Vietnamese Culture and Traditions: The Role in Vietnam War

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Introduction

America has always had a problem when dealing with other countries because of the way America has been protected, for a very long time, by the oceans and seas that divide it from the rest of the world. It was this division that left America with little understanding of how the rest of the world lives and how the country can effectively help others even in times of war. This lack of understanding became highly evident and irreversible during its involvement in the Vietnam war. Although America was right in its decision to fight alongside the republic, it lacked the political will power to actually see any military action in that end of the world, through to completion. Thus shortchaning the South Vietnamese who really thought that America would be able to help them win because America never loses a battle. Admittedly, America tends to under estimate its opponents all the time. The country never guessed that the NVC would be able to win over people to fight for their side simply by supplying them with food rations in exchange for battle participation. Shrewed, simple, and highly effective. Such were the simple basis for the battle plan of the Viet Cong’s. Nothing that would amaze their high powered counterparts, but impressive enough to provide the defeat of a world super power.

Discussion

America also got too cocky during the war because of its highly modern warfare methods. Something that would have worked to their benefit during an ordianry war, but was inapplicable during jungle warfare. Vietnamese may have lacked firepower, but they certainly did not lack for brain power. It was this psychological strategy that VCN used to their advantage since they knew that America knew nothing about Vietnam. Not its people, language, command and support system, not even its terrain. This was a totally different ballgame for the Americans and they entered the war like a deer caught in the headlights because they had never fought in a political and psychological warfare arena before.

Although America had gained ground and could have crushed the communist Vietnamese after the groundbreaking Phuong Hoang and Campaign and the Chieu Hoi Program wherein the U.S. troops effectively cutoff the enemy supplies of food and ammunition, the momentum gained was wasted because America seems to measure the success of their missions on body counts instead of how effectively they cut off the enemy from its support sytem and then using that flaw to their advantage. More importantly, this failed because the North Vietnamese thought nothing of killing people in order to achieve their goal. So yes, there was indeed a high body count, of innocents caught in the crossfire of battle. America viewed this as victory, the Viet Cong viewed it instead as necessary deaths that would help them achieve a goal.

Let us also not forget that this was a war supported by the communist blocs of China and the then Soviet Union. Money was pouring into the NV side from these countries in order to insure that the side they supported would never falter and successfully crush their common enemy, America. Needless to say, this was a lopsided battle from the very beginning and there was no way America would have been able to win. Just like in any war, a joint attack always overwhelms the other side, the weaker side, into surrender. Since America did not really have reliable information coming in, since the Viets often spied on both camps in order to benefit themselves, it would have been impossible for them to be able to effectively mount an attack when there was nothing of value for them to attack in order to cripple the enemy. However, America did try to bomb Viet Cong installations that they felt were strategic camps for the enemy. But these camps were not like the modern camps of today and therefore, did not really have anything of value or anything to fear standing on their camp grounds.

America also had to deal with its own problems regarding their troops as well while engaged in battle. The American soldiers were turning to drugs in order to cope psychologically with the images of war and actions they were engaged in often resulting in numerous body counts. Since the war had dragged on longer than expected, they had to deal with deserters and the constant struggle to keep troop morale at its highest level. After all, most of the soldiers who were sent off to war were mostly drafted against their will and therefore itching to just complete his tour of duty in order to get sent home. Most of the American soldiers were barely out of their teens and were more often than not, homesick and afraid. Their own soldiers were battling their own physical and psychological demons while on the battilefield. So how did anybody expect their soldiers to perform at an optimum level?

In the end, The Vietnam War was a war that the United States entered into without really knowing what it was commiting its country and troops into. Just as in any battle or competition, getting to know your enemy is only the start of the battle. Unfortunately, America thought that this war would be like the past World Wars the country was involved in wherein they could easily win over the citizens with their chocolates, sodas, bubble gim, cigarettes and other what have you’s. Vietnamese people have always taken pride in their love for their country, their culture, and their traditions. To them, these outsiders had no place in their world and they were not really making an effort to become a part of the culture or traditions of the country. They were foot soldiers and that is all they would be doing there. Nothing more, nothing less. Thus, America was indeed doomed to lose this battle from the very beginning.

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Vietnamese Culture and Traditions: The Role in Vietnam War

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