The people of Indochina paid a high price during the Second Indochina War. The conflict had created political instability within the country with no-one being able to control the influence of the communists. This led to an element of unrest with the generals in Diem’s South Vietnamese Army. There were three attempts on his life, all carried out by the men he trusted the most. It was the third attempt that was successful. The coup was led by General Duong Van Minh and he took control when Diem was assassinated on the 2 November 1963. On the 4 November he created a Military Revolutionary Council, which had twelve ARVN generals on it. However, on the 30 January 1964 General Nguyen Khanh took power in a second coup. By 1965 there had been nine changes of government and portfolios changed hands weekly, especially between August and December 1964. …show more content…
The Americans indulged in sex, drugs and rock n roll. The Vietnamese in Saigon were happy to join in on the party, as the American dollar could supply them with a lifestyle they otherwise could not afford. And it you couldn’t buy something over the counter there was the black market trade to help. You only had to pass over enough money to buy anything you wanted. It was the American dollar that was propping up the South Vietnam economy and when financial aid finished in 1973, the economy collapsed.
Another issue for the civilians were the strategic hamlets. People were taken away from their traditional land and lifestyle in an effort to stop the Viet Cong from infiltrating. This failed as the Viet Cong would mix in with the villagers, who were working in the fields during the day, and then enter the hamlets at night time with them. The people resented the loss of their lands and felt they were being treated as the enemy as they were locked away in barbed wire