Turning Point of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam war involved the United states rallying behind south Vietnam to protect it from Vietnamese communists who were in control of North Vietnam. The war began in the mid-1950s and ended in mid-1970 having taken about twenty years (Herzog, 2017). Nevertheless, the 1968 major attacks by the North Vietnam Army (NVA) proved to be the turning point of the warfare. This act forced the then president of the United States to launch counter-attacks identified as success offensive. The ambush by Americans was to prove to Americans that the situation was manageable and all their plans were working. This move, therefore, led to an intensification of the fight and an increase in the number of casualties. The objectives of the U.S in this war was to curb the domination of communism in South Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Besides, the U.S wanted to enhance democracy in Vietnam and to see a stable community both politically and economically. American soldiers were not able to control the situation by 1968 due to fierce attacks from the North Vietnam military.
The Vietnam war ended in 1975 when the communist gave up control of southern Vietnam. Also, the troops of America withdrew from the country following an agreement to enhance peace between the then president of America Richard Nixon, and the Vietnamese government. The final attack by the North Vietnamese soldiers was in the central mountains in March 1975(Herzog, 2017). After this strike, the NVA drove across the president’s palace signifying the end of the warfare. The war in Vietnam had multiple effects and achievements. For instance, many Americans and natives lost their lives, and also the country experienced an economic bust. Worse still, the government of the United States pays billions of dollars in compensation to the disaster caused (Herzog, 2017). Notably, the end of the war enhanced unity between north and south Vietnam.
References
Herzog, T. C. (2017). Vietnam war stories: Innocence lost. Routledge.