The Impact of the Vietnam War

What was the impact of the Vietnam War?

The financial, human and environmental impact of the Vietnam War was huge. It also had a major effect on the USA's reputation at home and abroad.

What was the financial impact of the Vietnam War?

The financial impact included:

• ❖ The war cost an estimated $170 billion - $1 trillion at today's rates.
• ❖ Long-term costs included benefits and pensions given to Vietnam veterans, or to their families if they died in service. It is thought these costs doubled the price of the war.
• ❖ Decades of conflict left Vietnam financially unstable and many people faced starvation as a result.

What was the significance of the financial impact of the Vietnam War?

The financial cost of the war meant promises of domestic reform in America were broken. Johnson had promised a 'Great Society' and a 'War on Poverty'. However, with America spending billions of dollars every year on the Vietnam War, there was no money left for better education and healthcare.

What was the impact of the human cost of the Vietnam War?

The impact of the human cost of the war included:

• ❖ Approximately 58,000 American soldiers died. Their average age at death was 23.
• ❖ 300,000 US troops were injured.
• ❖ Returning soldiers were seen as the murderers of innocent people by opponents of the war, and as losers by those who had supported it. As a result they faced much negativity.
• ❖ Soldiers that did not have to live with physical disabilities caused by war injuries often suffered from mental health problems due to drug addiction and the trauma they had experienced.
• ❖ It is estimated 1 million Vietnamese soldiers were killed during the conflict and a further 2 million wounded.
• ❖ Figures suggest 2 million Vietnamese civilians were killed, and 5 million injured.
• ❖ Many homes were destroyed during the conflict, leaving 11 million refugees. Many of these lived in poverty and turned to drug addiction and prostitution due to the influence of American culture.
• ❖ Many US soldiers had relationships with Vietnamese women, and approximately 100,000 children were born as a consequence. Around 3,000 children were taken from orphanages and hospitals and flown around the world to be adopted in 'Operation Babylift', but many were abandoned.
• ❖ The children born from relationships between American troops and local women had challenging lives. They were seen as different and a reminder of the horrors of the war. They suffered abuse and some were sold as labour.
• ❖ Many soldiers developed cancer and other illnesses due to the effects of chemical weapons like napalm and Agent Orange.
• ❖ Even today, many Vietnamese people develop illnesses and disabilities as a result of traces of chemicals that remain in the soil.

What was the environmental impact of the Vietnam War?

The environmental cost of the Vietnam War included:

• ❖ In one year alone, the use of Agent Orange destroyed 1 million hectares of forest in Vietnam.
• ❖ 300,000 hectares of farmland was destroyed by chemicals dropped by US forces, making it unusable for food production.
• ❖ 7 million tonnes of bombs were dropped, destroying roads, bridges and important irrigation systems.
• ❖ There are still significant numbers of unexploded bombs across Vietnam.

What was the impact of the Vietnam War on America's reputation at home?

The Vietnam War affected America's domestic reputation in a number of ways:

• ❖ The war divided America. Many opposed it and felt America's actions were morally wrong. Others felt it was unpatriotic to question the government's actions and said anti-war protesters were traitors and communists.
• ❖ The cover-up of events like My Lai, and Nixon's secret bombings of Cambodia, created a culture of distrust of the government.

What was the impact of the Vietnam War on America's reputation abroad?

The Vietnam War impacted America's reputation abroad in the following ways:

• ❖ America was mostly seen as the loser in the war as it failed to defeat the Vietcong. This was embarrassing for a nation that saw itself as a superpower.
• ❖ America's actions were hypocritical. On one hand it proclaimed freedom and peace for all and claimed it was 'the land of the free'. On the other, unarmed protesters were being shot at; its soldiers carried out atrocities such as the My Lai Massacre; innocent civilians were killed and maimed through its use of chemical weapons.
• ❖ America failed to contain communism in Southeast Asia. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos all became communist states. This was a further embarrassment.

What was the impact of the war on Vietnam politically?

The war led to Vietnam becoming united under a communist government. However, it faced further hostility from the US government, which blocked its attempt to join the United Nations, leaving it internationally isolated.