Vietnam War series shootout. Master Box-35241

The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was a protracted conflict in Southeast Asia, pitting the South Vietnamese government, supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies, against the Vietnam National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) and the North Vietnamese army, backed by the Soviet Union and China. In essence, the war grew out of the division of Vietnam after independence from France in 1954, where the north was communist under Ho Chi Minh and the south pro-Western, led by Ngo Dinh Diem. The United States, fearing communist expansion in Asia (the “domino theory”), intervened with military aid in the 1960s. Over time, the war escalated, employing tactics such as Viet Cong guerrilla warfare and U.S. bombing in Operation Rolling Thunder. However, resistance and mounting civilian casualties led to a pacifist movement in the U.S. Eventually, peace agreements in 1973 led to U.S. withdrawal, and in 1975 North Vietnam captured Saigon, unifying the country under communism.