What was gained in the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

We learned how not to conduct a war for one. I'm not talking about the war itself, but rather the war back home. Allowing journalists to see everything and make reports caused extremely inflammatory stories about the war and while I don't think we ever belonged there in the first place, I've heard enough veterans say that news reports were not as bad as the reality to start believing that they're may be something to that. Don't let journalists in to see too much action because they are businessmen. They have to sell stories and stories that sell are ones that go for people's emotions, especially the negative ones. Don't believe me, then watch how the 24-news networks will cover perhaps isolated murders and kidnappings as though they were nation-wide epidemics, or the SARS virus which rarely killed anybody was treated like the second Black Death. The media loves to create a frenzy because then more people watch the news and they make more money. However, the journalists' presence also caused us to ask why ANY of our boys were dying for this war which raised the question, "Why are we fighting over there?" Thus exposing the fundamental flaw of the entire war. It wasn't the troops on the ground, journalists, protesters back home, but rather I think it was just we had no clear set of reasons for why this country was so important to us, what we would do after the war, and what we would get out of all this fighting. So in this respect having journalists is important because if there are those hazy areas in our logic, those types of questions are going to get asked. While no one can prove this conclusively one way or the other, it is possible that Vietnam may have actually helped stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. This is not a theory I believe in, but then again, who knows? We got to start developing the helicoptor as an effective tool of war, both offensively with gunships like the Cobra, as a transport mechanism like the Huey, and just as an all-around workhorse. Cannons were reattached to jet aircraft. The M-16 got its baptism of fire. We learned humility. Even though we were and are the strongest nation on earth, everyone knows you can't win all the time, so thank God our first loss was in a place that didn't matter to us that much. Think if we had learned defeat during WWII or the Civil War! Now that we have tasted it, we can learn from it and go forward into future conflicts a little wiser. We learned how NOT to treat our veterans. I think largely because of how Vietnam veterans were discarded and mishandled after they came home, Americans have relearned the importance of treating their veterans with respect and honor, which most of them have earned (growing up in the Army, I've met some of the very few who are not deserving of honor or praise, but most are great people. Best storytellers on the planet!). *We learned how not to conduct a war for one. I'm not talking about the war itself, but rather the war back home. Well, maybe we learned, but we must have forgotten. Generals on the ground in Afganistan and Iraq are being second-guessed by politicians who are responding to poll numbers which reflect the information (or disinformation) distributed by the media.

Answer 2

For the United States, nothing was gained during the Vietnam War. This is because the US lost this particular war. The Vietnam War is usually known as one of the least purposeful wars in history.

Answer 3

They got the chance to fly the latest in modern jets; MiG17s, 19s, 21s for the Northerners, and A1 Skyraiders & T28 Trojans (propeller driven), plus F5 Freedom Fighter jets for the Southerners.

Although probably a joke the answer above contains some truth.

During the war the North was only supported militarily by the USSR, while the South was financially supported by the US government and the US service men spent a lot of money there. After Januari 1973, however, the US Congress stopped most of the financial support.

After the South was conquered by the North in 1975 Vietnam became economically isolated from US support. Because of financial problems the USSR was not able to support them either.

So after the war Vietnam did not benefit from the war. Like the Korean War it just was one of those great tragedies of the Cold War.
Vietnam received over ten years worth of military knowledge/equipment/training and civilian related exposures such as shipping and receiving (import and export) experience)/medical/engineer/food/educational benefits from the US during the war.