Vietnam War

The **Vietnam War** (also known as the **Second Indochina War, Vietnamese-American War** or the **American War** in Vietnam) lasted from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975. It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, and South Vietnam was set up by the United States and supported by South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. People from other countries also went to fight but not in their own national armies. The conflict between communist and capitalist countries was part of the Cold War.

The Viet Cong, also known as the National Liberation Front or NLF, was a South Vietnamese communist force that was helped by North Vietnam. It fought a guerrilla war against non-communist South Vietnamese forces. The People's Army of Vietnam (also known as the North Vietnamese Army) engaged in a more conventional war by at times putting large forces to battle.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: Vietnam War
- **partof**: the Indochina Wars and the Cold War
- **image**: **Clockwise from top left:**
- **date**: 1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975
()
- **territory**: Reunification of North Vietnam and Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, South Vietnam into the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976
- **result**: North Vietnamese victory
- **combatant2**:

(1967 - 1970)

Khmer Republic (1970 - 1975)

*  Khmer Serei
*  Khmer Sa

Laos, Kingdom of Laos

- **combatant1**:

Viet Cong
 Pathet Lao
 Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea, GRUNK (1970–1975)
*  Khmer Rumdo
*  Khmer Rouge
*  Khmer Issarak
 People's Republic of China, China
 North Korea
 Soviet Union
- **strength1**: **≈860,000 (1967)**

*  **North Vietnam:**
690,000 (1966, including People's Army of Vietnam, PAVN and Viet Cong)
*  **Viet Cong**:

*  **China:**
170,000 (1968)
320,000 total
*  **Khmer Rouge:**
70,000 (1972)
*  **Pathet Lao:**
48,000 (1970)
*  **Soviet Union:** ~3,000
*  **North Korea:** 200
- **strength2**: **≈1,420,000 (1968)**

*  **South Vietnam:**
850,000 (1968)
1,500,000 (1974–1975)
*  **United States:**
2,709,918 serving in Vietnam total
Peak: 543,000 (April 1969)
*  **Khmer Republic:**
200,000 (1973)
*  **Laos:**
72,000 (Royal Army and Hmong people, Hmong militia)
*  **South Korea:**
48,000 per year (1965–1973, 320,000 total)
*  **Thailand:** 32,000 per year (1965–1973)
(in Vietnam and Laos)
*  **Australia:** 50,190 total
(Peak: 8,300 combat troops)
*  **New Zealand:** Peak: 552 in 1968
*  **Philippines:** 2,061
*  **Spain:** 100-130 total
(Peak: 30 medical troops and advisors) .
- **commander1**: Ho Chi Minh, Hồ Chí Minh

Lê Duẩn

Võ Nguyên Giáp

Phạm Văn Đồng

Trần Văn Trà

Souphanouvong

Kaysone Pheromone

Nouhak Phomsavanh
 Norodom Sihanouk (1970 - 1975)

Penn Nouth (1970 - 1975)
 Son Sann (1970 - 1975)
 Pol Pot
 Khieu Samphan
 Ieng Sary
 Ieng Thirith
 Hu Nim
 Nuon Chea
 Ta Mok
 Son Sen
 Yun Yat
- **commander2**: *  Ngô Đình Diệm
*  Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
*  Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
*  John F. Kennedy (1961 - 1963)
*  Lyndon B. Johnson
*  Richard Nixon
*  Robert McNamara
*
*  Creighton Abrams
 Henry Kissinger
 Norodom Sihanouk (1967 - 1970)
 Penn Nouth (1967 - 1970)
  Lon Nol
 Lon Non
 Cheng Heng
 In Tam
 Hang Thun Hak
 Long Boret
 Sak Suthaksan
 Sisowath Sirik Matak
 Sosthène Fernandez
 Son Ngoc Thanh
 Park Chung-Hee
 Robert Menzies
 Harold Holt
 Keith Holyoake
 Souvanna Phouma
 Boun Oum
 Vang Pao
 Bhumibol Adulyadej
 Sarit Thanarat
 Thanom Kittikachorn
 Khieu Samphan
 Ferdinand Marcos
 Chiang Kai-shek
- **casualties1**: *  **North Vietnam & Viet Cong**
30,000–182,000 civilian dead
849,018 military dead (per Vietnam; 1/3 non-combat deaths)
666,000–950,765 dead
(US estimated 1964–1974)
232,000+ military missing (per Vietnam)
600,000+ military wounded
* ***' **Khmer Rouge:** Unknown
* ***' **Pathet Lao:** Unknown
* **:** ~1,100 dead and 4,200 wounded
* **:** 16 dead
* **:** 14 dead
**Total military dead/missing:
≈1,100,000**
**Total military wounded:
≈604,200**
(excluding GRUNK/Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao)
- **casualties2**: * **:**
195,000–430,000 civilian dead
Military dead: 313,000 (total)
1,170,000 military wounded
≈ 1,000,000 captured
* **:**
58,281 dead (47,434 from combat)
303,644 wounded (including 150,341 not requiring hospital care)
* **:** 15,000 army dead
* ***' **Khmer Republic:** Unknown
* ***' **South Korea**: 5,099 dead; 10,962 wounded; 4 missing
* **:** 521 dead; 3,129 wounded
* **:** 351 dead
* **:** 37 dead
* **:** 25 dead
17 captured
* **** **Philippines:** 9 dead; 64 wounded

**Total military dead:
333,620 (1960–1974) – 392,364 (total)**
**Total military wounded:
≈1,340,000+**
(excluding Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, FARK and FANK)
**Total military captured:
≈1,000,000+**
- **casualties3**: * **Vietnamese civilian dead**: 405,000–2,000,000
* **Vietnamese total dead**: 966,000–3,010,000
* **Cambodian Civil War dead**: 275,000–310,000
* **Laotian Civil War dead**: 20,000–62,000
* **Non-Indochinese military dead**: 65,494
* **Total dead**: 1,326,494–3,447,494
* For more information see Vietnam War casualties and Aircraft losses of the Vietnam War
- **notes**: FULRO fought an FULRO insurgency, insurgency against both South Vietnam and North Vietnam with the Viet Cong and was supported by Cambodia for much of the war.