The Cold War in Asia — the Vietnam War

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Việt Minh forces under Giáp besieged and defeated the French garrison, ending French rule in Indochina.

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Agreement splitting Vietnam at the 17th parallel into communist North and non-communist South, with elections promised for 1956 that never happened.

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US-backed leader of South Vietnam who favoured Catholics, jailed critics, cracked down on Buddhists, and refused land reform — losing popular support before being overthrown in 1963.

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Alleged attacks on US destroyers used to justify the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving Johnson broad war powers in Vietnam.

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US troops swept areas hunting Việt Cộng fighters then withdrew rather than holding territory — it destroyed villages and alienated civilians without securing lasting gains.

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Though a military defeat for the communists, the surprise scale of the attacks shocked US public opinion and became the war's key political turning point.

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Militarily: communist forces suffered heavy losses and held no city long. Politically: US confidence in the war collapsed and Johnson chose not to seek re-election.

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Nixon's policy of gradually shifting combat responsibility to South Vietnamese forces while withdrawing US troops.

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North Vietnamese tanks entered Saigon; South Vietnam collapsed, leading to reunification under communist rule in 1976.

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Secret US bombing of communist supply routes and the wider chaos helped the Khmer Rouge grow strong enough to seize power in 1975.

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Between 1975-79 the Khmer Rouge regime caused roughly 1.5-2 million deaths through executions, starvation, and forced labour in Cambodia.

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A parallel civil war, fuelled by US and North Vietnamese involvement, ended with the communist Pathet Lao taking power the same year Saigon fell.