Was America Justified for entering the Vietnam War?

The Vietnam War began on the 1st of November, 1955, and ended on the 31st of April, 1975. It was a war fought predominantly in Vietnam, but small battles did occur in areas of Laos and Cambodia. During these twenty years of unfortunate enmity, hostility and combat, the South fraction of Vietnam, fought against the North. The South of Vietnam was predominantly Capitalist, their allies strictly anti-communist, a political ideology which exorbitantly contradicted that of the North sector, which was completely and utterly Communist. This essay will focus on whether or not the United States had plausible justification when entering the Vietnam War.
Firstly, it is accredited by many that the USA had justifiable reasons for becoming involved in affairs in Vietnam. Firstly, their most ascribed reason is that the United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. The Containment Policy, first constituted by the late President Harry Truman, was an agreement in which any location that condoned Communism and were prevailingly Communist would have to be effectively contained; in order prevent the spread of Communism. When invading Vietnam, and assisting the South in their affairs, the United States were acting upon the Policy of Containment, just as they had done in many other previously Communist locations. Secondly, the United States believed strongly that Communism, if not contained, would efficaciously ‘bring down’ many other European and Asian countries. This belief was put forward as the Domino Theory, concocted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and first revealed to the public through a speech in 1954. It was thought that when China converted to Communism, it later made Korea follow, and if not stopped, Vietnam would as well. They believed that if they did not become involved, the South sector of Vietnam would lose their war, and fall completely under a Communist regime, that would later spread to neighbouring countries such as Laos and Cambodia.
Nonetheless, many do conclude that the US, in fact, had no discernable reason for engaging in war with Vietnam. Firstly, the war that occurred in Vietnam is considered by a great number of people as a Civil War. It qualifies as such due to the fact that it was fought within one country, and fought between two sides of that same country. During the Civil War in the United States, no external parties engaged in their own private affairs, and so no other country should have become involved in the Vietnam War. Secondly, the Vietnamese people did not ask for help. Although the South section of Vietnam was part of SEATO, in order for the US to become involved, they would have to have been asked to do so in the first place. This leads to a second belief that the United States was unlawfully eclectic. When Hungary was fighting their own anti-communist revolution, not once did the United States ask for help despite the fact that they were requested multiple times, but did actually engage in the Vietnam War when not requested at all. In addition, the negative aftermath of the Vietnam War was significantly worse than any accomplishment that occurred during those twenty years of combat. In total, more than three million Vietnamese civilians were killed by the US army, as well as millions of Vietnamese soldiers. Also, looking that the Vietnam War through an environmental perspective, the tactic favoured by the United States depleted most forests and jungles, as well as causing many problems that the people in Vietnam still suffer from today. The War cost the United States billions of dollars in funding that could have been better used for many other issues in the Unites States itself. Lastly, the United States was going through an astronomical anti-war movement during the period of time that the Vietnam War took place, which meant that a better part of the United States population was surpassingly against any notion of war. They were not making anyone proud, as most people believed that the Vietnam War was not theirs to fight, and felt no reason why they should sacrifice their lives for a war that would not make a difference to their lives.
To conclude, I believe that the United States was not justified for entering the Vietnam War. Considering the fact that the War was, at its core, a Civil War, the United States should not have become involved. If the US had merely offered aid to the Southern Vietnamese without attacking the North themselves, they would have spared millions of lives as well as saving billions of dollars. In addition, the United States used horrendous tactics during the War, which involved burning many innocent civilians, as well as destroying their own land, which were vile, gruesome acts which ultimately could not be condoned. The Vietnam War, as well as the Vietnamese people, should have been left to their own devices, and the War itself should have taken its natural course. To America, the war was fought over the containment of Communism, and the fear of the irrational Domino Theory. To the Vietnamese people, the war was fought for freedom and independence. It is today, just as it was when it occurred, a war that was not Americas to fight, and that is why they should never have gotten involved