Vietnam War: the war in Vietnam from 1961 to 1975. The United States became involved in Vietnam because it believed that if all of the country fell under a Communist government, Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. This belief was known as the “domino theory”. The US Government, therefore, supported the South Vietnamese government. This government’s repressive policies led to rebellion in the South. In 1965 the United States sent in troops to prevent the South Vietnamese government from collapsing. Ultimately, however, the United States failed to achieve its goal, and in 1975 Vietnam was reunified under Communist control; in 1976 it officially became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. During the conflict, approximately 3 to 4 million Vietnamese on both sides were killed, in addition to another 1.5 to 2 million Lao and Cambodians who were drawn into the war. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives. The web site http://www.vwip.org/ offers links to selected Internet resources about the Vietnam War.
