In Viet Nam, the enemy was not Communism, it was nationalism. You know: “Dont Tread on Me”And a lot of the free world in LBJ's day was worried about the Domino effect of Communism
I would suggest that the seeds of Vietminh’s final success sprang from deep roots within the national psyche of the Vietnamese people themselves way before the clashes with the USA began to boil.
The centuries old Vietnamese value of autonomous self governance served them well in their war with America during the twenty year period of their conflict. Strangely their historic nationalist world view seems to have been completely overlooked by USA military planners as it prepared for direct combat.
USA planners had no idea of the age old guerrilla mindset they were taking on.
Completely ignorant that this people had seen off none other than Genghis Khan and the Mongols after they’d swept across China, and had struggled against Chinese rule for 1000 years. Their resistance to Chinese domination over such a long time had helped forge a national identity described by historian William Turley as “a myth of national indomitability.”
Add to the above their engagements with the Portuguese, Dutch and (most inexcusably on America’s part) their decapitation of French Rule after 100 years when General Vo Nguyen Giap afflicted his humiliatingly crushing blow at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu against them in 1954.
Taking the long view America should have clearly recognized that the very imprint of self autonomy, was passed on to each Vietnamese child suckling at their mother’s breasts as night follows day.
These would not be easy people to fight.
This fundamental oversight was I believe a major underlying cause by which America blundered into the Vietnam War - blindly believing themselves to be almost invincible. In the words of Henry Kissinger reviewing the Vietnam conflict…
“We ignored the oldest and most fundamental rule of warfare - know your enemy.”
It wasn’t therefore that the Vietnamese were necessarily consumed with hatred for the USA - rather they were vehemently opposed to outside rule from pretty much anywhere.
Vietnam simply wanted to rule itself and had (reasonably successfully) resisted successive waves of outside aggressors for so long that enduring bloodshed had become almost a national pastime.
Having been so often outnumbered by each new invader, the Vietnamese had developed a resolute military response which combined immeasurable patience alongside guerilla warfare. In essence they always took the long view - even as long as centuries in scope if required.
Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap outlined this as the concept of waging protracted war. It was indelibly stamped within every Vietnamese insurgents thinking that they needed only to avoid losing in order to win their struggle eventually. By sitting tight they’d suck the life out of the invader… slowly.
They were right.
If the US had not withdrawn from Viet Nam, We would be fighting there still.
By the way, the Afghans have also been fending off invaders since the time of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. They are also a fiercely independent people.
Since 1747 when Ahmad Shah Durrani established the country of Afghanistan in Kandahar, to guarantee the independence of Afghanistan by acclaiming sovereignty from the neighboring powers, Afghanistan has managed to always remain an independent nation.
This became particularly difficult in the 19th century, when the European powers of England and Russia both tried to occupy this strategic territory in what became known as "the Great Game". Afghanistan fought for its sovereignty in three Anglo-Afghan wars (1839-43, 1878-1880 and 1919) while also fending off Russian and Iranian intrigues.
You know: “Dont Tread on Me”