What If South Vietnam Won Against North Vietnam

Here is an alternate history timeline where South Vietnam won the war:
1940-1965:
* The US Navy starts early research efforts on rocketry, thanks to Robert Heinlein's advocacy of artificial satellites for global communication.
* Because of budget cuts after WWII the research efforts slowed down a bit although in the end it helped to advance rocket technology.
* By 1947, the US launched the first ever satellite. The Soviet Union only launched theirs by 1949. Robert Heinlein and Wernher von Braun get into mass media and started the Space Craze.
* On 1949, China officially become divided with communist on the North and nationalist on the South.
* US launched first man in space on 1953, thereby starting the Space Race. In the same year they exploded the first hydrogen bomb.
* US launched the first man in orbit through Man in Space Soonest on 1960.
* On April 1961 Soviet Union launched the first woman in space.
* US created the first space station on 1962.
1965-1973:
* The USA escalates its involvement in the Vietnam War, deploying a much larger force than in our timeline.
* The South Vietnamese military also receives significant support from the USA, including increased funding and military aid.
* Together, the South Vietnamese and American forces are able to defeat the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army in a series of brutal battles and campaigns.
* On 1968 US landed the first man on the Moon, after experimenting with landing monkeys there and returning them home safely.
* By 1973, the USA and North Vietnam sign a peace treaty that allows the USA to withdraw its troops from Vietnam, while leaving the South Vietnamese military in place.
1973-1980:
* US constructs solar power platform in space. First colonies appears on the Moon.
* In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the USA continues to provide significant military and financial support to the South Vietnamese government.
* South Vietnam becomes a much more stable and prosperous nation than in our timeline, with a booming economy and a strong military.
* However, the government also becomes increasingly authoritarian, with widespread corruption and human rights abuses.
* The USA turns a blind eye to these abuses, as it sees South Vietnam as a crucial ally in its fight against communism.
1980-1990:
* US launched the first manned mission to Mars, thereby concluding the Space Race with US absolute victory against Soviet Union.
* As the Cold War heats up, the USA and South Vietnam become more closely aligned than ever before.
* Together, they provide significant military support to anti-communist forces in neighboring countries like Laos and Cambodia.
* Meanwhile, the North Vietnamese government struggles with economic stagnation and political unrest, as it is cut off from most of the international community.
* On 1986 a serious disaster struck Chernobyl nuclear plant.
* As a result, many ordinary Vietnamese begin to look to South Vietnam as a model for political and economic development.
1990-2000:
* Breakup of the Soviet Union.
* In 1995, the South Vietnamese government announces a plan for reunification with the North, under the auspices of the USA.
* The North Vietnamese government initially resists, but eventually agrees to the plan, recognizing that it is too weak to resist the combined might of South Vietnam and the USA.
* The reunification is completed in 2000, with the USA playing a major role in the process.
* The newly reunified Vietnam is a pro-Western, capitalist state, with close ties to the USA and other Western countries.
2000-2023:
* In the decades since reunification, Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a thriving tech sector and a highly educated workforce.
* However, the government remains highly authoritarian, with little tolerance for dissent or opposition.
* The USA continues to provide significant military and economic support to Vietnam, seeing it as a key ally in the region.
* Meanwhile, many Vietnamese are unhappy with the country's lack of political freedoms and civil liberties, and there are occasional protests and acts of dissent.
* As of 2023, Vietnam remains a divided society, with many older people nostalgic for the days of communist rule, while younger people are more focused on economic prosperity and political reform.