Topic: South and North Vietnamese soldiers

INTRODUCTION What do you already think you know about your topic
group during the war?

-North resisted America

-North vs South & America, communism
-division among the Vietnamese people
QUESTIONS What about this topic puzzles you, or what would be
interesting to investigate and learn more about this topic?

- Why were the soldiers of the South holding a communist

flag from the North?
- What weapons did they use?
- What happened?
- What started the war?
- Who won?
- What was the outcome for each country?
- Why does this matter?
- How did we manage to turn a country against itself?
- How does this affect us today?
RESOURCES - How might you explore the questions you have around this
topic? (must include links to at least three reputable resources with 3-5
main points from each resource - you may not copy and paste, this
information must be written in your own words)
We can use History.com. http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war
- The war made the communist North fight against the South, who were allies with the
Americans. This separated the country.
- The Tet Offensive sparked the war. North Vietnam attacked the South, which had a
heavy US presence. After this, fighting began.
- 3 million people died during the war, most of which were civilians rather than soldiers.
This left many children orphaned.
- The US people did not want to be involved, and in 1973 the US ended its involvement
by withdrawal. The population agreed that its presence was not justified, and viewed
the drastic death tolls on both sides unnecessary.

- We can use the internet. http://thevietnamwar.info/vietnam-war-impact/

- Hundreds of thousands of children were left orphaned in Vietnam
- There are still some people growing up with various diseases and disabilities due to the
harmful chemicals that were used in the war
- The United states lost more than 58,000 american soldiers, and over 150,000 were wounded
during the war
-

We can use an encyclopedia. http://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War

- The North were trying to overthrow the South and its government. The South were
trying to model their government after those of Western governments, gaining the
United States support.
- The North wanted to model a government after the Soviet Union and China, while the
South wanted to remain allied with the West and its style of government. This is
important because the United States doesnt support communism, so they will do
anything to stop communism from growing. This results in them joining the Vietnam
war.
- People of the North called Viet Cong, began a strategy of using terrorism and
assassination against government officials. They regularly engaged in fights with
military troops in the South.
- Members of the Viet Cong used a guerilla fighting war style when fighting in the
jungles.
-http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam-war/south-vietnamese-army/
- South Vietnams army was funded primarily by the US, ( Kennedy and Johnson) after 1954
Geneva agreement
- By mid 1950s the SVA had gathered a sizeable army- 150,000 men paired with modern
military equipment.
- The army was lacking when compared to that of the North, and by 1965 US Marines had to
come in to provide support; Marines actually ended up leading the expedition against the North,
while the South was just providing support
- Although the SVA force was a formidable form in itself, its training in conventional warfare
eventually led to its demise. Because of the terrain of Vietnam, the Norths training tactics (guerilla) are
essentially why the previously even-matched forces were separated.

HOW DID THIS TOPIC AFFECT THE GROUP?

Many people tried to leave South Vietnam on boats. Their infrastructure

was ruined with thousands of people being killed, cities being destroyed,
and farmland being ruined due to the United States chemical weapons,
such as Agent Orange. Chemical agents used throughout the war had the
potential to damage the human body at the cellular level, such as by
damaging the chromosomes of fetuses. Explosive weapons continue to
have an effect on those living in Vietnam, as many of them failed to

explode initially, leaving live ammunition as a potentially deadly threat. All

of these things still contribute to the reason why they are one of the
poorest countries. The result of the Vietnam war affected the American
peoples confidence because the United States government had failed to
contain communism. There was also an atmosphere of disdain towards the
war, due to the large death tolls that accompanied the failed initiative.
700,000 veterans suffered from post war psychological after-effects
(PTSD). Over 200,000 Vietnam War veterans still suffer from PTSD.