November 20, 2024 | Samantha Henman

How Did The Vietnam War End?


The Vietnam War was long, devastating, deadly, and one of the most divisive wars in history. As it dragged on, with more and more dissent fomenting in the US, the war finally reached its breaking point. While the Vietnam War officially ended in 1975, it took a combination of factors to produce the pivotal moment that finally ended of the war.

How Did The Vietnam War End?

Purple Heart factsWikipedia

The Tet Offensive and Its Aftermath

The three-phase Tet Offensive occurred throughout eight months, beginning with the deadly first phase in January and February of  1968. North Vietnam and the Viet Cong launched the offensive against South Vietnamese forces and their American allies. The North Vietnamese hoped that Tet would trigger a popular uprising in the South, but that didn't come to pass.

Advertisement

Instead, the Tet Offensive resulted in huge casualties for both sides and destroyed cities throughout Vietnam.

In the US, this turning point changed how people thought of the war. Before Tet, Americans believed that the US had a strong foothold in Vietnam. After Tet, they learned that they were sorely mistaken.

Advertisement

Despite the USA's many years in Vietnam, they weren’t gaining ground. But even after the defeat, the US demanded that more soldiers join the conflict. For all 1968's bloody conflicts, there was no real change. Something had to give.

How did the vietnam war endGetty

Advertisement

The Times They Are a-Changin’

These factors pushed the war to the forefront of public concern in the US.

Advertisement

Public dissatisfaction with the long war in Vietnam affected the 1968 presidential election, and Richard Nixon was elected partially because of his promise to end the war. After his inauguration, he worked to withdraw troops and strengthen the South Vietnamese military.

Although his actions moved the US toward their withdrawal from Vietnam, the public's opinion about the war worsened each day.

Advertisement

Controversial events like the My Lai Massacre and the publication of the Pentagon Papers enraged Americans. In the USA, protestors vigorously objected to the War. In Vietnam, the morale of American soldiers gave way to dissent and disobedience. Soldiers refused to take orders and faked patrol reports.

Advertisement

Things were bad, and they were about to get worse.

 

Embarrassing Moments in HistoryWikimedia Commons

Advertisement

How Can You Run When You Know?

Nixon slowly withdrew American troops from the battlefield but things were still horrific for the soldiers in Vietnam. As such, when the North Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, the US stepped in to defend the country. For many people back in the USA, Nixon's decision was outrageous, as the President had explicitly contradicted his promise to disengage.

Advertisement

Protests struck up across the nation, including the infamous 1970 Kent State University demonstration where the National Guard killed four students.

Despite promises to end the war, President Nixon also painted any victory, no matter how small, as a success. Evidently, this approach worked. In the face of widespread dissatisfaction and uncertainty, the American people re-elected Nixon to the presidency in 1972.

Advertisement

By then, the war was about to end, but not before one final, massive attack. Operation Linebacker II took place in December 1972.

How did the vietnam war endGetty

Advertisement

When did the Vietnam War End?

On January 15, 1973, all combat activities stopped—or at least, they were supposed to, in anticipation of the Paris Peace Accords scheduled for January 28. However, in this interim period, both sides struggled over land in some unauthorized fighting.

Advertisement

The signing of the accord led the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award its top honor to Lê Đức Thọ and Henry Kissinger, but things weren’t quite that cut and dry. 

President Nixon quickly suggested that the US would happily intervene in Vietnam again if he saw it necessary, leading peace talks to drag on.

Advertisement

Nearly one year after the initial ceasefire, South Vietnam’s President Thieu announced that the Paris Peace Accords were essentially moot. Battles between the North and South resumed, but the US did ultimately refuse to intervene in this late part of the war. Still, it was far from over.

Deadliest Modern Weapons factsFlickr, manhhai

Advertisement

What Was the Fall of Saigon?

Left on their own without help from the US, the South Vietnamese forces found it difficult to hold off the North Vietnamese soldiers.

Advertisement

They headed toward Saigon, where they greatly outnumbered the South’s forces. An attack on the airport there fomented panic, and both officials and civilians hastily attempted to leave the city.

Helicopter evacuations went on around the clock, and on April 30, 1975, the last US Marines in Saigon left that way, as South Vietnamese citizens made their way onto the embassy grounds in hope that more helicopters could help them evacuate.

Advertisement

The gates of the Independence Palace were breached, and South Vietnam surrendered. The war was finally over.

Navy SEALS FactsFlickr

Advertisement

The Aftermath

The aftermath of the Vietnam War—from the trials for war crimes to the trauma (both physical and psychological) experienced by soldiers and civilians to the internment of South Vietnamese citizens in re-education camps following the war—was far-reaching and utterly horrific, and that’s just mentioning a few of the worst examples.

By the end of the Vietnam War, popular opinion in the US generally characterized the war as unjust.

Advertisement

Many years later, Ronald Reagan used the term “Vietnam Syndrome” to refer to the US distrust of any plans for overseas military involvement. Many conservatives used the argument to villainize the anti-war sentiment, arguing that Vietnam could’ve been a victory, if only US citizens hadn’t been so opposed to the war—but at that point, the horrible aftermath of the Vietnam War still was evidence enough for many that the whole endeavor had been a mistake from the beginning.

1960s FactsWikipedia

Advertisement

Sources:

Advertisement

1, 2, 3, 4


READ MORE

The First Rulers Of Kingdoms And Empires

All kingdoms and empires have to begin somewhere, These were the people who created them—whether by force or diplomacy—here are the first rulers of kingdoms and empires.
December 11, 2024 Jack Hawkins

Things Invented In WWI

Pilates might be one of the most popular fitness routines in the world, but more people need to know about its heartbreaking origins in WWI.
December 9, 2024 Mark Schilling

The Last Man To Die In WWI

Henry Nicholas John Gunther wanted to end WWI as a hero—but he had no idea that instead of charging to victory, he was rushing to his doom.
December 9, 2024 Julian Karas
Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers comedy films wearing lamp shade magician fez hat circa 1940.

Celebrities We Didn't Know Were Spies

Harpo Marx visited the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Luckily, the KGB didn’t search him—because if they’d found the secret package taped to his leg, he would’ve been a dead man.
December 6, 2024 Samantha Henman

Inventors Who Were Killed By Their Creations

Sometimes, inventors make things with the best of intentions but, unfortunately, receive the worst outcomes. Here are some of the world's brightest minds who were struck down by their creations.
December 6, 2024 Jack Hawkins

Iconic Brands That Had Epic Downfalls

If these iconic brands were part of your childhood, you'd know how disappointed you were when they shut down. Here are some iconic brands that had epic downfalls.
November 28, 2024 Jack Hawkins