Eisenhower on the eve of the Geneva Conference of 1954.

From that point on, American involvement in Vietnam was most often explained in terms of the Domino Theory, articulated by President Dwight D. The lines of future conflict were drawn that year when the Peoples Republic of China and the Soviet Union recognized and provided aid to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi, followed almost immediately by Washington’s recognition of the State of Vietnam in Saigon.

While that war was, initially, a war of decolonization, it became a central battleground of the Cold War by 1950. The Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, emerged as the dominant anti-colonial movement by the end of World War II, though Viet Minh leaders encountered difficulties as they tried to consolidate their power on the eve of the First Indochina War against France. Here, writer Jem Duducu, author of a new historical novel set during the Vietnam War, shares seven lesser-known facts about the conflict.The origins of the Vietnam War can be traced to France’s colonization of Indochina in the late 1880s. Marches took place around the world, including London, Paris and West Berlin. The Papers consisted of 47 volumes and 7,000 pages.Ģ58 The Medal of Honour, the highest US military decoration, was awarded 258 times to men serving in Vietnam: 172 to the Army, 57 to Marines, 15 to the Navy and 14 to the Air Force.ħ million More than 7 million tons of bombs were dropped on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia throughout the conflict.ġ trillion Although only an estimate, it is thought the US spent $140 billion in the Vietnam War, which works out at over 1 trillion dollars in today's money.ĥ00,000 In the largest anti-war rally, 500,000 descended on Washington DC for the Moratorium March on 15 November 1969.

It passed the House of Representative 414-0 and got through the Senate 88-2.Ĥ7 The Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study of US involvement in Vietnam, was leaked to the press in 1971.

More than 35,000 of those who died were aged 21 or under.Ģ When Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, there were only two dissenting votes. 19 The average age of the American soldier in Vietnam was 19 (compared to 26 in World War II).

What was the vietnam war also called?