Why was it difficult for American soldiers to tell friend from foe in the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

Two reasons:

1. Prior to the Tonkin Gulf Incidents in '64, the war in South Vietnam was fought by guerrillas (VC). As a rule, guerrillas DID NOT wear uniforms and they utilized CAPTURED weapons. Thusly, you had "anyone" (man, woman, or child) walking around with a gun (US supplied or captured from previous wars: US Rifle 1903 bolt action Springfield, British Lee Enfield bolt action .303s, WWII Japanese 7.7mm Arisaka bolt action rifles, US Tommy Guns, US M1 carbines, M1 Garand US Rifles, .45 pistols, etc.). Until the entry of the uniformed NVA from North Vietnam who came equipped with Soviet/Chicom AK47s or SKSs in 1965...there was a problem.

2. Secondly, all wars, and Vietnam was no exception, have had incidents in which the enemy deployed innocent civilians as terrorists.

Answer 2

Because the Vietnamese shared the same ethnicity (physiognomy) as the the rest of the South Vietnamese population. It was very difficult to distinguish a Vietcong or Communist Vietnamese from a non Viet Cong farmer or peasant woman in the field.

Answer 3

Because the North Vietnamese (enemy) and the South Vietnamese (good guys) look exactly alike (genetically the same). This means that insurgent ENEMIES can hide in the general population and not be recognized.

Answer 4

The NVA were a uniformed force; the VC were not.