Where was the search and destroy policy used in Vietnam? And what were the lasting effects?

Question

Where was the search and destroy policy used in Vietnam and what were the lasting effects?

Answer 1

First of all, destroying Vietnamese villages, GIs setting fire to houses with their Zippo lighters, were _not_ part of any official "Search and Destroy" strategy. Most of the S&D was in jungles, like around the Ho Chi Min Trail. Their effect was limited, as most US units (except for Special Forces) were not or poorly trained and equipped for guerilla fighting in the jungle. But the images of ordinary GIs destroying villages was forever linked to S&D, and led to its bad image.

"The idea is to insert ground forces into hostile territory on a special mission to target enemy forces and withdraw immediately afterwards, a strategy that seemed to be ideally suited for guerrilla / jungle warfare. The complementary, and more conventional, strategy, which entailed attacking an enemy position, conquering, fortifying and holding it indefinitely, was called "Clear and Hold"."

"S&D missions entailed sending out a group of soldiers from a fortified position, generally into the jungle, to find and destroy the enemy. Most of the time, the S&D mission involved hiking out into the boonies and laying an ambush in the brush, near a suspected trail."

"The S&D mission ambush typically involved use of fixed Claymore antipersonnel mines, crossing lines of small arms fire, mortar support, and possibly additional artillery support called in via radio from nearby firebases."

"Search and destroy" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_and_destroy

Answer 2

They sprayed agent orange on the forests to defoliate them to find the enemy. One Vietnameze could sit in a tree and pick off the soldiers below with out ever being spoted.
They could also find hidden weapons.
They pretty much ruined the country but the people continued fighting because that was home they had no where else to go.