The Vietnam War was fought by the United States to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975 and cost the lives of more than 58,000 American soldiers. The Vietnam War was the longest and most controversial war in American history.
The Vietnam War began in 1955 after the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) took control of the country from the French. The United States supported the French in their war against the CPV, but after the French were defeated, the United States began to support the South Vietnamese government against the CPV.
In 1960, the United States began to increase its military presence in Vietnam. American forces advisers helped the South Vietnamese government train and equip its military. American troops also began to fight in Vietnam, first in small numbers as advisers and then in larger numbers as combat troops.
The United States became more deeply involved in the war after the CPV-led National Liberation Front (NLF) began to attack South Vietnamese villages and military bases. In 1965, the United States began a bombing campaign against CPV targets in North Vietnam. American ground troops were sent to South Vietnam in early 1965, and by the end of the year, there were more than 180,000 American troops in Vietnam.
The United States continued to increase its military involvement in the war, and by 1968 more than 500,000 American troops were in Vietnam. The war became increasingly unpopular in the United States, and anti-war protests began to grow. Despite the massive deployment of American troops and the dropping of more than 2 million tons of bombs, the United States was unable to defeat the North Vietnamese or stop the flow of supplies and reinforcements from neighboring Communist countries. In early 1973, the United States began withdrawing its forces from Vietnam, and by the end of the year, all American troops had left the country.
In early 1973, the United States and North Vietnam signed a peace agreement that called for the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. American troops began to leave Vietnam in early 1973, and the last American troops left Vietnam in March 1973.
The war continued after the American withdrawal, and in 1975 the CPV took control of South Vietnam. The Vietnam War finally ended in 1975, after more than 20 years of fighting.
