Vietnam: Past and Present

O’Connor, Rayner, Tierney

Vietnam• Eventful history• Rich Culture• Americans don’t think

about the country

Vietnam

“Vietnam.” Map. operationworld.org. Operation World. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

•DRV (North Vietnamese) and Viet Cong•RVN (South Vietnamese)

- Backed by the United States

•Part of Cold War- Against Communism

What Was the Vietnam War?

Why Did the US Interfere?

•Stop Communism•Domino Theory•Trained ARVN•Military advisors train guerrillas

Key Statistics and Figures•United States

- 58,119 KIA- 153,303 wounded- 1,948 MIA

•South Vietnam- 230,000 KIA- 1,169,763 wounded

•North Vietnam- 1,100,000 KIA- Unknown wounded

Other Facts•75,000 were severely disabled

- 23,214 were 100% disabled

•5,283 lost limbs- 1,081 lost multiple limbs

•61% of KIA were younger than 21- 11,465 were younger than 20

•17,539 of KIA were married•Average age of KIA: 23.1•Five men KIA were 16 years old

Tet Offensive

•January 1968•DRV and VC•Assault on US Marines at Khe Sanh•Attacks on cities throughout South Vietnam•Heavy casualties•Psychological attack on RVN and US

Famous Picture from Tet Offensive

Adams, Eddie. 1 Feb. 1968. Saigon, Vietnam. Wnpr.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2013

Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War on American Troops• PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)

• 30.9% of male American Vietnam Veterans suffer from lifetime effects of PTSD

• A 2003 study found 4/5 veterans suffer from PTSD twenty five years after the

war.

Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War on American Troops• Depression, anxiety and alcohol issues

• Men• Alcohol dependence and abuse, Antisocial Personality Disorder and

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Women• Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression

• Higher wartime exposure = more psychological disorders

Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War on American Troops• Some disorders developed when soldiers returned back to

the United States after the war.• American veterans returned to a political hostile America

• Thus resulting in the acute anxiety and self-estrangement

Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War on Vietnamese

• Contributing factors to psychological disorders amongst Vietnamese• Chemical/Herbicide Spraying Exposure• Family Breaks Up• War Environment

Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War on Vietnamese• Particular Groups Psychologically impacted

• Soldiers• Prisoners of War

• Families• Single Mothers

• Evacuees

Agent Orange

•19,000,000 gallons used in Vietnam War- Most common herbicide used.

Agent Orange

Spraying Agent Orange. N.d. Photograph. Veterans Today. Veterans Today, 13 June 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

Effects from the usage of Chemicals/herbicides • American Troops

• Cancer• Leukemia• Hodgkin's lymphoma

• Children of American Troops• Spina Bifida• Birth Defects

Effects from the usage of Chemicals/herbicides

• Vietnamese Children• Still Borns• Diabetes Type Two• Various Birth Defects

Effects from the usage of Chemicals/herbicides

KC Ortiz. “The Effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam.” Online Image. 21 July 2009. Known Gallery. Web. 16 Nov 2013

Environmental Impact

• 25 million acres of forest• 20% destroyed

• “American Grass”

“Map of Spray Missions in South Vietnam, 1965-71” Map. cc.gatech.edu. Operation Ranch Hand. Web. 19 Nov. 2013

Vietnam Today

• 89 million people• 94% Literacy• Communism• Economic Reform

Exports

• Cashews • Clothing• Rice

Cashew Controversy

• Human rights violation• “labor rehabilitation”

Vietnam as a Whole

• Warmth• Culture• History

”Travel Tours Company Brochure Design” Bluedesign.biz Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Travel Brochure Example

Works Cited

Adams, Eddie. 1 Feb. 1968. Saigon, Vietnam. Wnpr.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2013

“Agent Orange.” History.com. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Ashwill, Mark A; Ngoc Diep Thai. Vietnam Today: a guide to a nation at a crossroads. Yarmouth: Intercultural P, 2005. Print.

Bennett, Curt. “Vietnamese Morning.” Warpoetry.co.uk. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

"Birth Defects in Children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans - Public Health." Birth Defects in Children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans - Public Health. Department of Veteran Affairs, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

"Facts about Herbicides - Public Health." Facts about Herbicides - Public Health. Department of Veteran Affairs, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Hammond, Susan, dir. WarLegacies.org. N.p., N.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

Hickman, Kennedy. “Vietnam 101: A Short Introduction.” About.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Hitchens, Christopher. "The Vietnam Syndrome." Vanity Fair. N.p., Aug. 2006. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

Works Cited (Cont.)

“Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.” Travelocity.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

KC Ortiz. “The Effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam.” Online Image. 21 July 2009. Known Gallery. Web. 16 Nov 2013.

Mahato, Ananda, et al. “Vietnam’s Economy: Poverty and Prospects.” mrdwab.com. Study Abroad, 1999. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

“Map of Spray Missions in South Vietnam, 1965-71” Map. cc.gatech.edu. Operation Ranch Hand. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Murphy, J. M. "War Stress and Civilian Vietnamese. A Study of Psychological Effects."NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Rứa, Tô Huy. "Sustainable value and significance of the Communist Manifesto". dangcongsan.vn. Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 8 March 2007. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

Simon, Julian L . Population Matters: People, Resources, Environment, and Immigration . New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1990. Print.

Spraying Agent Orange. N.d. Photograph. Veterans Today. Veterans Today, 13 June 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

Summers, Harry G. On Strategy: A Critical Anaylsis of the Vietnam War. London. Random House LLC, 1995. Print.

Works Cited (Cont.)

”Travel Tours Company Brochure Design” Bluedesign.biz Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Tucker, Spencer. Vietnam. U P of Kentucky, 1999. Print.

“Vietnam.” Map. operationworld.org. Operation World. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

“Vietnam War: Facts, Stats & Myths.” U.S. Wings. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.