The Viet Cong & the NVA won in the political arena what they couldn't win on the battlefield......after nine years of war, the American people grew tired....we do not have the stomach for a protracted war and the VC & NVA knew this (similar to what the Muslim Fundamentalists believe)......protests in the streets of America, death and destruction shown nightly on TV and the reluctance of our politicans to continue to fund the war, all contributed to our defeat. It is noteworthy to remember, that we were never defeated in battle...not even TET in Feb 1968...while the VC initially made some gains in the countryside and managed to get inside the US Embassy compound in Saigon, they were clearly defeated by US and ARVAN (Army of South Vietnam) forces....unfortunately, the war was started based on a lie called the Gulf of Tonkin incident.....all that said, I can tell you this - if there was a place that can be called "Hell on Earth" - Vietnam was it....

I understand then the US military has won every battle in Vietnam but how can the US politicians at that time has made such mistake where lots of soldiers and civilans has been dead and lots of suffering. i consider the US politicians are the best in the world but i think the US politicians at that time has misunderstanding the Vietnam war.

The US military and the ARVAN didn't win every battle, but they won decisively in most.......as stated, we lost the war in Washinton, DC..in the political arena, not on the battlefield..... 9 years is a long time to fight a war....the American people grew tired...the politicians were concered with getting re-elected - the war seemed unwinable so we capitulated and our politicians sought peace.....peace is always a better alternative than war especially to the solders etc., who fought there.....personally, I had good feeling about the Vietnamese people and considerable respect for the VC and NVA who were good soldiers. contrary to what many would say......I'm no lover of Communism, but they fought hard for what they believed in.....

The US military and the ARVN didn't win every battle, but they won decisively in most ......as stated we lost the war in Washington, DC, in the political arena, not on the battlefield....9 years is a long time to fight a war....the American people grew tired and the politicians were concerned with getting re-elected - the war seemed unwinable so we capitulated and our politicians sought peace which is a btter alternative to war, especially to the military who do the fighting....personally, I liked the Vietnamese and had respect for the VC and NVA - they were good soldiers - contrary to what many would say....I'm no lover of Communism, but they fought hard for what they believed in.....

Thanks a lots for those answers and now i have some good knowledge about Vietnam war and i hope in the future the US has learned from this mistake and d'ont repeat the same error and engage in a war, the same situation as Vietnam war but I know each war are not the same.

Enjoyed our exchange - I'm afraid the United States hasn't learned much from Vietnam......we're making the same mistakes in Afghanistan, which is now the longest war in US history - over 10 years.....we're wasting the lives of our men & women for no good reason.....Alexander the Great said it centuries ago - "Afghanistan is the graveyard of Empires."....the Russians couldn't win in a 9 year war in the 1980's, and unfortunately, neither can we. The United States is consumed with "Nation Building," something that didn't work in Vietnam and will not work in Afghanistan....as soon as US troops are withdrawn - the Taliban will destroy the schools, medical facilities etc., that we've built at the cost of "Billions" of dollars......the role of our military should be to fight & win wars - not Nation Building.....we never seem to learn.....

You are absolutely right, people who lives in different part of the world have different type of culture, the same religion but they interpret it in different ways, different type on evolutions, different type of society, think differently, different social living and different level of education they will not think the same as a democracy as America.They live in their own world and anyone can change this.i take example from by country, as i know many people, they remain the same although time is passing, their generations continue to behave the same, anyone can change this and the ways they think, behave or live.You have given a good example the Afghanistan war and also in Somalia where American soldiers has been dead in 1993 and nowadays the country has remain the a war country.

You are absolutely right, people who lives in different part of the world have different type of culture, different type of ways of interpreting their religion, different type of social evolution, different type of society, think differently, different social living and different level of education and value, they will not think the same as a democracy as America. They live in their own world and their own tradition, anyone cannot change this.i have taken examples from my own country. You have given a good example the Afghanistan and also in somalia where American soldiers have been killed but nothing has been change there since 1993.

Your mention of Somalia is a perfect example of where the United States commits militarily and doesn't finish the commitment......as such Samalia is now a lawless country, controlled by an Islamic Council and has become a haven for radical elements of Islam who will eventually bring chaos to the entire Horn of Africa.....the so-called "Arab Spring" will only result in a different type of Dictatorship - instead of one man rule it will be by a committee/group such as the Muslim Brotherhood.......there are so many wars taking place around the world, both major and minor - it's hard to keep track, but it seems the United States is involved in most of them, one way or another......

I think America cannot solve all the problems around the world, time has changed. Alone America will not able to solve every matter in the world, Lets for examples others countries taking the intiative and the responsability to solve problems which concerned them the most such as the European countries, China, Arab countries especially the Golf states, Russia,Japan, afterwards if need some help, America are behind them for the help. if America will take all the responsabilities to solve everyone problems, this will cost America lots of money and human resource. There are also some emerging countries who can help the world in some degree to solve some matter.

You are correct.....America can no longer be the world's policeman - it's up to other countries to step up and assume responsibility for what happens in their part of the world......America can assist other countries, but cannot and should not assume the primary role.......it's too costly, both in the lives of our men and women as well as the millions/billions of dollar spent.

The United States pulled out of VN in 1972 after getting a peace agreement, the same paper that ended WW1. 3 years later the South Vietnamese army lost to the north Vietnamese army and the war ended. Just as in WW1 and Korea there were no winners when the US was in it.