The Vietnam War was fought between 1955 and 1975 between North Vietnam (backed by its communist allies) and South Vietnam (supported by its Western allies). The conflict was principally fought in South East Asia but is known as the Second Indochina War. It was one of many proxy wars that occurred during the Cold War and helped define what would become US foreign policy for decades to come.
The war began in 1959 when South Vietnamese guerrillas attacked police stations in several cities in an attempt to overthrow President Ngô Đình Diệm’s government. The United States supported Diệm’s government by providing military advisors and other forms of aid.
In 1963 Diem was overthrown by his generals and killed. Subsequently, U.S. troops were withdrawn from combat roles in 1964 and played only an advisory role until 1968 when they were redeployed as an “anti-infiltration barrier” along the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North and South Vietnam. By late 1967 there were approximately 23,000 U.S troops on duty in South Vietnam.
The Vietnam War ended on April 30 1975, when Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces who had been fighting against U.S.-backed South Vietnamese forces since 1964 with help from Soviet bloc forces and China’s military support. This marked the end of U.S involvement in this conflict where more than 58,000 Americans were killed along with an estimated 2 million Vietnamese people killed during this conflict that lasted over 20 years!
