Why Did America Win The Vietnam War

Assess the reasons for the communist victory in the 2nd Indochina War
The communist victory in the second Indochina war was highly due to the failures of conventional warfare from the US and ARVN such as the bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and search and destroy missions which did little to bring down the Viet Cong. The Tet Offensive also contributed by being a turning point for the war, leading to a decreasing American support for the war as it caused media chaos. The end of US aid through the Paris Agreement and Vietnamization policy impacted the South negatively leaving a poorly lead army and a crumbling economy and the already corrupted South Government highly contributed to the communist victory as well.
ARVN and the US’s strategies and tactics of conventional warfare such as search and destroy missions and bombs were very ineffective. Their continuous bombing on the Ho Chi Minh Trail did little to bring down the North Vietnamese army and it resulted in a cost of $1 billion US dollars. Their weapons, such as helicopters used for search and destroy missions were big and loud which made them easy to spot and
In 1969 this policy was put into place, withdrawing US troops from South Vietnam as well as their financial aid. The Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973 by the US, North and South Vietnam. This accord brought to a complete stop the US aid with South Vietnam. Historian Karnow also mentions how “the politicians were simply reflecting the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Americans” due to all the antiwar protests. This sudden withdrawal left a poorly lead South Vietnamese Army and a bad economy. Without America to rely on the South Vietnamese army were left without many vehicles and planes to fight against the Viet Cong which ultimately lead to the North’s