The Success of the Vietnamese People by Lukas Kamrath
“You kill ten of us, we kill one of you, but in the end, you will tire of it first.”
Their country was invaded again, but this time, the Vietnamese would not lose their freedom and independence without a fight. Vietnam, which was divided into two sections, the North, primarily communist, and the South, mostly democratic, was in a civil war. In 1950 the United States decided to back the South as an effort to prevent the spread of communism. They provided military advisors, tanks, planes, artillery and other needed resources. Four years later, American combat troops were sent to Vietnam, fighting against the North Vietnamese Army and their allies the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong were southern civilians who also believed in communism and were trained and given supplies by the North Vietnamese Army. Both of the Vietnamese armies used a fighting tactic called guerrilla warfare. They created underground tunnels, traps, ambushes within the thick jungle and often caught the U.S soldiers by surprise. The Vietnamese were known as “the unseen enemy;” many times the US soldiers did not know what they were shooting at. The North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong were led by a man named Ho Chi Minh. He was primarily a nationalist, although he is known today by many as the leader of the communist North. His primary goal was to make sure that his country was strong and independent. In the war, which went on for 20 years from 1955 to 1975, many controversial and unjust events took place, and a great deal of blood was shed on both sides. However, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers showed that if you have the combination of purpose, determination and intelligence, you can achieve success in your goals … even with the odds stacked heavily against you
The Vietnamese had a strong purpose, a meaningful reason to fight, which motivated them to work harder and put more effort into the war both physically and mentally. They knew they were putting their lives at risk but believed that their freedom and independence was worth the fight. Vietnam for over a thousand years, was under the control of China, which gave them no choice on how to rule their government or power within it. For several decades, they were also under the rule of colonial France. The fight for freedom from both these occupiers was long lasting and brutal. After their country was invaded again, this time by the U.S, as much as they did not want to fight, it was essential to them to maintain their freedom and sovereignty. The more harm that was inflicted upon their country and its people by bombings and napalm strikes, the more they felt it necessary to fight. If the war continued, their beautiful country would be nothing but ashes. During the war, over one million Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers were killed along with two million innocent civilians. Children, woman and elderly were slaughtered in their village and houses, and communities were burnt to the ground in some cases for no reason. The most infamous example was the “My Lai Massacre” where over 500 unarmed civilians were murdered by U.S troops. Events like this, of course, added to the motivation of the Vietnamese. The more innocent people were killed, the more Vietnamese joined the Army and Viet Cong. Their purpose was clear and just. On the other hand, many Americans did see a clear reason for fighting, killing and watching their fellow soldier die in a country so far from their home based on the potential threat of communism.
The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army drew on their strong inner determination in order to win battles and achieve success in situations where the odds were not in their favor. The U.S. should have been able to out power them with their unlimited resources and money. And although the kill ratio in the war was near 10 to 1 in favor of the United States, the Vietnamese never gave up. As soon as each battle began, U.S. airstrikes were called in on the position of the hidden Vietnamese and they were quickly engulfed in bombs and napalm. Even knowing many of their comrades would die, they never stood down. An example of their determination was displayed over and over again along the Ho Chi Minh trail, a 620- mile man made trail/road connecting the North and the South. The Ho Chi Minh trail was the main route to transport people, guns, food and other resources to the front lines of the fighting. Knowing that this was an essential route for the constant flowing supplies and soldiers, the United States targeted the trail with more firepower than any other place in Vietnam. Still a total of 300,000 full time workers and almost as many half-time workers, including women and children, tirelessly put themselves in danger’s way to quickly fix the trail any time bombs destroyed it, mostly in the dark of night. When walking down the long and exhausting trail, the soldiers heading to fight would have to witness wounded and dead Vietnamese being carried back. They were confronted were the atrocities of the war before they even began fighting, yet, they carried on. In addition to the Ho Chi Minh trail, soldiers and civilians built an intricate underground tunnel system in the South. The underground tunnels were over 100 miles long and were used as means of transportation, bases, storage, hospitals, sleeping, hiding spots and more. The tunnels were originally made in the 1940’s while the Vietnamese were fighting against the French for independence but the constructions of the tunnels continued as the war in Vietnam grew.
