Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a major Cold War conflict fought in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from the mid-1950s to 1975. It grew out of the end of French colonial rule in Indochina, the division of Vietnam after the 1954 Geneva settlement, and the struggle between the communist government in North Vietnam and the anti-communist government in South Vietnam.
The war is the historical setting behind the factions, weapons, maps, and equipment covered on this wiki. The pages here focus on how that history connects to the game's setting and equipment, not on recreating a full encyclopedia history of the war.
Background
After the First Indochina War, Vietnam was temporarily divided near the 17th parallel. North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh's communist government, sought national reunification. South Vietnam, backed by the United States and other anti-communist allies, resisted communist control. The Viet Cong, also known as the National Liberation Front, fought an insurgency in South Vietnam with support from the North.
The conflict became part of the wider Cold War. North Vietnam received support from communist allies including China and the Soviet Union, while South Vietnam relied heavily on U.S. military, financial, and political support.
U.S. Escalation
American involvement grew through the early 1960s. After the Gulf of Tonkin incidents in August 1964, the Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to expand U.S. military action in Southeast Asia. In 1965, U.S. ground combat forces entered the war in large numbers, and the conflict became a major American military commitment.
U.S. and allied forces fought conventional battles, search-and-destroy operations, patrols, and base-defense actions, while North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces used a mix of conventional units, guerrilla tactics, tunnels, ambushes, and supply routes such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Tet, Vietnamization, And The End Of The War
The Tet Offensive in 1968 was a coordinated communist offensive against cities, towns, and military targets across South Vietnam. Although communist forces suffered heavy losses, the offensive changed public understanding of the war and became a major political turning point.
The United States later shifted toward Vietnamization, a policy meant to reduce U.S. ground involvement while increasing the responsibility of South Vietnamese forces. The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973, and U.S. combat forces withdrew. Fighting continued between North and South Vietnam until North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon on April 30, 1975, ending the war and leading to the reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.
On This Wiki
- U.S. Army covers the main U.S. faction.
- Viet Cong covers the VC faction.
- North Vietnam and South Vietnam cover the opposing Vietnamese states.
- Weapons of Vietnam lists weapons and equipment represented on the wiki.
- Maps of Vietnam covers map pages based on Vietnam War locations and themes.
Sources
- Vietnam War - Encyclopaedia Britannica
- U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Gulf of Tonkin and Escalation, 1964 - Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968 - Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
- Ending the Vietnam War, 1969-1973 - Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
- Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964) - National Archives
- Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics - National Archives