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The US defeated the Vietcong. By many metrics, Vietcong activity greatly dropped. It didn’t stop North Vietnam from invading the South with an army.
by ryacko 7y ago
The US defeated the Vietcong. By many metrics, Vietcong activity greatly dropped.
It didn’t stop North Vietnam from invading the South with an army.
- jbigelow76 7y agoThat sounds like a distinction without a difference.
- refurb 7y agoMaybe as an outsider it does, but not within Vietnam.
- acheron9383 7y agoThe Vietcong won because they were willing to pay a very high price to push the US out than the US wanted to eventually pay to stay in
- refurb 7y agoThe Vietnam Cong ceased to be an effective fighting force after the Tet Offensive in ‘68. The battle took a terrible toll on them. The NVA were doing much of the fighting after that.
- ryacko 7y agoThe Tet Offensive was largely comprised of NVA units. Regardless, the supply of military aircraft too complex for local maintenance and the refusal to allow any air support after ‘73 by Congress meant the outcome was already decided.
- throw0101a 7y agoThey won because they violated the Paris Peace Accords when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Peace_Accords https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Peace_Accords Congress forbid the US from intervening: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case%E2%80%93Church_Amendment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case%E2%80%93Church_Amendment Militarily speaking, the US was holding back the Viet Cong just fine, though not without controversy or casualties.
- ryacko 7y agoPlease, I recommend reading primary source documents from the CIA on this matter. The below link shows that while the Vietcong controlled parts of the South during 1967, they were significantly weakened, to the point where some NVA military units assigned to operate in the south were farming for their own food. * https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000518848.pdf https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000518848.... The below link emphasizes the success of the Strategic Hamlet program, and notes continuing reductions in Vietcong strength. * https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/HISTORY%20OF%20STRENGTH%20ESTIM%5B15617753%5D.pdf https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/HISTORY%20OF%20... I consider the entirety of Western historiography on this matter to be incorrect for the sole purpose of demoralizing the west.