What did the us do during the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

The US conducted war against the country of North Vietnam, and it's southern communist guerillas in South Vietnam.

TheNewFlamel: I'm basically adding more stuff to the answer above:

We fought against:

- North Vietnam

- Viet-Cong (communist guerrilla group mentioned above)

We bombed the following to some extent:

- Laos

- Cambodia

Cambodia was neutral, but they had communist bases by their border with Vietnam, so America bombed them. They missed.

Answer 2

US Involvement in Vietnam: In 1954, the Vietminh forces of Vietnam defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, and the nation was temporarily divided into two sections, north and south. The people of the south chose Ngo Dinh Diem as their ruler and Ho Chi Minh ruled the north. Diem refused to go along with the planned elections in 1956 to unite the nation so the Vietminh members in the south created the Viet Cong and the war between north and south for control of the country began. The government of South Vietnam requested military advisors from the United States to help train the South Vietnamese army. Ho Chi Minh was a communist and during the Cold War of the 1950s and 60s, the aim of the US government was containment of communist power and not to let it spread. The Eisenhower administration provided South Vietnam with money and advisors to help stop the threat of a North Vietnamese takeover. The United States also was pledged by treaty (SEATO) to aid the member nations in southeast Asia, if they were attacked by a foreign (communist) power. Following the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, President Lyndon B. Johnson also believed in containment and the domino theory. If one nation falls to communism, the next nation will fall, and the next, etc. It became the aim of the Johnson administration to prevent a communist takeover in Southeast Asia. In August, 1964, President Johnson reported to the nation that American ships had been attacked by North Vietnam gunboats in the Gulf of Tonkin, in international waters. The Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving the President the power to use whatever force necessary to protect our interests in the area. At the time, the truth was not reported. > http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2261 In February, 1965, the Viet Cong attacked an American military base near Pleiku. Using the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, President Johnson sent in 3,500 Marines, the first official troops, to South Vietnam. By the end of the year, there were 200,000 US troops in Vietnam.
The US was a PRIMARY combatant in the Vietnam War. The US used every weapon in it's inventory; Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps & Coast Guard...with the exception of atomic weapons.

Answer 3

The US originally engaged in combat with local VC guerillas (Viet Cong) in the early 60's, this escalated into conventional warfare (LIMITED to conventional weapons-NO nukes) between the North Vietnamese Air Force & Army against the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, and the US Army, and allied nations of Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, and the forces of South Vietnam. The US Air Force and US Navy fought aerial jet battles over North Vietnam against North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17, MiG-19 (Red Chinese J-6 versions of the Soviet MiG-19), and the MiG-21 Jet fighters. While USAF B-52 Stratofortess bombers struck targets in North Vietnam. US F-4 Phantoms often flew MIGCAPS (Combat Air Patrols guarding against MiGs that were targeting B-52's). US Air Force/US Navy/US Marine Corps jet fighter bombers supported US Soldiers and Marines fighting on the ground in SOUTH Vietnam with close air strikes. US Army Cobra helicopter gunships and USAF Spectre Gunships (AC-130's) provided close air support missions, but the helicopter gunships were NOT nearly as effective as the jets. The US Navy had TWO navies fighting in Vietnam. The regular US Fleet of one Battleship (USS New Jersey), cruisers and destroyer, and aircraft carriers; and a BROWN WATER NAVY which was the Riverine Forces, consisting of Swift Boats, PBR's Alpha Boats and Monitors. The US Army fought small conventional battles with regular NVA units using M-48 Patton tanks, the US Cavalry used M-551 Sheridan tanks and M-113 APC/ACAV's (Armored Personnel Carriers/Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicles). US Mechanized Infantry only used the M-113's. US Armored Cavalry used M-551's & M-113's. US Armor battalions used M-48 Patton tanks.

Answer 4

In the earliest years it tried to help France. After Dien Bien Phu it tried to help the South Vietnames build up an effective armed forces. Late in the war it fought the war.

Answer 5

Destroying communists in South Vietnam, and destroying the communist's will to make war in North Vietnam (bombing them during the air war).