Indochina: Vietnam War and ho Chi Minh Essays

Submitted By ahhm3d
Words: 1587
Pages: 7
Open Document
Ahmad El-Morabi
Year 12
Modern History Indochina Essay
To what extent were the goals of the United States, in relation to involvement in South Vietnam, undermined by President by Ngo Dinh Diem?
Post-WW2 meant the assembly of a communist power that would come to undermine the force of democracy represented by America. In order to protect a regime that helped 'win' the war and painted the US as a superior saviour power, the US administration under President Eisenhower would come to assist the French in keeping peace in Vietnam as communism spread. To understand how Ngo Dinh Diem (South Vietnamese leader) had undermined US agenda, one must first understand why they had first decided to intervene; and thus accumulate information on whether or not the US would have been unsuccessful without Ngo's 'help', or if their efforts were not good enough to stop a growing communist threat. The objectives of the US admin were propagated to the public of both America and the South as Ho Chi Minh (North Vietnam leader) presented himself to be a viable opponent in the fight for communist containment. The Domino Theory was concocted as part of this propagandist attempt at victory and by doing so created awareness of the spread of communism to the rest of the world. American prestige and idealism also became a contributing factor as the US were looked upon as the 'saviour' nation, their help in WW1 and 2 being the catalyst. In an attempt to enforce nationalistic agenda in the South and on the Home Front, the fact that Ngo Dinh Diem as an incompetent leader let alone puppet was but one example of his undermining of US ideals. Thus allowing Ho in the North to gain even more popularity and make the US' efforts utterly redundant.
With the conclusion of the Geneva Conference, the United States set out to help South Vietnam build an independent state and to provide for its protection from Communist aggression. In furtherance of this approach, the United States offered aid to Ngo Dinh Diem, then Premier under Bao Dai, and quickly moved to establish the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization with the idea of a collective defence arrangement for Southeast Asia similar to the NATO arrangement in Europe. Its prime purpose was to provide a legal basis for containing communism in Southeast Asia. Ho Chi Minh, however, became a powerful opponent what with the support of super powers such as China and Soviet Russia. Ngo was cast in a shadow when it came to contesting against Ho in electoral campaigns and political skill and so it was his incompetence and hubris which ultimately led the steep fall of the US in Vietnam. His nepotistic approach to maintain control (in making his brother his first hand and his sister-in-law, Madam Nhu, as the First Lady) did not go well with the people as they suffered under poverty whilst mere lineage made you prosperous. The Agroville Programs he had implemented had casted the already impoverished people into a more radical sense of poverty and so the US' hopes in 'gaining the hearts and minds of the people' was far from successful - much like their feeble efforts at fighting this war.
Though the US were undergoing pressure from the Cold War and the failures of the Cuban Missile Crises and those that preceded, the Kennedy administration found it difficult to keep up with increasing tension in Vietnam. At this point, America was pretty much funding the war; therefore government expenditure increased significantly as well as conscription and military placement in Vietnam that saw no end. the people on the Home Front saw no reasonable explanation for a continued American presence in Vietnam, especially when the nation could not even keep up with its own international/diplomatic issues. Quite frankly, Ngo was doing nothing to maintain his own nation and so American efforts were to be doubled. He ceased to gain the respect and nationalistic loyalty of his people, even on a religious level, as Ho seemed more likely to win the
Show More

Related Documents: Indochina: Vietnam War and ho Chi Minh Essays

Leadership Styles of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem Essay

evaluation can be made about the leadership styles and personal examples of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem that would enable both of them to tap into the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people and mobilize support for their initiatives? Why, in Vietnam, was personal leadership so very important? Refer to specific examples Introduction The Geneva Accords that took place in 1954 put an end to the First Indochina War and the beginning of two Vietnamese territories separated by a line of demarcation…

Words 1000 - Pages 4

Ho Chi Minh Vietnam War Analysis

“No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now,” said the 37th president of the United States, Richard M. Nixon. Deemed as a monumental catastrophe for Americans, the Vietnam War marked the second war The United States were considered “defeated” in history, after the War of 1802 against United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.Most Americans considered it disgraceful for the U.S.’s involvement this foreign affair subject…

