Vietnam War

(1964-75) War between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam and (1965-73) the USA. The USA had supported South Vietnam since the French withdrawal in 1954, but the Tongking crisis led to the commitment of American combat troops - more than 500,000 by 1968. The Americans believed they were winning the war by 1967, but the unexpected Tet Offensive shook their confidence. By 1970 the war had spilled over into Laos and Cambodia, both of which were destabilized by the presence of communist and American forces. The war was unpopular in the USA. This sapped the morale of American troops, and peace negotiations began in 1968, culminating in an American withdrawal in 1973. Fighting continued in divided Vietnam and ended with the communist capture of Saigon in 1975. American fatalities in the war were 58,000. The Vietnamese lost 2-3 million.