Vietnam’s Modern History
Vietnam travel allows a close look at the modern history of the country and its influence on the present day. The Vietnamese people resisted French colonialism from its inception, but it was not until the 20th century that they were successful in regaining their independence. After World War I the Vietnamese people tried to collaborate with the French, but were unable to obtain any political concessions. This failure spurred on underground revolutionary groups, including the Indochinese Communist Party begun by Ho Chi Minh, an exiled revolutionary. During World War II, Japan invaded Vietnam and occupied the country. Once the war was over, France attempted to reestablish its power, but the Vietnamese were equally determined to establish their independence. While France had control of the south, the Communists had seized power in the north, and from 1946 to 1954 the Vietnamese fought to gain the real independence they had declared in September of 1945. In 1954, France finally admitted defeat and signed the Geneva Accords, which provided for a cease-fire.
The Geneva Accords also divided the country into two zones at the 17th parallel—the Communist North and the non-Communist South. The North was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while the South was supported by the United States, who provided the financial support to build up Southern military and security forces. But many Vietnamese longed for a reunited country, and in 1963 the communist-led forces—the Viet Cong—attempted to overthrow the Southern government. This insurgency was the catalyst to increased U.S. involvement: In early 1965 the U.S. began bombing North Vietnam, beginning the Vietnam War. U.S. troops would pour into the South a month later. Many who travel to Vietnam today are easily reminded of this recent war and the political implications it had, not only in Vietnam, but in the United States as well. By 1968 more than 500,000 American troops had been deployed in Vietnam, despite widespread opposition to the war.
The three long years of bombing and fighting seemed to strengthen rather than weaken the resolve of the Viet Cong and their allies, whose power became particularly evident during the Tet Offensive of January 1968. President Johnson restricted bombing in the North, and negotiations between the U.S. and Hanoi began. Five years later, in January of 1973, a peace treaty was finally signed by the U.S. and the Vietnamese parties. U.S. troops pulled out in March, but the fighting between Northern and Southern Vietnamese troops did not halt until 1975, when the North defeated the South and entered Saigon. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam was officially declared on July 2, 1976.
Vietnam’s first years as a united and independent nation were full of unrest and political upheaval. The new government formed alliances with Laos and Cambodia; Vietnam’s involvement in Cambodia resulted in an invasion of that country and the installation of a pro-Vietnamese government. China reacted violently to Vietnam’s actions, invading Vietnam and destroying towns along the border in early 1979. The United States and most other Western countries expressed their disapproval of Vietnam’s occupation of Cambodia through a strict trade embargo. In 1986 the Vietnamese government responded to outside and inside pressures and implemented a number of reforms in an attempt to improve the economy. This new policy was called “doi moi” (renovation). The U.S. lifted the trade embargo in 1994, and diplomatic relations between the two nations were re-established in 1995. Vietnam travel today offers a new look at the country. In recent years, the Vietnamese government has reiterated its commitment to restructuring economic policies and moving into the international sphere; Vietnam hopes to become a member of the WTO in 2006.