For destroying armored vehicles or bunkers, the Vietcong had highly effective rocket propelled grenades and recoilless rifles. Mortars were also available in large numbers and had the advantage of being very easy to transport. Many weapons, including booby traps and mines, were homemade in villages.
Then, What was a tunnel rat in Vietnam?
The tunnel rats were American, Australian, New Zealander, and South Vietnamese soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet–Afghan War and by the Israel Defense Forces in campaigns in the Middle East.
How did the war in Vietnam end? Having rebuilt their forces and upgraded their logistics system, North Vietnamese forces triggered a major offensive in the Central Highlands in March 1975. On April 30, 1975, NVA tanks rolled through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, effectively ending the war.
Keeping this in consideration, What was one advantage that the Viet Cong had over the US?
Their having lived in these areas prior to the war gave them superior knowledge of the land, which they used to plant traps and plan ambushes. Additionally, they were not tied down by as rigid of a military structure as the US, so they were able to fight independently and wage their own private wars.
Who was the best tunnel rat in Vietnam?
Feb. 12, 2003 Updated: Oct. 5, 2016 9:13 p.m.
Did they use trenches in Vietnam War?
The Cu Chi (pronounced Ku Chi) tunnels are an extensive 250-mile (around 400km) network of underground trenches dug manually by the Vietnamese people and Viet Cong guerillas to protect themselves from the merciless bombing unleashed by American forces who fought a war in Vietnam in 1964-73.
Why did the US fail in Vietnam?
Failures for the USA
Failure of Operation Rolling Thunder: The bombing campaign failed because the bombs often fell into empty jungle, missing their Vietcong targets. … Lack of support back home: As the war dragged on more and more Americans began to oppose the war in Vietnam.
Is Vietnam still communist?
Government of Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a one-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society.
What was reason for Vietnam War?
The conflict in Vietnam took root during an independence movement against French colonial rule and evolved into a Cold War confrontation. The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was fought between communist North Vietnam, backed by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam, supported by the United States.
Why did the Viet Cong win?
They were extremely successful because they had very good and vital knowledge of the forests and jungles and were able to protect their supplies from damage by using the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Why was fighting in Vietnam so difficult?
Explanation: Firstly most of the war was fought as a guerrilla war. This is a type of war which conventional forces such as the US army in Vietnam, find notoriously difficult to fight. … The Americans, laden down with conventional weapons and uniform were not equipped to fight in the paddy fields and jungles.
Why did America fight in Vietnam?
China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
How many US tunnel rats died in Vietnam?
Our tunnel rat unit was small, with at most 120 men in the country at any time, and a total of around 700 who served from 1965 to 1972. During that period 36 of us were killed and around 200 were wounded, giving us a casualty rate of 33 percent, high even by Vietnam War standards.
How many enemy died in Vietnam?
In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died.
What was the most dangerous job in Vietnam?
Vietnam’s deadliest job
“I can tell you that the engineer corp lost more people, killed and wounded, than any other corp in Vietnam — proportionate to the number of people who were over there,” he said. Mr McGregor said the engineers were highly regarded during the war but were ignored when they returned home.
Did they use trenches in Revolutionary war?
Field trenches seldom played a role in the American colonial wars, but they became more prominent in the American Revolution: opposing forces began to use hasty field entrenchments at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and General George Washington used trenches continually and freely throughout the war as a means of keeping …
Why did Tunnel Rats use revolvers?
Because they weren’t as loud, didn’t produce as much flash, and were more resistant to being dragged through the muddy tunnels cut into the Vietnam jungle than M1911s, . 38 revolvers were most prized among tunnel rats, who also used cut-down M1 Carbines, if possible.
Was Vietnam a failure?
Although American combat troops were not directly involved in the South’s final, crushing defeat, by failing to prevent the communist North’s victory, the United States – after years of costly effort that included a decade-long major military intervention and 58,000 American deaths – had lost the Vietnam War.
What dangers did American soldiers face in Vietnam?
Discipline problems and ‘fragging’
Disillusionment with the war was coupled with psychological trauma. Most US soldiers who had spent time ‘in country’ had seen fellow servicemen, sometimes their friends, killed or disfigured by sniper fire, mines or booby traps.
Did USA lose to Vietnam?
A series examining contentious issues of the Vietnam War
The conventional view remains that the United States lost the Vietnam War because our opponent, North Vietnam, conquered the side we backed, South Vietnam, which surrendered in April 1975.
Is Vietnam a US ally?
As such, despite their historical past, today Vietnam is considered to be a potential ally of the United States, especially in the geopolitical context of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and in containment of Chinese expansionism.
How safe is Vietnam?
Vietnam is a friendly and safe place to travel. With a sprinkling of common sense, your trip should be smooth and trouble free. Tourists usually complain about over-aggressive street vendors, tour operators with a bad attitude and dangerous driving.
Is Vietnam a poor country?
Vietnam’s shift from a centrally planned to a market economy has transformed the country from one of the poorest in the world into a lower middle-income country. Vietnam now is one of the most dynamic emerging countries in East Asia region.
Which president started the Vietnam War?
The major initiative in the Lyndon Johnson presidency was the Vietnam War. By 1968, the United States had 548,000 troops in Vietnam and had already lost 30,000 Americans there.