Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 7-10 Subject: History

A Visit to Vietnam

On November 19, 2000, President Clinton concluded his historic visit to Vietnam. It is the first time a U.S. president has visited the country since the fall of Saigon in 1975, when Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon visited the country during the war to rally U.S. troops.

During his visit, Clinton tried to narrow the divide between the two former enemies. In a speech at Hanoi's National University, and in separate meetings with the Vietnamese president and prime minister, Clinton focused on what he called a new chapter in U.S.-Vietnamese relationship, adding that the two countries "must not forget [the war], but must not be controlled by it." Clinton also said accounting for U.S. servicemen missing in action (MIA) from the Vietnam conflict would be a priority.

On Saturday President Clinton visited teams excavating a Vietnamese rice paddy where an American fighter pilot was shot down 33 years ago. Clinton thanked Vietnamese officials for their help in finding MIA remains, and promised that the United States would help Vietnam learn the fate of its missing. To aid the search for missing Vietnamese, Clinton said U.S. documents will be given to Vietnam by the end of the year. Earlier, Clinton presented 350,000 pages of documents to help in the search for Vietnamese MIA's.

This week's online lesson remembers the decade-long conflict Americans know as the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War

At The History Place you will find an excellent timeline and analysis of America's involvement in Vietnam from 1945 - 1975. Go to The Vietnam War and start with Seeds of Conflict, which covers political developments leading up to American military action in the country. (Another way to view the site is to click the Jump To links to key events of the war.) How did the Vietnam conflict escalate from U.S. military support in the early 1960's to direct military involvement by August, 1964?

Continue on to the next sections of the timeline: America Commits 1961-1964, The Jungle War 1965-1968, and The Bitter End 1969-1975.

Who were the first Americans to protest the U.S. bombing campaign known as Operation Rolling Thunder? What happened at Hamburger Hill and how did it change the war? When did the conflict officially end and where was the peace accord signed? On what date did the war in Vietnam really end, as marked by the final departure of the last marines?

Return to the Vietnam Index page and click the Slide Show button to see 20 images from the Vietnam conflict.

Battlefield: Vietnam

Expand your knowledge of the Asian conflict at Battlefield: Vietnam, a PBS site. Click A Brief History to read an excellent 3000-word history of the Vietnam conflict written by Professor Robert K. Brigham. If you already feel you have a good take on the events of the war, click Guerrilla Tactics and learn how North Vietnamese forces (the National Liberation Front or NLF) used special tactics to engage and out-last the well armed and well trained U.S. forces. Next move on to the Air War link to learn about U.S. air power and the role it played in the conflict.

What was the fighting like in Vietnam? You can get an idea by reading The Siege at Khe Sanh (this site requires Flash). Explore the three main links on the front page of the new window when it opens. Since the base was eventually abandoned anyway, do you think the U.S. should not have engaged the enemy to hold the base? Compare this battle with Hamburger Hill. How do you think accounts like this influenced public opinion about the conflict?

Vets With a Mission

While the President's visit to Vietnam has focused on improving political and economic ties with Vietnam, some charitable organizations have formed with the purpose of providing compassionate service and humanitarian aid to the people of Vietnam. One such group is Vets With a Cause, an organization of Vietnam veterans who are trying to do some good among people with whom they shared so much suffering. Click About Us to read an overview of this organization. The History link is a gateway to some excellent history resources and research. For now, however, click the Photos link and spend some time looking at extraordinary images from the conflict (and a few of Vietnam today). Some are personal photos, but many are from professional photojournalists. Click on an image set, and then click a thumbnail image to see a larger version of the picture.

Activities

When President Clinton urged the communist government of Vietnam to open its economy and allow greater individual freedoms, the government's response was that the Unites States should respect and not interfere with the governing of other countries. The old communist regime doesn't seem close to abandoning its controlled system for a free market economy, but economic pressures and the changing attitudes of reform-minded youth may eventually lead to greater freedoms for the people of Vietnam.

Look for news stories, articles, advertisements or other evidence of a healthy free-market economy. Interpret these evidences in terms of personal freedom. For example, what evidence can you find that you are free to have any job or career you want? In what ways are you free to make your own decisions or spend your own money? What about ownership of land, housing, or personal property?

In light of what you learned about the Vietnam conflict, what is the price of social, political, and economic freedom?

© Copyright 2002
Learners Online, Inc.