochina War, the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu which led to a peace conference in Geneva. At the conference, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam received their independence from France. However, Vietnam was divided between a Communist North and a Democratic South. In 1958, Communist- supported guerrillas in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, beganRead MoreThe War Of Vietnam And The Vietnam War1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe war in Vietnam is The United States and other capitalist bloc countries supported South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) against the support by the Soviet Union and other socialist bloc countries of North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and the Vietcong of war. Which occurred during the Cold War of Vietnam (main battlefield), Laos, and Cambodia. This is the biggest and longtime war in American history during the 1960s (Best 2008). It is also the most significant war after World War IIRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1379 Words   |  6 Pagestensions over the Vietnam war caused many americans to become divided on the actions taken by the government across seas. Americans questioned whether the government could be trusted. The feeling of betrayal and government secrecy created the â€Å"Credibility Gap,† in which many americans believed that the government no longer was for the people, but for anything else that would benefit the government. The Vietnam War exacerbated the gap between the pro-war traditionalists and anti-war liberals along withRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam War cost many Americans their lives in the 60s and 70s. Many were drafted into the war by choice and others selectively chosen to join to help America. The contributions made had a major impact on the American side of the Vietnam War. Though many contributions were made none stand out any more than others. It is sometimes said there is always a hero in the war who helped the victory. Wars, however , do not have war heroes because a hero is making an undeniable contribution to the war andRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1693 Words   |  7 Pagesthe War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Indian Wars, the Civil War, and are back-to-back winners of the World Wars. With the amount of victories made, Americans might try to process the question of who won the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War never had a declared victor. America got involved in the Vietnam War during the year of 1965. The United States first became involved in the war by financially supporting France in the first Indochina War. After that, Vietnam wasRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War773 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam was the most talked about issue of the time. Due to the high number of American casualties, and the troubling images that were broadcast on the nightly news networks, the opposition of the war rose drastically. Many argue that the climax of the anti-war opposition occurred in May of 1970 on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. It was during an anti-war protest that the Ohio National Guard opened fired on the crowd, killing four studentsRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War886 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican soldiers arrived in My Lai on March 16, 1968. These soldiers were members of the Charlie Company, which was a division within the army. The Charlie Company had been in Vietnam a few months before they were called to My Lai. Americans were fighting against North Vietnam alongside South Vietnam. â€Å"They (Charlie Company) were on a search and destroy mission to root out 48th Viet Cong Battalion thought to be in the area† (AE Networks). The Charlie Company encountered numerous amount ofRead MoreThe Vietnam War1055 Words   |  4 Pagesa time when the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War is increased. On August of 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats fired upon American vessels and Lyndon Johnson declared this as an act of open aggression against the United States and Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave the president full power to make any decisions he thought to be necessary. President LBJ decided to increase the United States involvement in war and his reasons included: credibility of the UnitedRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1732 Words   |  7 Pages Many of those who have seen the face of war will tell you that it never leaves that individual. It is likely that some of those who may tell you that may have seen that face during their time in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was an armed conflict that spanned over many years before it finally ended in 1973 with the exfiltration of United States (US) forces. During this time, tens of thousands of US service members lost their life while hundreds of thousands were left with debilitating injuries andRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War2479 Words   |  10 Pagesalternation of information was specifically seen during the Vietnam War. The fact that the Vietnam War was the first televised war was the primary reason that public opinion turned against the war, and ultimately led to the United States’ withdrawal from Vietnam. Domino Theory and fear of communism led America to want/have to intervene in Vietnam. This led to gulf of tonkin as excuse to go to war. The tension of communism derived from the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States. As more