Vietcong

What was the Vietcong?

The Vietcong (VC) was made up of over a dozen different political and religious groups based in South Vietnam. They opposed the South Vietnamese government, both politically and militarily.

When was the Vietcong established?

The Vietcong was established on 20th December, 1960.

Who was the leader of the Vietcong?

The leader of the Vietcong was Hua Tho. Although he was non-communist, so were many members of the organisation.

Why was the Vietcong established?

The Vietcong was formed for three main reasons:

• ❖ There was much anger and frustration at Diem's failure to hold the elections agreed at the Geneva Conference, which would have meant a united Vietnam.
• ❖ Frustration pushed some people to violence, and groups of South Vietnamese people intended to use terror tactics to force elections or overthrow Diem's regime.
• ❖ The violence resulted in many members of Diem's government being murdered. He hit back by sending the ARVN into the jungle to hunt down rebel forces. A report produced by Ho Chi Minh's advisor, Le Duan, commented that Diem's policy was proving successful, and therefore the rebel forces in South Vietnam had to become more organised.

What was Ho Chi Minh's involvement with the Vietcong?

Le Duan's report convinced Ho Chi Minh that he needed to help the resistance fighters in the south if they were to be successful. He persuaded different armed groups who opposed Diem to come together in one organisation - the National Liberation Front, or the Vietcong, as it was called by the ARVN and US advisers.

What were the aims of the Vietcong?

The Vietcong had 3 key aims.

• ❖ It wanted to overthrow Diem and establish a new government that represented all groups in South Vietnamese society.
• ❖ It was committed to the reunification of Vietnam, independent of all foreign influence.
• ❖ It was committed to the redistribution of wealth and restoration of peasants' rights.

Who supported the Vietcong?

The Vietcong had both domestic and international support.

• ❖ Domestic support for the Vietcong was vast. As well as communists, and nationalists who wanted reunification, it appealed to the middle classes, teachers, doctors, and also peasants and workers.
• ❖ Internationally, the Vietcong was supported by North Vietnam, China and the USSR.

How was the Vietcong supported by the North?

The North developed various supply routes to help the Vietcong, including the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

How did the Vietcong fight?

The Vietcong used 4 guerrilla tactics against Diem's ARVN forces.

• ❖ Their aim was not to destroy, but to wear down.
• ❖ They fought in cells of 8-10 soldiers.
• ❖ They blended into the population, making it difficult for Diem's forces to find them.
• ❖ They picked their battles, attacking at night and only fighting if they outnumbered enemy soldiers.

What was the difference between the Vietcong and the Vietminh?

The Vietminh was the anti-Japanese and anti-French force created in the 1940s to drive out foreign colonialists. After the division of Vietnam, its members resided in the north. The Vietcong was created in the 1950s to fight Diem's regime in the south, and was used as North Vietnam's vehicle for creating chaos across the south.

What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail which was used by the Vietcong?

There are 4 important details to note about the Ho Chi Minh Trail:

• ❖ It was a supply route from North to South Vietnam.
• ❖ It was a series of parallel roads that ran along the Vietnamese border, often through thick jungle.
• ❖ The route went from North Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia, to South Vietnam.
• ❖ It was used to send supplies, troops and weapons to the Vietcong.

What did the Vietcong do to gain help and support?

The Vietcong used both positive and oppressive methods to control the Vietnamese.

• ❖ They used violence and intimidation to control villages.
• ❖ They created a political group called the National Liberation Front (NLF). It spread communist ideas among the villages, and encouraged people to help the Vietcong.

How did President Kennedy try to defeat the Vietcong?

President Kennedy sent an extra 16,000 advisers to South Vietnam, to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to fight the Vietcong. They were called 'advisers' rather than troops, because he wanted to avoid full-scale war.

What were President Kennedy's motives towards the Vietcong?

President Kennedy wanted to stop communism and destroy the Vietcong.

Why did President Kennedy fail to defeat the Vietcong?

President Kennedy's attempt to defeat the Vietcong failed for 3 main reasons:

• ❖ Efforts by US troops to train villagers to fight the Vietcong were unsuccessful because the Americans could not speak Vietnamese.
• ❖ The US troops were unable to stop the Vietcong visiting the villages at night, once they had left.
• ❖ The USA supported the ARVN, which was regarded as part of Diem's corrupt government.

Why did the USA see the Vietcong as a threat?

The Vietcong was seen as a threat by the USA for 5 significant reasons:

• ❖ Although the ARVN had five times as many troops, it was too concerned over who should lead rather than pulling together to defeat the Vietcong.
• ❖ China supported the Vietcong by using the Ho Chi Minh Trail to send $100 million in aid to South Vietnam.
• ❖ The South Vietnamese government was seen as the USA's puppet and remained unpopular.
• ❖ The introduction of reforms, and the use of propaganda, meant the Vietcong gained local support.
• ❖ The number of attacks by the Vietcong increased and were focused on US military targets.

What was President Johnson's response to the Vietcong threat?

After President Kennedy was assassinated, President Johnson increased the number of US advisers in South Vietnam to 20,000. He wanted to avoid US involvement in an escalating war by ensuring the establishment of a democratic and popular government that would oppose communism.

What was another name for the Vietcong?

US personnel referred to the Vietcong as 'Charlie'. This was because it was known as 'VC', which in the phonetic alphabet is 'Victor Charlie'.

How did the Vietcong react to US intervention?

In the early 1960s, the Vietcong began 2 main projects to counter increasing US intervention:

• ❖ The amount of supplies brought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail was increased.
• ❖ It increased the number of guerrilla attacks, from 50 in September, 1961, to 150 in October.

Why did the Vietcong become more dangerous to the USA?

There were 3 main reasons why the Vietcong threat increased:

• ❖ Increasing tensions with the Americans had pushed the Vietcong to use more violent methods.
• ❖ America was increasing supplies, troops and operations in South Vietnam.
• ❖ However, the South Vietnamese were still unable to hold elections.