During World War II, Japan had invaded Vietnam. The Viet Minh was created by Ho Chi Minh in order to combat against Japan and French colonial administration. While Japan pulled back their forces in 1945, the French were still in control of Vietnam. In the 1950s, the United States became involved due to fear that the Vietnamese rebellion would lead to a spread in global Communism. This domino effect theory was the belief that if a country became communist, surrounding countries would follow suit. Eventually, the French were defeated and the United States continued to get involved with Vietnam. Thousands of troops were sent to Vietnam and millions of Vietnamese were killed as well as the poisoning of entire regions. The war had essentially destroyed both North and South Vietnam. The Vietnam War is very infamous and it has had many consequences on the U.S society and Asian Americans for years to come.
One of the main effects from the war is the body count. Over 3 million Vietnamese citizens and 58,000 American troops had died in the bloodshed along with thousands more wounded. The use of Agent Orange not only destroyed Vietnam’s environment, but also caused health problems for the Vietnamese and the American troops using them, eventually leading to cancer. Society wise, the war had changed the way the public saw the U.S government. There was a widespread distrust of the
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Due to the demolition of their country, many citizens of Southeast Asia had found refuge in the United States. New communities including Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian would begin to rise. Known as boat people, this new wave of Asian population sought to escape the communist takeover. The United States government scattered these refugees throughout the country in small groups in hopes of mediating and hostility towards them. Asian Americans continued to assimilate into American life while keeping their cultural traditions