What if we had won in Vietnam? What would be different?

Question

Somebody was asking a question about Vietnam and people were saying we could have won if we had done this or that differently. And it just suddenly occurred to me that I have never heard anybody say exactly what we would have won. I'm sure people must have said it just not around me. I was just a kid but I vaguely remember stuff about dominoes and falling into the lap of the communists like rotten fruit and Kruschev was going to bury us which was why we did not dare lose. But apparently we did lose. But Kruschev didn't bury us. What am I missing?

Answer 1

Winning in Vietnam (while we did not achieve our objectives, I would contend that we didn't lose) would have left a stable govt in the South. You may have seen a situation similar to the Korean penninsula with a growing democracy with a vibrant economy in the South and a stagnant, dying communist junta in the North. Despite their "victory" Vietnam is one of the poorest countries on the planet.

If a stable South Vietnam would have survived it's possible that Laos and Cambodia could have been supported and prevented the horrific events there.

Some even suggest that American refusal to support SVN in 1975 (Congress refused to fund the support package Nixon and Kissinger had pledged a few years before) encouraged the USSR and may have led them to believe that our lack of will would prevent us from interferring in Afghanistan four years later.

Answer 2

The battle in Vietnam was once a fundamental rush for the economic climate. Many persons profited. Ammunition has an expiration date, identical to milk. I was once a helicopter doorgunner. I was once liable for 2 M -60 computer weapons, an M - sixteen, an M - seventy nine grenade launcher, and a forty five. We had been despatched to the fringe, most often, and instructed to shoot. All...day...lengthy. Just to eliminate the stuff. Yes...we might have received the battle. But simply on your possess sake, attempt to seem up the stats for ethnicity within the infantry.See what number of black persons had been there. I'm white. Still pissed me off. So...if we would received (???)...the federal government might frequently be extra militaristic than it's. Is that viable? GO TEAM KBS B Troop 7 / seventeenth Air Cav Vietnam 1968

Answer 3

The war in Vietnam was a major rush for the economy. Many people profited. Ammunition has an expiration date, just like milk. I was a helicopter doorgunner. I was responsible for two M -60 machine guns, an M - 16, an M - 79 grenade launcher, and a 45. We were sent to the perimeter, often, and told to shoot. All...day...long. Just to get rid of the stuff.

Yes...we could have won the war. But just for your own sake, try to look up the stats for ethnicity in the infantry.See how many black people were there. I'm white. Still pissed me off.

So...if we'd won (???)...the government would probably be more militaristic than it is. Is that possible?
GO TEAM
KBS
B Troop 7 / 17th Air Cav
Vietnam 1968

Answer 4

YES.. We were there to prevent Chinese comunist emperialism. and failed because the constraints put on us by democrats , the press, the U.N., and too many liberals who didn't have a clue what was at stake prevented a strictly military war.. It was approached wrong and fought wrong and we left way too soon.. When we left hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom were my very good friends, were murdered by the red hoards that flooded in behind us.. if we had won, there would have not been lot of this petty terrorist tripe that has happened. But; if we had utterly won Korea , there would have not been a VietNam! And Korea is where we began our slide away from being clearly right..

Answer 5

Winning in Vietnam would have caused a different government system in Vietnam. Apart from that, everything would be virtually the same. The dominoe theory: if Vietnam falls to communist rule, Asia and the rest of the world will also. Cambodia and Loas would still have fell to communism even if the war was won. American involvement was a reason it fell in first place.
This is all i can remember from AP US History last year.
You should visit wikipedia.com

Answer 6

the southeast Asia region would not be all Communist, and the American government would have higher deterrence
the domino effect was true because shortly after we pulled out south Vietnam was taken over then the rest of the southeast region, the news also spread to the rest of the world and made the US look weaker and the Kruschev look stronger

Answer 7

Vietnam would be a puppet of the U.S just like Israel and Japan.
But the thing is that you just cannot win a inconventional war. Even if they keep saying "nuke em and git over with it". Japan surrendered because they cared for their people. As for Vietnam,NK,Iran they will fight until they have given as much damage to the U.S as possible. Take a look at Iraq. Sure the conventional army of Saddam Hussain was slain but there are
these militia groups. Viet Kong soldeirs were trained for this kind of thing. They were expecting a nuke although did not get an attack by an atomic weapon. But they were expecting their conventional army to be defeated. But then it turned inconventional. They spread out awkwards and recked havoc.
Iranian soldeirs are trained for inconventional battles. They have
well trained militia's to do the job and push out U.S troops. It
will not be a formal signing of a document like Japan but
a fight until the last militia men are killed. That is impossible.
By doing this kind of thing they have proved that victory would be impossible. In Iraq the sectarians are just from poor trained
individual militia men who atack in waves and plant bombs.
In Vietnam it was different. If you look at Hezbollah which is an extension of Iran Vietnam had hundreds of those stragglers.
Their crippled military spread awkward just like Iraq but
only their militia had more to do with the former military.
North Korea and Iran will do the same.

Answer 8

Ok, first, we did not lose in Viet Nam. What happened was, our president negotiated a peace treaty. So our boys got to go home. When we got home, the North invaded the South (whom we'd been defending) Part of the peace treaty was, if the north invaded the south we would return and finish the job. But due to the unpopularity of the first event, Congress refused to fund the next one. Those pictures you see of our people being pulled out of there were the photos of us evacuating via helicopter, the embassy. Our troops were not there when the North took over the South.
The North was supported by Soviet weapons and training. What we would have lost was credibility in the world political economy. What we did lose was credibility with our allies, by not returning to fulfill our commitment to South Vietnam.
http://judgeright.blogspot.com

Answer 9

we were not fighting for our freedom so we could never have won that war. nothing would be different. as in the current situation in iraq, we are not fighting for our freedom, we are fighting for the rights of people that dont want us in their country at all. nothing will be gained from the war in iraq just as nothing was gained from the war in vietnam. except the loss of good men and women.

Answer 10

it was impossible at the first place...so forget it and don't wast time to think about wht could have done and we could have won in Vietnam? what had done its done, learn from misktake and take lesson...and use it in Iraq.