The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a military supply route running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam. The route sent weapons, manpower, ammunition and other supplies from communist-led North Vietnam to their supporters in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Then, Where does the Ho Chi Minh Trail start?
Starting south of Hanoi in North Vietnam, the main trail veered southwestward to enter Laos, with periodic side branches or exits running east into South Vietnam. The main trail continued southward into eastern Cambodia and then emptied into South Vietnam at points west of Da Lat.
What made 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.
Keeping this in consideration, Who repaired the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
They are said to know their stretches of trail intimately. According to one recent estimate, the Communists have 50,000 troops and supervisors administering the trail network and a force of 75.000 Laotian coolies to make repairs.
Which country won the Vietnam War?
Those who argue that the United States won the war point to the fact that the U.S. defeated communist forces during most of Vietnam’s major battles. They also assert that the U.S. overall suffered fewer casualties than its opponents. The U.S. military reported 58,220 American casualties.
Why was Vietnam so deadly?
The jungles were so thick, it was nearly impossible to see your enemy. Conventional tactics were a loser for North Vietnamese forces. Americans won those battles through superior firepower and training. … American victories in Vietnam were overshadowed by the divisive nature of support for the war at home.
What difficulties did American soldiers face in Vietnam?
The US military did little to combat drug abuse until 1971. 1. Soldiers on both sides faced many difficulties and challenges during the Vietnam War – including climate, terrain, the complex political situation and unclear military objectives.
Why did 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.
What happened in Vietnam after the US withdrew in 1973?
What happened after the United States withdrew from the war? After the U.S. had withdrawn all its troops, the fighting continued in Vietnam. … South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, Vietnam was reunited as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
How did the Vietnam War finally end in 1973?
Negotiations resumed on January 8, 1973, and the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam initialed the agreement on January 23. … The peace settlement enabled the United States to withdraw from the war and welcome the American prisoners of war back home.
Why did we go to war with Vietnam?
The U.S. entered the Vietnam War in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism, but foreign policy, economic interests, national fears, and geopolitical strategies also played major roles.
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.
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.
Who started the Vietnam War?
Why did the Vietnam War start? The United States had provided funding, armaments, and training to South Vietnam’s government and military since Vietnam’s partition into the communist North and the democratic South in 1954. Tensions escalated into armed conflict between the two sides, and in 1961 U.S. President John F.
How bad was the Vietnam War?
The facts not in dispute by either side are just as harrowing: Over 20 years, more than 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam and more than 150,000 wounded, not to mention the emotional toll the war took on American culture. …
What was the life expectancy of a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam?
According to popular legend, the door gunner on a Vietnam era Huey gunship had a life-span of 5 minutes. This was obviously exaggerated but displays the hazards of this particular military job at the time. Today, helicopters like the UH-60 have two machine guns firing out of two windows located behind the pilots.
What did American soldiers call Vietnamese?
American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. “Victor” and “Charlie” are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet. “Charlie” referred to communist forces in general, both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.
Who actually won the Vietnam War?
Those who argue that the United States won the war point to the fact that the U.S. defeated communist forces during most of Vietnam’s major battles. They also assert that the U.S. overall suffered fewer casualties than its opponents. The U.S. military reported 58,220 American casualties.
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.
Why did America 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.
What happened in Vietnam when the US pulled out?
On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces. … As many as two million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were killed.
Who was the last soldier to leave Vietnam?
Max Beilke was in the Army for 20 years already by the time he deployed to Vietnam in 1972. His time there would be much shorter than the many others who did tours in the Vietnam War. His last day in Vietnam was the U.S. military’s last day in Vietnam.
Why did America have a desire to begin again after 1975?
Why did America have a desire to “begin again” after 1975? The fall of Vietnam symbolized the end of an area in America. The desire to begin again would drive America forward.
Why did we 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.