Vietnam: Tactics & Technology
Viet Cong Tactics
Guerrilla warfare
Keep the population on
their side.
1. Read pp. 113-5
2. We’ll work through Focus Task B on p. 113, step by step (though you’ll have to work on your
own, rather than in pairs).
Step 1
The reasons for those tactics
Guerilla warfare: It was the best way to
attack the Americans, as they had superior
equipment. It was to frustrate the enemy and
attack their weak areas, such as outposts, and
retreat when reinforcements are here. This is
a successful tactic that had defeated the
French, and wear down the enemy soldier
and wreck their morale.
Keep the population on his side: This was in
order to win the Homefront. An army needs
soldiers, which would come from recruits. If
the population was on their side, they would
provide those recruits, including food and
money to feed the army and to produce/ buy
weapons to fight the Americans.
US Tactics
Bombing
Search and destroy
Chemical weapons
The Reasons for those tactics
Bombing: It was the best way to destroy the
supply routes that the Viet Cong rely on such as
to the Ho Chi Minh trail and to ruin the ability
of North Vietnam to build up weapons and for
food.
Search and destroy: It was a quicker and more
effective way of using the resources that the US
had to fight the Viet Cong in the vast rainforest
of Vietnam. This policy was developed by
General Westmoreland, where US troops would
be taken by helicopter to go to areas where there
are reports that there are Viet Cong, the troops
would then after the mission was complete
would withdraw back to the heavily defended
bases in South Vietnam near the coast, meaning
manpower was less stretched.
Chemical Weapons: The use of chemical
weapons was to try to get the guerrilla fighters
out of the forest that they are hiding, so it would
be easier for US forces to subdue and destroy
the Viet Cong.
Step 2 – from your research, award marks out of 10 for each; note who comes out ahead in each
category; and then answer all of question 4 in bullet points below; and write up question 5 in full
sentences. You can do all of that here on this sheet.

Qualities US Army ≥ or ≤ Viet Cong

Well-trained soldiers The US had well > The Viet Cong had
trained soldiers that less training than the
spent months US, and were
training. sometimes just sent
to the front line.
The right technology The US was the > The Viet Cong had
number 1 superpower poor technology and
in the world. It had were supplied
the most superior weapons by the
technology in the USSR
world.
Reliable supplies/ The US had reliable > The Viet Cong had
equipment supplies shipped supplies sent from
from the US North Vietnam along
the Ho Chi Minh trail
which was bombed
constantly, but
40,000 Vietnamese
worked to keep it
open no matter the
cost
Effective tactics The US used a range < Guerrilla warfare
of tactic, although did wear down enemy
hurt the Vietnamese, soldiers and wreck
could not win the their morale
war.
Support of population The US bombing < The Viet Cong were
campaign and search expected to be
and destroy because courteous and
civilian deaths and respectful to
chemical weapons Vietnamese peasants
caused some civilians and some helped the
to be wounded. peasants in the field
during busy periods.
Motivated soldiers The US were < The Viet Cong were
conscripted to fight, fighting for their
they knew little about country and a cause
Vietnam and didn’t many of them believe
care about democracy in.
or communism. They
just want to go home
alive.
Other
The failure of the US army was a combination of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.
The US may have better trained soldiers, they may have better equipment, and however this is
undermined that this equipment and training is much different to the geography that it is used.
Vietnam is full of rainforest, something the Viet Cong is familiar with. It is very hard to carry
heavy artillery and use the tanks that the US are in advantage of, this allows the Viet Cong to
utilise hit and run tactics, wearing down the enemy and weaken the morale of the US troops. The
Viet Cong were also more experienced in fighting. The policy of one year service of the US
meant that once a soldier had experience, they would be pulled out, while the Viet Cong would
stay in the field unless they are dead.
The US did have an advantage in the air. This aerial superiority was crucial for the Americans, it
would damage the Vietnamese war effort, damaging the factories in order to produce weapons
and other equipment, it ruined the Ho Chi Minh road that the Viet Cong relied on in order to
receive supplies from North Vietnam, however 40,000 Vietnamese worked to keep the route
open, whatever the cost. This bombing campaign was so damaging that the North Vietnam were
asking for peace. However, this air power could not defeat the Communists, it could only slow
them down. Civilian casualties helped turn the Vietnamese people against the American. There is
also a problem with the American failure in dealing with their search and destroy campaign. The
Viet Cong did not wear uniform, so it was hard to know who was a Viet Cong and who
wasn’t.Reports of Viet Cong were sometimes dogdy, and the Search and Destroy meant that if
there was information of Viet Cong, they would send troops to subdue them. However some
Civilian were massacred, for every Viet Cong weapon found, there were body count of six, many
of them innocent civilians, turning more civilians to the Viet Cong.
The Viet Cong were successful in their Guerrilla warfare, managing to wear down the US and
stopping them from making major offensives into the North. This also increased the fear of the
US troops, decreasing the US capabilities in warfare. As they know the geography, they could
hide quickly once American reinforcements have arrived, escaping into villages, jungles and
tunnels, where they would not be found again until they attack. This is a problem as the US won’t
be able to destroy the enemy as they’re gone. They had no known base to attack. One problem of
the Viet Cong was that they did not have any major capability to go on the offensive and attack
head on the US army, meaning that they could only defend. This meant that the war would be
very long for the North Vietnamese, meaning the cost would be high.
The Weakness in the motivation of the US Homefront was a weakness that ultimately led to the
US losing the war. This was because the US relied on the homefront on recruits, money and the
public opinion. The Viet Cong had a lot of support at home as they were fighting for the
independence of their own country. The US troops were not fighting for their own country, rather,
for democracy of a nation that is far away from home. They were forced to sign up, and only
wanted to go home alive. This is significant as it is because of the homefront that the US was
forced to pull out of the war. Campaigning against the war in the US meant that the President was
forced to resign,
When you finish, go to DCTube, and watch ‘Peter & Dan Snow: 20th Century Battlefields, 1968,
Vietnam’.