The+Second+Indochina+War

= THE SECOND INDOCHINA WAR =



Topics
In this part of the course we will cover the following topics:
 * nature and effectiveness of the strategy and tactics employed by the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front (NLF), and by the South Vietnamese and the USA.
 * impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive.
 * impact of the war on civilians in Indochina.
 * nature and significance of anti-war movements in the USA.
 * the defeat of the South Vietnamese forces.

Lessons
A summary of the lessons in this topic can be accessed by clicking on the links below:
 * The Second Indochina War - Bankstown lesson outlines - August 11th 2016
 * The Second Indochina War - Granville lesson outlines - August 8th 2016

Maps and documents

 * [[file:bankstowntafehsc/US military regions in South Vietnam.docx|US military regions in South Vietnam.docx]]
 * Once the US stepped up its involvement in Vietnam, the VC moved many of their operations underground. The main complex was at Cu Chi, in the so-called 'Iron Triangle' near Saigon, where the tunnels stretched for 120 kilometres. For a diagram of the tunnels, click on [[file:bankstowntafehsc/The tunnel system at Cu Chi.docx|The tunnel system at Cu Chi.docx]]
 * [[file:bankstowntafehsc/The Tet Offensive.docx|The Tet Offensive.docx]]
 * During the Tet Offensive, the commander of the South Vietnamese police force, General Loan, executed a Viet Cong suspect in the streets of Saigon. He was reacting to the news that his godchildren had just been murdered by the VC, and when a prisoner was brought before him he shot him through the head. Theexecution was captured on film, and became one of the most enduring images of the war. It sickened Americans, and persuaded many that their South Vietnamese ally was no better than the enemy. A black and white photograph of the execution can be accessed by clicking on [[file:bankstowntafehsc/The execution of a VC suspect during the Tet Offensive.docx|The execution of a VC suspect during the Tet Offensive.docx]]. Film footage can be accessed by clicking on [|Execution of a VC suspect]. Please note that this footage is very graphic, and should not be viewed by anyone who is squeamist.
 * Abbie Hoffman was one of the most controversial figures of the Vietnam era. He organised a number of protests that were violently crushed by the police. The most famous of these was outside the Democratic Party Convention in 1968, when 5,000 demonstrators faced 26,000 police and national guardsmen. The resultant violence is another enduring image of the Vietnam War. Hoffman was arrested and charged with organising a riot, but the case was thrown out of court when it was decided that it was the police that had gone on a rampage, not the demonstrators. To see pictures of Abbie Hoffman, click on [[file:bankstowntafehsc/Abbie Hoffman.docx|Abbie Hoffman.docx]]
 * One of the places where the anti-war movement first appeared was the University of California in Berkeley. The Bay Area of San Francisco was a major staging post for the Vietnam War, so it became a locus of protest for the student radical movement. At the same time as the anti-war movement, to other important social movements emerged in the Bay Area - the hippy movement in San Francisco (in the district known as Haight-Ashbury) and the Black Panther Party in Oakland. [[file:bankstowntafehsc/Map of the Bay Area of San Francisco.docx|Map of the Bay Area of San Francisco.docx]]

Videos
Click on the following links to watch the documentary series //Unknown Images: The Vietnam War//:

Episode 1: The Secret of the War
 * Unknown Images: episode 1 - part 1
 * Unknown Images: episode 1 - part 2
 * Unknown Images: episode 1 - part 3
 * Unknown Images: episode 1 - part 4
 * Unknown Images: episode 1 - part 5

Episode 2: The Secret of the Weapons
 * Unknown Images: episode 2 - part 1
 * Unknown Images: episode 2 - part 2
 * Unknown Images: episode 2 - part 3
 * Unknown Images: episode 2 - part 4
 * Unknown Images: episode 2 - part 5

Episode 3: The Secret of the Men
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 1
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 2
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 3
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 4
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 5
 * Unknown Images: episode 3 - part 6

Handouts
1. Reading material covering the tactics and strategies adopted by both sides in the war, as well as the Tet Offensive: [|Tactics and strategies.doc]

2.

3. Reading material on the reasons the United States lost the war in Vietnam: [|US defeat in Vietnam.doc]

4. Reading material on the anti-war movement in the United States: [|The anti-war movement.doc]

5. Reading materials on Vietnamisation (1969-73):

6.

7. Reading materials on the reasons for America's failure in Vietnam: [|US defeat in Vietnam.doc]

8.

