Essay on Critical Circumstances of the Vietnam War

CRITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE VIETNAM WAR The Vietnam War was a cold war that spanned from 1956 to the fall of Saigon on April 30th 1975. It can be seen that the end result of the Vietnam War tainted America’s image through its failure to demolish the Vietnamese Communist Government . It should be noted that many years before America was directly involved with the war, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were under French colonial rule where the Viá »â€¡t Minh (the communist nationalist independence coalition) spent many years fighting for freedom from the French. In 1959 the Geneva Conference permitted the foremost powers to come to an agreement on Indochina which would temporarily divide Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Going forward, the country†¦show more content†¦This examination hopes to place further clarity on the positions of both the Americans and the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War, while also providing additional insight behind living through the war experience. VIETNAMESE INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES During the Vietnam War the Northern part of Vietnam was controlled by the Viá »â€¡t Minh while also being supported by communist China and Russia. The Novel, The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam, written by Bao Ninh, does not heavily emphasize the political position of the North solely, but tells the tale of a Vietnam soldier who has lived through war, who happens to be fighting for the North’s cause. Kien, the main character, attempts to comfort both his personal and national losses through recounting experiences by compiling a memoir, while also exploring the causes of anguish behind the war. A recurring theme in the novel is the idea of people who fight in the war and people who become affected by the war both share a heavy burden of trauma and suffering. As the story unfolds, Kien recalls his position as a platoon commander responsible for collecting corpses, but then turns in for the night on a hammock on a transport truck ve ry close to the edges of The Jungle of Screaming Souls. Being a survivor of many gruesome battles within this jungle, Kien suddenly begins to suffer from vivid flashbacks of his time fighting. He also recalls the desperation of him and his comrades, who would consumeShow MoreRelatedPresident Lyndon B. Johnson1227 Words   |  5 Pageswill sometimes decide not to run for reelection. For President Lyndon B. Johnson, it was circumstance that led to his decision to refrain from being president for another four years. By 1968, America’s effort to secure a genuine victory in Vietnam was severely hindered by the Tet Offensive. This critical turning point had a tremendous impact on the public’s support for the war and the way the media reported the war to the American people. As a result, President Lyndon B. 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