Words 3438 - Pages 14

Vietnam War Vs Ww2 Essay

had hidden away giving rise to a century of warfare. With the most devastating wars of the century being WWI and WWII. In fact, after WWII many countries began to seek out their independence. Both WWI and WWII had weakened European dominance, and many countries that once were colonized or controlled by the Europeans sphere of influence, now began to use this to their advantage to break free from European countries. Vietnam was one of these countries and in the upcoming years its fight for independence…

Words 2107 - Pages 9

Two Sides of the Coin Essay

the Vietnamese Coin 1954 marked the end of the Indochina War, the creation of the Geneva Accords, and the beginning of the division of Vietnam. With the creation of the 17th Parallel dividing the two Vietnamese territories into a Communist North or Democratic Republic as Hanoi as its capital, and the anti-Communist South or Republic with Saigon as its capital, came two distinct leaderships. Ho Chi Minh reigning over the north and Ngo Dihn Diem reigning over the south. Nevertheless…

Words 1120 - Pages 5

The Vietnam War And Their Control Of Vietnam

established French Indochina. By the 1900s the Vietnamese were getting sick of it and they now wanted to govern themselves. During World War 2 the French were invaded by Germany and they lost their control of Vietnam. Soon the Japanese would seek control of Vietnam and occupied them until 1945. They pulled out after World War 2, probably because they were crippled after the war. The United States defeated the Japanese in World War 2 and soon enough we saw North Vietnam a threat. Ho Chi Minh occupied North…

Words 304 - Pages 2

Ho Chi Minh Essay

Ho Chi Minh: The Man to be Recognized By Leticia C. Guerrero Reyes History 101 Professor Rich Gibson Ho Chi Minh was a man who I didn’t know much about. All I knew is that he was Vietnamese and that he was part of the Vietnam war. What I later found out, after intensive reading of books and articles that focused on this man, was that he was the main reason behind the Vietnam War. He was a great source of power, strength, and inspiration for his people. Ho Chi Minh was b…

Words 2903 - Pages 12

Jane: Viet Minh Essay example

Conflict in Indochina: 1954 – 79 Indochina after the French 1. Geneva Accords Foreign ministers of US, Soviet Union, Britain and France held conference to find settlement in Indochina Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on 23rd April Talks on Indochina scheduled to commence on 8th May Discussion involved delegatons from Soviet Union, US, Great Britain, China and the Viet Minh/dominated Democratic Republic of Vietnam, State of Vietnam headed by Bao Di, Cambodia and Laos French proposed: 1…

Words 407 - Pages 2

How Did China Use Militaristic Aid To Vietnam

During the First Indochina war, the Chinese Communist support for the Viet Minh against the French in the First Indochina War was estimated at less than 20 percent of Viet Minh supplies and approximately one-ninth of the amount contributed by the United States to France but contributed significantly to the success of the Viet Minh. • China’s militaristic aid to Vietnam began in March 1946, when the Chinese Communist First Regiment of the Southern Guangdong People’s Force entered Vietnam during the Chinese…

Words 717 - Pages 3

Vietnam War Influence

The Vietnam War was by far the most unpopular American-involved war of the 20th century. From the harsh stories of war to the images shown on the television, the Vietnam War was, simply put, one of the most detested wars in 20th century American history. The Vietnam War created a questioning for US moral superiority and the United States’ status as a “rightful, freedom fighting country”. This created a new era of literature, where war protests were accompanied by overwhelming amounts of anti-war literary…

Words 1153 - Pages 5

Vietnam War Research Paper

The Vietnam War causes started at the end of World War II. Vietnam is a strip of land on the eastern part of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Before the war Bao Dai was the emperor of Vietnam from 1926 to 1945. A French colony called Indochina which includes Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had been controlled by the Japanese during World War II because in 1940 the French surrendered their control to Japan. Ho Chi Minh then created the League for the Independence of Vietnam, also called Viet…

Words 1058 - Pages 5