This dyad belongs to the conflict South Vietnam - Vietnam (North Vietnam)

Summary of conflict South Vietnam - Vietnam (North Vietnam)

In 1965, the intrastate war in South Vietnam developed into a full-scale interstate war between North Vietnam, with the backing of the Soviet Union, China and North Korea, on the one hand and South Vietnam with its principal ally USA on the other. In 1973, after years of protracted warfare which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians on both sides, a ceasefire was agreed upon in Paris. The US withdrew their troops. The war, however, continued and in 1975, North Vietnam seized control over the whole of South Vietnam after the South Vietnamese President had acknowledged defeat. On 2 July 1976, the two countries were unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was declared with Hanoi as capital.

Conflict Description

In 1945, the communist Viet minh seized power in Vietnam and declared to country independent from the French colonial rule. French troops subsequently attacked Vietnam, sparking a colonial war which lasted until 1954 and resulted in the division into North and South Vietnam. Shortly afterwards, a communist insurgency was launched by the North-Vietnamese backed FNL (Front national de libération du Viêt-nam du Sud) in the more west-oriented South Vietnam. The fighting escalated and USA, fearing the spread of Communism in South-East Asia, deployed military advisors in support of the South Vietnamese government in 1962. The South Vietnamese army was, however, defeated and the President overthrown in the following year by FNL.

In 1965, the conflict dynamics changed drastically as the intrastate war in South Vietnam developed into a full-scale interstate war between North Vietnam, with the backing of the Soviet Union, China and North Korea, on the one hand and South Vietnam with its principal ally USA on the other. The same year, USA deployed about 200 000 troops in South Vietnam.

In 1973, after years of protracted warfare which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians on both sides and after large-scale demonstrations in the USA against the war, a ceasefire was agreed upon in Paris. The US troop withdrawal was completed by March the same year. The war, however, continued and in 1975, North Vietnam seized control over the whole of South Vietnam after the South Vietnamese President had acknowledged defeat. On 2 July 1976, the two countries were unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was declared with Hanoi as capital. This marked the end of a three decades long period of warfare over the control of Vietnam.