Vietnam: Past and Present

OConnor, Rayner, Tierney

What Was the Vietnam War?

DRV (North Vietnamese) and Viet Cong RVN (South Vietnamese)
- Backed by the United States

Part of Cold War - Against Communism

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 In a 2003 study found four out of five veterans suffering from PTSD some 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

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 selfestrangement

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 Agent Orange was the most common herbicide used.

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
Forced Labor
labor rehabilitation

Vietnam as a Whole
Warmth Culture History

Works Cited
Ashwill, Mark A; Ngoc Diep Thai. Vietnam Today: a guide to a nation at a crossroads. Yarmouth: Intercultural P, 2005. Print. "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 Hitchens, Christopher. "The Vietnam Syndrome." Vanity Fair. N.p., Aug. 2006. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. KC Ortiz. The Effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Online Image. 21 July 2009. Known Gallery. Web. 16 Nov 2013

Works Cited (Cont.)

Mahato, Ananda, et al. Vietnams 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. Ra, T 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. Summers, Harry G. On Strategy: A Critical Anaylsis of the Vietnam War. London. Random House LLC, 1995. Print. Tucker, Spencer. Vietnam. U P of Kentucky, 1999. Print.

Works Cited (Cont.)

Works Cited (Cont.)

Works Cited (Cont.)