Understanding the Vietnamese Perspective During the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War remains one of the most contentious subjects in military history, sparking endless debates over the justification of U.S. intervention, the mistakes made, and whether America ever had a real chance of victory. While these topics are frequently discussed, much less is known about the Vietnamese perspective during the conflict—their motivations, the agendas of their leaders, and their endurance through nearly 20 years of brutal guerrilla warfare. This article aims to explore these aspects and provide context for the resilient spirit of resistance that allowed Vietnam to withstand the American military might.

Historical Context and Early Resistance

To understand the Vietnamese attitude during the war, one must first appreciate Vietnam’s history of foreign domination and exploitation. For over a millennium, Vietnam was subjected to Chinese rule, enduring attempts at both conquest and cultural assimilation. However, by the 19th century, as European colonial powers began to encroach on Asia, Vietnam’s prospects for autonomy seemed to improve. This hope was quickly dashed when French warships arrived and decisively crushed any ambitions for independence. By 1884, most of Vietnam had become part of French Indochina, with the Nguyen Dynasty reduced to a puppet regime under French control.

Under French rule, colonial administrators had almost unchecked power to suppress any hint of resistance. They even criminalized Vietnamese identity, leaving the peasantry in a state of despair. Despite numerous failed uprisings and brutal reprisals, a new revolutionary movement was emerging—not in the fields or royal courts, but in the coffeehouses of Paris.

The Rise of Communism and Ho Chi Minh

In the early 20th century, Vietnamese intellectuals studying in Europe were introduced to radical ideologies, including communism, which promised freedom and equality against capitalist imperialism. By the 1930s, communism had become Vietnam’s dominant underground political movement. Central to this movement was Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, a son of a disgraced bureaucrat. After leaving Vietnam in the 1910s, Hồ Chí Minh traveled through Europe and the United States, ardently opposing imperialism. By 1920, he was deeply influenced by the success of Vladimir Lenin’s October Revolution in Russia, which demonstrated that imperialist systems could be overthrown.

Hồ Chí Minh formed the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) in 1930 with the goal of ending colonial rule in Vietnam. His efforts, however, would be catalyzed by an unexpected source: Imperial Japan.

In 1940, Japan invaded Vietnam as part of its strategy to establish the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. In 1945, Japan officially annexed Vietnam and expelled French authorities. The subsequent Japanese surrender left Vietnam in chaos, providing Hồ Chí Minh with an opportunity. He returned to Vietnam in 1941 and led the Viet Minh, a major resistance movement against the Japanese, and by 1945, was at the helm of a force of 10,000 communist guerrillas.

On August 15, 1945, Hồ Chí Minh’s revolution began with the collapse of Japanese control. Despite this, Hồ Chí Minh sought to align with the United States, given the ongoing conflict between the French and the Vietnamese. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the U.S. had established contact with the Viet Minh, and Hồ Chí Minh’s nationalism appealed to American sympathies, who saw him as a liberator rather than a communist.

The First Indochina War and Its Aftermath

The relationship between Vietnam and the U.S. was short-lived. As the French sought to reclaim their colonies and President Truman rejected cooperation with a communist regime, the First Indochina War began on December 16, 1946. The conflict intensified as the French reasserted control with Bao Dai as a puppet ruler. Following a decisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French agreed to negotiate, leading to the Geneva Accords that split Vietnam into the North (Democratic Republic of Vietnam, or DRV) and the South (State of Vietnam).

The South was led by the corrupt Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm, who rigged a referendum to establish the Republic of Vietnam. His refusal to allow a vote on reunification with the North led to the rise of DRV-backed insurgents in the South, escalating the conflict. The U.S. began increasing its support for Diệm’s regime, which ultimately culminated in his assassination in 1963—a move supported by the CIA—and the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, paving the way for full-scale American involvement.

The Vietnam War and Vietnamese Resistance

Vietnamese military strategists recognized early on that a conventional victory over the U.S. was unattainable. The extensive rural population of the South, already influenced by DRV-backed insurgents (the Viet Cong), proved difficult for American forces to suppress. The conflict shifted to a war of attrition, with the Vietnamese employing extensive tunnel networks to counter American superiority. The Cu Chi Tunnels, for example, were a crucial part of their strategy.

Despite intense American bombing campaigns designed to break Vietnamese resolve, the civilian population demonstrated remarkable resilience. A North Vietnamese civilian’s reaction to the first B-57 bombers, asking why airplanes were dropping “baby airplanes,” highlights the confusion and suffering experienced by the Vietnamese people.

The Tet Offensive and Aftermath

The Tet Offensive of 1968 was a turning point, showcasing the Viet Cong’s ability to strike even the heart of Saigon. The psychological impact on U.S. forces was immense, revealing vulnerabilities and leading to growing disillusionment with the South Vietnamese government. The propaganda campaigns led by Vo Nguyen Giap, a prominent military leader, effectively rallied the North Vietnamese people by framing the war as a just struggle against imperialism.

As the war dragged on, U.S. morale plummeted, and by the early 1970s, efforts to strengthen the South Vietnamese army while withdrawing American troops proved insufficient. The DRV’s final offensive, known as the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, decisively ended the conflict in 1975, leading to the fall of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.

Legacy and Reflection

While the victory allowed Vietnam to reunify, it left deep scars on both sides, with millions affected by the prolonged conflict. Despite the predictions of spreading communism throughout Southeast Asia, the ideological impact was minimal. The U.S. failed to grasp that it was the Vietnamese desire for liberty, not simply communism, that motivated their resistance. The support of a corrupt regime in the South further exacerbated this misunderstanding, leading to a conflict that opened deep wounds in Vietnamese society—wounds that are yet to be fully healed.

Understanding the Vietnamese perspective during the Vietnam War offers crucial insights into the complex motivations and experiences of a nation under siege. The resilience and determination of the Vietnamese people, shaped by a history of foreign domination and internal strife, played a significant role in shaping the outcome of this devastating conflict.

This article presents a comprehensive view of the Vietnamese experience during the Vietnam War, focusing on their motivations, leadership, and the impact of prolonged conflict.