Vietnam War

Notes

Names for the war

Various names have been given to the war, and these have shifted over time, though Vietnam War is the dominant standard in English. It has been called the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam Conflict, the Vietnam War, and, by the victors, the American War (Vietnamese Kháng Chi?n Ch?ng M? C?u N??c, "Resistance War Against the Americans to Save the Nation").

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The usage of these names may represent a particular viewpoint.

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• Second Indochina War: puts the conflict into context with other distinctive but related and contiguous conflicts in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the prior ending in 1954 and the subsequent beginning in 1979.
• Vietnam Conflict: largely an American term, it regards the war as unofficial, minor or merely a police action and also acknowledges that the U.S. never declared war on any other party in it.
• Vietnam War: the most commonly-used term in English, it implies that the location was chiefly within the borders of the nation (which is disputed, as many regard the scope as including at least Cambodia); it sidesteps the issue of the lack of an American declaration of war.
• Resistance War Against the Americans to Save the Nation: the term favored by North Vietnam (and after its victory, Vietnam); it is more of a slogan than a name, and its meaning is self-evident. Its usage had waned in recent years as the Vietnamese government seeks better relations with the United States. Official publications now increasingly refer to it generically as "Chi?n tranh Vi?t Nam" (Vietnam War).

In Vietnam, the conflict is usually referred to as The American War (Vietnamese: Kháng chi?n ch?ng M?, literally Resistance War Against America) to distinguish it from other conflicts that occurred in Vietnam (The French War, The Japanese War, The Chinese Wars, Trinh - Nguyen Civil War, etc.) Some Vietnamese speakers oppose this terminology because it does not reflect the civil war nature of the conflict, while others oppose calling it the "Vietnam War" because it reflects a Western viewpoint, not a Vietnamese one.

Related Topics:
Vietnam - Vietnamese - The French War - Trinh - Nguyen Civil War

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North and South

While the terms "North" and "South" are commonly used, they are often misnomers when applied in context. Regardless of the geographical boundary set by the Geneva Accords, or the ideological differences between communism and "anti-communism", or the political labels of "communist" and "anti-communist" forces, the terms "North" and "South" refer almost exclusively to the governments of each —ethnicity, not ideology, was the primary boundary in defining who was allied with which government.

Related Topics:
Geneva Accords - Communism - Anti-communism

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Ideology

Most Vietnamese, regardless of the Geneva partition of North and South, were "pro-independence," as the French Indochina occupation was unpopular and the object of popular revolt, which was ultimately successful. In the context of the U.S. allied South Vietnam government, being "pro-independence" was naturally synonymous with "anti-colonialist," "anti-Diem," and by default "communists" according to Diem and the U.S. From the U.S. point of view, "the enemy" were largely Southern-native "communist" (ie. anti-colonialist) guerillas, referred to as "Viet Cong" —in addition to North Vietnamese Army forces in uniform.

Related Topics:
French Indochina - Enemy - Guerilla - Viet Cong - North Vietnamese Army

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Democracy

While the United States had hoped South Vietnam could be referred to (at least in political rhetoric) as a "democracy" Ngo Dinh Diems regime made this terminology difficult, and term "anti-communism" became a substitute. While this shift in rhetoric appeared to be substantial, it in fact did not have any bearing on the support the U.S. showed for South Vietnam, and hence became a central aspect for criticism during and after the war, as an example of where rhetorical claims of a "freedom" agenda, are alleged to have been a disguise for political and tactical strategies. (See Pentagon Papers)

Related Topics:
United States - Rhetoric - Ngo Dinh Diem - Freedom - Pentagon Papers

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Communism

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"Anti-War"

It should be noted that the term "anti-war" should be viewed in this context as "anti-U.S. involvement in the war" as "anti-war" protesters in the U.S. (the only major combatant with freedom of speech) generally did not protest to the military actions of the NLF and North Vietnam but solely the actions of South Vietnam and the United States. To the contrary, many prominent protesters publicly supported a Communist military victory in Vietnam while continuing "anti-war" rhetoric at the same time.

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"Independence"

Throughout this article the term "independence" is used generally from the communist perspective, of whom viewed territory not under there control as "imperialistic" "colonial" and other rhetorical terms. Thus many communist movements were called "liberation" or "pro-independence" which was valuable for the propaganda effects during the war as it linked the struggle with the French to the struggle with the Americans rather than an invasion of a sovereign, non-communist Vietnamese state. -->

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