Bilateral Cooperation Between the United States and Vietnam Essay

In 1960s, the US was faced with another crisis of communist expansion in the war between North and South Vietnam. The Kennedy Administration decided to further pursue their containment strategy out of fear being seen by the international community as weak towards communism. During the Johnson Administration, an attack against American vessels that happened in the Gulf of Tonkin led to President Johnson being granted the ability to conduct broad military operations without congressional approval. The American public began to largely oppose American intervention in Vietnam because the optimistic statements made by the government ran contradictory to the reports of the violent fighting by American news outlets. During the Nixon administration, the US switched to a policy, later known as Vietnamization, where the main goal was to strengthen the South Vietnamese forces and provide them with better armaments so they can better defend themselves. Vietnamization proved to be ineffective as the South Vietnamese forces were unable to hold their own against the North without US air support as proven during Operation Lam Son 719 and the Easter Offensive. The signing of the Paris Peace Accords officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam War. The US followed containment policies during beginning of the war due to the underlying fear of the spread of communism and since the policies were inherited from previous

The Geneva Peace Agreement in May 1954 set the foundation for the developments in the next coming years in Vietnam. The Agreement accorded that Vietnam was to be divided at the 17th parallel into communist North and democratic South Vietnam giving each country independence, a 200 day legal migration period and general elections to be held at both zones in 1956 to reunify Vietnam. The division would cause developments in each country including economic development through the growing nationalism in North Vietnam, political developments through political ineptitude and corruption in South Vietnam and social changes

When it became clear that Bao Dai could not expel the communists, the United States decided to support the puppet, Ngo Dinh Diem, whose brother abused government powers for personal interests, such as raiding pagodas. After refusing to sign the agreements at the Geneva Conference, the United States elected Diem, who adopted “a policy of peace” as the governor of South Vietnam (Elections). Diem became a key pawn in American attempts of stopping communism, but Diem occasionally disregarded advice and did little to end the poverty that plagued the majority of the Vietnamese. In early efforts of containing communism, the United States made an alliance with Southeast Asia, known as the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO, to protect the developing egalitarian nations from falling to the Marxists. However, Diem’s brother, Nhu, took the top position in the government and abused its

The first thing that one must do when discussing Vietnam is remember the historical context in which the conflict took place. The United States and it's Free World allies were attempting to confine the Communist Bloc, which by this time included both the Soviet Union and China, and keep it from expanding into surrounding nations. The U.S. felt that if the Communists were not allowed to expand, they would eventually collapse under the weight of their centralized economy. So in order to accomplish the policy of containment, the U.S. need to ally itself with nations bordering Communist ones. However, one of the most important aspects of political alliances is the trust each must have in the

Johnson then goes on to tell that America also signed a treaty in nineteen sixty-two that recognized the neutrality of the small country of Laos. He then states that North Vietnam also signed these treaties. He continues on to say that North Vietnam is now willfully going against those treaties by having conflicts in Laos, as well as being aggressive to the United States and the Republic of Vietnam.

Nixon presidency the United States decided to bring forth the “Vietnamization” policy. A strategy that pledge to strengthen the South Vietnamese military by training them and eventually reducing the United States combat troops until complete withdrawal. Nixon believed this negotiation would give the give them “a better, shorter path to peace”. Although, the United States had cut all military supplies and funding to South Vietnam resulting in a lack of funds to buy equipments such as bullet, bombs, rockets, weapons etc.. In addition the gradual removal of troops made matters worse. It left South Vietnam without the proper equipments and trained troops to succeed. By 1973, the Paris Peace Accords was signed to establish peace in Vietnamese and end

In 1973, the "Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace" or the "Paris Peace Accord" was signed between the US, South Vietnam, and North Vietnam, to arrange a settlement which ended the US military involvement in the Vietnam war and also established peace in Vietnam which was supposed to end the war itself. Originally, the US got involved into the Vietnam war due to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's theory of the Domino Effect, a metaphor for the spreading of Communism happening in Asia and north-east Europe. Communism was a thought of all people having the same rights and goods as others, a thought that attracted several developing countries such as Vietnam and Indochina who were trying to approach a Communist approach government. Soon, when it could be seen that Communism does not work in practical ways since there always are people who are better off than others, America decided to try to stop the spread by getting involved into the Vietnam civil war, joining the democratic South who were fighting against the communistic North that wanted to take them over and adjust their government style.