No matter how determined and hard working the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army, if they did not make intelligent choices, such as when, where and how to fight against the United States, they would not have won the war. As a relatively poor country with limited resources, Vietnam were underdogs going up against a powerful and rich nation; the United States spent 950 billion dollars in today’s dollars throughout the war. The Vietnamese army tactic of guerilla warfare gave them a better chance against the United States. Since the Viet Cong soldiers were hidden within the civilian population, they picked their battles and only choose to fight when they could win. If they were outnumbered or out-gunned, they would remain in hiding within villages or its outskirts inside the tunnels and bunkers that they created. When they did fight, they were smarter about their tactics. They never showed themselves so the U.S. soldiers didn’t know where to aim. They would pop out of tunnels and hiding spaces with grenades and machine guns, most of the time, leaving U.S. unable to react before they were hit. The tunnels allowed them to move miles without being seen. All across the jungle traps were set using explosions or booby traps with pointy metal spikes that would pierce the body. They even designed their shoes to make the treads point in the wrong direction, backwards, away from the troops. Another intelligent move on the part of the Vietnamese, not so intelligent of the U.S. troops, was that they would follow the cigarette trails of the American soldiers which would often lead directly to their hiding spots or bases. Finally, the Vietnamese were very smart about how they used their resources. The U.S. planes dropped a stunning 260 million bombs and 2.5 million tons of munition. The Vietnamese would collect the remains of the bombs and reuse them, making weapons of their own.
Because of their purpose, determination and intelligence, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army succeeded in winning their freedom and independence from the United States. The Vietnamese soldiers and civilians are an example of an important life lesson. When a person has set a goal or task for themselves, the most productive way to complete it is by having a purpose, determination and intelligence. To begin, you must know what you want and why you want it. If your trying to complete something that doesn’t make sense to you or you don’t completely desire, it is only a waste of time. Second, when you have a task in mind, it is important to focus on your goal and put 100% effort and dedication into it. Lastly, when approaching your goal, make smart decisions and well thought through actions. If you can combine all of these, you will succeed. Even though three million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong died, compared to the 250,000 South Vietnamese and 58,220 US soldiers, in the long run, they achieved their goal. The United States left after negotiations and North Vietnam won its well- deserved freedom. Two years after the war ended in 1975, all of Vietnam was reunified. It is tragic that so many people had to die for the United States to back out in the end anyways. For the casualties and atrocities that took place, the war was not worth the fear of communism.
My Experiences:
“Compassion, forgiveness, these are the real, ultimate sources for peace and success in life.”
After spending two weeks in the beautiful country of Vietnam, the thing that made my experience the most special was the kindness of the people. The Vietnamese people have undergone years of suffering and oppression due to wars, colonialism, and conflicts that have taken the lives of innocent people and destroyed their country. It would not have been surprising if they felt resentful or unwelcoming towards us as Americans. However, from the moment we entered the country until the time we left, we were greeted with kindness and warmth; it seems like this would only be possible if they were also good at forgiveness. Although, the information I shared above was regarding their success in war, it seems like the real success of these people comes from their ability to forgive. Towards the end of our journey in Vietnam, we had the opportunity to share a meal and a cup of tea with an elderly couple who invited us into their home in ancient city of Hanoi. They weren’t ordinary Vietnamese civilians. Both the man and woman were former North Vietnamese Army soldiers who had hiked the entire Ho Chi Minh trail and fought for several years in the war for independence. We all sat down around a table and they shared stories and photographs while sipping tea. After talking about each other's lives, we were served a traditional Vietnamese meal and toured the families typical local home. We were able to ask them if they felt any resentments towards Americans based on the war and they quickly shook their heads no, explaining that the people from both countries were lied to by their governments. During our lunch, although the communication was a bit challenging, we felt completely welcome, the same as we felt throughout the entire country. Whether spending time with the younger people or elder former soldiers, not once did I ever feel a sign of resentment. The attitude and embrace of the Vietnamese people, made me and my family love the country even more.
