What was the reason America went to war with Vietnam?

Answer 1

The official reason was strictly political. The politicians at that time invested a lot in the "Domino Theory" meaning that if communism wasn't contained soon that it would spread throughout the world. In essence we were attempting to keep the communists out of South Vietnam just like we did with South Korea.

Answer 2

Basically to hold the line against the spread of world Communism. America paid for the war the French fought against Communist Vietnam as a part of the Truman Doctrine (1947) “to protect free peoples…” and then by the 1950’s became involved when the war flared up again.

By the late 1950’s the Americans developed the “Domino Theory” as a justification for the involvement. This theory stated, “If South Vietnam falls to the Communist, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India and Pakistan would also fall like dominos. The Pacific Islands and even Australia could be at risk”.

After the French were defeated in 1954, Vietnam was split in two - the north was Communist, led by Ho Chi Minh, and the south was Capitalist under Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem's regime received billions of dollars from the US but remained deeply unpopular with most Vietnamese people.

The US prevented the elections that were promised under the Geneva conference because it knew that the Communists would win. Vietnamese Buddhist monks protested against American involvement by self-immolation

Operation Phoenix was organised by the CIA. This led to the arrest and murder of thousands of Communists in the south. First the US sent in military advisers, then President Johnson sent in troops in huge numbers.

Answer 3

not that simple i suppose but some credit the outset of the cold war and the perceived expansion of soviet communism as a global threat during this time. i think Kennedy coined the phrase- " the Domino Theory" in which he likened countries to dominoes and that each had the potential to fall thus triggering a domino effect, let one go and before you know it there is a concertina and ripple effect.
France tried to oust the communist regime in south Vietnam but lost or at least withdrew after the battle of "Diem Ben Phu". Possibly the politicians in the states felt that the onus was with them to counter the spread of communism particularly in the far east by sending a message, they signed the Ton-kin Gulf resolution which alleged that a US navy destroyer had been attacked by Vietnamese torpedo boats? and launched operations "rolling thunder" the ground offensive and "flaming dart" the air offensive. i have no doubt it was more complex than this though.

Answer 4

The Yanks didn't seem to realise that the war in Indo China in the 1950s, was a war of liberation from French colonialism. Having been effectively kicked out by the Japanese during WW2 the French sought to re-establish the status quo when the war ended. The Vietnamese however didn't want the French back and wanted American help in keeping them out. The Americans refused to help the Vietnamese, on the grounds that the French were former wartime allies and they wanted a strong NATO in Europe. This forced Ho Chi Minh into the arms of the Russians, who were only to pleased to make trouble for the US in S.E. Asia. In its early stages the US had a real opportunity to broker a peace in Vietnam, but through self interest and cold war paranoia they failed. The war was never initially about fighting the Red Menace, it was about freedom from the French. The rest is history

Answer 5

The chief cause of the war was the failure of Vietnamese nationalists, in the form of the Viet Minh, to gain control of southern Vietnam both during and after their struggle for independence from France in the First Indochina War of 1946-1954.

Allies of the Vietnamese communists included the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. South Vietnam's main anti-communist allies were the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and New Zealand. The U.S. in particular, deployed large numbers of military personnel to South Vietnam. U.S. military advisors first became involved in Vietnam as early as 1950, when they began to assist French colonial forces. In 1956, these advisors assumed full responsibility for training the Army of the Republic of Vietnam or ARVN. Large numbers of American combat troops began to arrive in 1965 and the last left the country in 1973.

Answer 6

Because we left Chiang Kai-shek alone in China after WW2, without staying to stabilize their democracy. Then communists took over China, North Korea, and North Vietnam...so we went in, too late to be effective.

Eventually we will probably make the same mistake in the war on terror. The greatest flaw of democracy is that nothing gets done until its too late.

-Aztec276

Answer 7

To halt the march of Communism into Vietnam from the north, which was encouraged and part funded by China.
America did not want a Communist country in south-east Asia.

Answer 8

Communism in Vietnam!

Answer 9

So did the British and Commonwealth forces,my mate
who were called the Glorious Glosters was captured
and spent many years in the Vietnamese prisons
and weighed just six stones (74 Ibs) when released.

Answer 10

The Domino Theory.