Vietnam War
armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between North Vietnam and South Vietnam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Vietnam War (also known as Second Indochina War, Vietnamese-American War or American War in Vietnam) lasted from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975. It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, and South Vietnam was set up by the United States and supported by South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. People from other countries also went to fight but not in their own national armies. The conflict between communist and capitalist countries was part of the Cold War.
Vietnam War | |||||||||
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Part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War in Asia | |||||||||
Clockwise from top left:
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Belligerents | |||||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Strength | |||||||||
≈860,000 (1967) |
≈1,420,000 (1968)
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Total military dead/missing: |
333,620 (1960–1974) – 392,364 (total) Total military wounded: ≈1,340,000+[11] (excluding FARK and FANK) Total military captured: ≈1,000,000+ | ||||||||
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FULRO fought an insurgency against both South Vietnam and North Vietnam with the Viet Cong and was supported by Cambodia for much of the war. |
The Viet Cong, also known as the National Liberation Front or NLF, was a South Vietnamese communist force that was helped by North Vietnam. It fought a guerrilla war against South Vietnamese anticommunist forces. The People's Army of Vietnam (also known as the North Vietnamese Army) engaged in a more conventional war by at times putting large forces to battle.
The Vietnam War was very controversial, especially in the United States. It was the first war to feature live television coverage and the first major armed conflict that the United States lost. The war became so unpopular in the United States that President Richard Nixon eventually agreed to send American soldiers home in 1973.