On October 31, 1968, President Johnson announced to the United States during a televised speech that they were going to halt bombings of North Vietnam in order to have peace talks and hopefully create a resolution to end the war. “We have been engaged in discussions with the North Vietnamese in Paris since last May. The discussions began after I announced on the evening of March 31st in a television speech to the Nation that the United States—in an effort to get talks started on a settlement of the Vietnam War—had stopped the bombing of North Vietnam in the area where 90 percent of the people live. Therefore, our Ambassadors Harriman and Vance made it abundantly clear to the representatives of North Vietnam in the beginning that—as I had indicated on the evening of March 31st—we would stop the bombing of North Vietnamese territory entirely when that would lead to prompt and productive talks, meaning by that talks in which the Government of Vietnam was free to participate. Our ambassadors also stressed that we could not stop the bombing so long as by doing so we would endanger the lives and the safety of our troops. For a good many weeks, there was no movement in the talks at all. The talks appeared to really be deadlocked. Then a few weeks ago, they entered a new and a very much more

South Vietnam president believed “the treaty put his country at the mercy of spies from the North and refused to accept it without significant changes” (Bia). It was signed in 10 May 1968 in Paris, to stop U.S’ direct military bombings, and temporary stop the fight between North and South Vietnam (Bia). The U.S army pulled out that same year, however, the Southern government still refuse to let go of power. “The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and the North and the South unified the following year” (Dougan 152). There was no gun shot at the revolution, local people said, described it just as a “tank parade”, only to get the Southern authorities to surrender. After the country united, some Southern soldiers still hid the forests and fought in small civil battles until the end of 1978. Vietnam finally ended its last war, and has kept peace with the U.S since.

Mintz and McNeil of Digital History state that Vietnam, like Cambodia and Laos, was a French colony until it gained its independence after the First Indochina War. The Northern supporters and Southern dissenters of communism divided Vietnam during this time. The Geneva Accords, created after the war in 1954, required Vietnam to hold an election between the leaders of the North and South after two years. The US was afraid of what would follow if the North were to win, and decided to intervene in the hopes of stopping the spread of communism. With help from the US, South Vietnam avoided the agreement's orders and cancelled this election; power went to the South Vietnamese prime minister instead.

Yet, after the Second World War the general example was to free settlements and make them self-ruling countries, the United States helped France in its effort to keep its territory of Indochina since it required France settle Europe in the basic periods of the chilly war. In 1954, an unclear year from the French pullout from Vietnam, delegates at the Geneva Conference distributed Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel. The approach ought to be temporary, however in 1955 after settled races, the head chairman of South Vietnam declared it to be a free state called the Republic of Vietnam. Defined by the Eisenhower association, the domino speculation stipulated that if one country yielded to communism, the enveloping countries certainly would fall as well. Consequently, the United States tremendously extended its manual for the Republic of Vietnam. At, in any case, American staff

President Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam in part to strengthen world order. The Geneva Conference, lasting from April to July of 1954, was convened to restore peace and end hostilities in Indo-China. The Geneva Accords called for Vietnam to be split at the 17th Parallel, with the communists controlling the northern portion and the non-communists controlling the southern portion, and for an election to be held within two years to rejoin the two portions of Vietnam. The Geneva Conference also called for the sovereignty, independence, and unity of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia to be respected. (“Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference on Indo-China”) The Geneva Accords were not signed by the United States because the U.S.

and Vietnam is good. It is evident that President Obama's visit to Vietnam showed that the two countries that initially were warring had reconciled and they were ready to keep to the end of their responses. The relationship is warmer between the two countries. When Barrack Obama relaxed the embargo on military arms that had been placed on Vietnam, the good rapport is likely to continue to the future. Also, U S and Vietnam are more of partners with them signing various contracts like in the sectors of education where the two countries are implementing exchange programs for teachers (Wiest & McNab, 2012). It is also ideal that the tourism and commerce sectors have strengthened because of the mutual relationship between the two countries. Through the Nixon doctrine, the above achievements were able to be achieved. Vietnam now has stable economies and high-security

The Paris Peace Accords were negotiated between the United States and North Vietnam on January 1973. It was intended to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. The United States would end any direct U.S. military involvement, and it temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam. The settlement included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam. In addition, the United States agreed to the withdrawal of all U.S. troops and advisors and the permanent deactivation all of the U.S. bases within 60 days. In return, the North Vietnamese agreed to release all U.S. and foreign prisoners of war.

Recent spike in US and Canada shale gas production have reduced the prices in the region to historical minimum of less than $4/MMBtu, a half of the price for Europe and five times less the price for China or Japan. This difference in prices has raised huge interest to export of LNG from USA to Asian market. Out of country’s total 11 LNG