The Vietnam War lasted for over two decades, from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. It was a conflict that fundamentally transformed American society and politics, with profound implications for the global balance of power. The war had its roots in the colonial era, when France controlled Indochina. After World War II, nationalist movements emerged across Southeast Asia, including in Vietnam, where communist and non-communist factions fought for control of the country. The United States became involved in the conflict in the early 1960s, under the pretext of containing communism and protecting South Vietnam from takeover by the North.
At the time, the United States saw the Vietnam War as part of a broader struggle against communism. The American government believed that if it did not intervene, the spread of communism would continue unchecked, destabilizing other countries and threatening America's national security. The Kennedy administration sent military advisors to assist the South Vietnamese army, but it was not until Lyndon B. Johnson became president in 1963 that the United States began to escalate its involvement. Johnson authorized the bombing of North Vietnam and deployed hundreds of thousands of American troops to fight in the jungles and rice paddies of South Vietnam.
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American soldiers faced an enemy who was elusive and resourceful, using tactics such as booby traps, tunnels, and ambushes to inflict heavy casualties. The terrain was also challenging, with dense forests, swamps, and mountains making it difficult for troops to move and operate. As the war dragged on, public opinion turned against it, with growing protests and demonstrations across the country. Many Americans saw the war as unjust and immoral, and questioned why their country was fighting a war in a far-off land that seemed to have no end in