Question

Write an evaluation of the Vietnamese war against the US from the point of
A. a porter on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
B. A woman soldier.

Answer 1

Hint: The Vietnam war was also commonly known as the second IndoChina war which occured from 1954-1975. It was a long military conflict that started as an anti colonial conflict with the French. The Soviet Union,China and other communist countries supported the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam in South was supported by the USA.

Complete answer:
The American involvement in the Vietnamese war dates back to World War II. This is the period when the Vietnamese were fighting against French colonialism under Ho Chi Minh who was the leader of the Vietnamese Independence League and also the founder of the Vietnam’s Communist Party. He tactically blended the anti colonial sentiments with Marxist-Leninist ideologies.
A. A porter on the Ho Chi Minh trail: This was a display as to how the Vietnamese used their limited resources to their greatest advantage. The trail was a complex network consisting of footpaths and roads that was used for the transportation of men agd goods from the north to the South. These trails had hospitals and other support systems on the way for the ease of the passengers. Those who carried them were called portes and they were mostly females. They carried 25 kilos on their backs and around 70 kilos using their bicycles.
B. A woman soldier: A woman soldier in the 1960’s were portrayed as brave fighters in magazines and photographs. Photographs existed where women were seen shooting down planes. They were represented as courageous, young and devoted. There are various accounts which narrate their joys when they were able to join the army and carry a rifle and how they on their own killed the enemy. For example Nguyen Thi Xuan was acclaimed for shooting a jet with twenty bullets. Women also worked as nurses and construction workers.

Note: The Vietnamese war caused great losses to Vietnam and the USA. There were immense losses in life and property. The US President Richard Nixon started the ‘Vietnamization’ in which the deployment of US troops was reduced and the troops of South Vietnam were trained to combat the situation.