Essay plans
1. "What strategies were adopted by the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front between 1960 and 1968, and what responses did the US and South Vietnamese forces make to these?" [|Tactics and strategies 1960 - 68 - essay plan.doc]

2. "Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and tactics used by both sides in the Vietnam War between 1960 and 1975." [|Tactics and strategies 1960 - 75 - essay plan.doc]

3. "How successful were the US/ARVN and the NVA/VC in the period up to 1968?"

4. "To what extent had South Vietnam achieved stability by 1973?" [|Stabilising South Vietnam 1954-68 - essay plan.doc]

5. "Explain why the United States failed to win the war in Vietnam." [|US defeat - essay plan.doc]

6. "Assess the contribution of the media in determining the outcome of the war in Indochina from the overthrow of Diem to the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975."

7. "Assess the contribution of the anit-war movement in determining the outcome of the war in Indochina from the overthrow of Diem to the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975."

8. "Evaluate the success of the Tet Offensive in the success of communism in Indochina between 1968 and 1979."

9. "Explain the communist victory in South Vietnam in 1975." [|Defeat of South Vietnam - essay plan.doc]

10. "Assess the impact of US involvement in Indochina on the nations of the region." [|Impact of the war on Indochina - essay plan.doc]

11. "Assess the impact of American involvement in Indochina on the United States." [|Impact of the war on the US - essay plan.doc]

12. "Assess the effectiveness of peace negotiations in ending the Vietnam War in the period between 1954 abnd 1975." [|Peace negotiations - essay plan.doc]

Model essays
1. "What strategies were adopted by the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front between 1960 and 1968, and what responses did the US and South Vietnamese forces make to these?" [|Tactics and strategies 1960 - 68 - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on

2. "Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and tactics used by both sides in the Vietnam War between 1960 and 1975." . A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Tactics and strategies 1960 - 75 - long essay.doc]

3. "How successful were the US/ARVN and the NVA/VC in the period up to 1968?" [|Success by 1968 - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Success by 1968 - long essay.doc]

4. "Explain why the United States failed to win the war in Vietnam." [|US defeat - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|US defeat - long essay.doc]

5. "Assess the contribution of the media in determining the outcome of the war in Indochina from the overthrow of Diem to the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975." [|The role of the media - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|The role of the media - long essay.doc]

6. "Assess the contribution of the anit-war movement in determining the outcome of the war in Indochina from the overthrow of Diem to the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam in 1975." [|The anti-war movement - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|The anti-war movement - long essay.doc]

7. "How successful were the US/ARVN and the NVA/VC in the period up to 1973?" [|Success by 1973 - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Success by 1973 - long essay.doc]

8. "To what extent had South Vietnam achieved stability by 1973?" [|Stabilising South Vietnam 1954-68 - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Stabilising South Vietnam 1954-63 - long essay.doc]

9. "Evaluate the success of the Tet Offensive in the success of communism in Indochina between 1968 and 1979." [|The Tet Offensive - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on. Note that this essay asks you to discuss Indochina, not just Vietnam, and covers the period right up to 1979, the year the Pol Pot's regime fell. As such, you will need to mention the war in Cambodia.

10. "Explain how the North Vietnamese were able to achieve dominance in Indochina by 1979." [|North Vietnamese dominance - essay.doc] Again, this essay asks you to discuss Indochina, not just Vietnam, and covers the period right up to 1979, the year the Pol Pot's regime fell. As such, you will need to mention the war in Cambodia.

11. "Explain the communist victory in South Vietnam in 1975." [|Defeat of South Vietnam - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Defeat of South Vietnam - long essay.doc] Note that this essay specifically relates to the year 1975, which means you need to discuss the collapse of the Thieu regime that year. This is not a question about why the US lost the war.

12. "Account for the communist victory in the Second Indochina War." [|Communist victory - essay.doc]

13. "Assess the impact of US involvement in Indochina on the nations of the region." [|Impact of the war on Indochina - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Impact of the war on Indochina - long essay.doc]

14. "Assess the impact of the Second Indochina War on civilians in Vietnam and Cambodia between 1965 and 1979." Impact of the war on Indochina 2 - long essay

15. "Assess the impact of American involvement in Indochina on the United States." [|Impact of the war on the US - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Impact of the war on the US - long essay.doc]

16. "Assess the effectiveness of peace negotiations in ending the Vietnam War in the period between 1954 abnd 1975." [|Peace negotiations - essay.doc] A longer version of this essay can be found by clicking on [|Peace negotiations - long essay.doc]