The Vietnam War The Vietnam War began in December 1956 and lasted until April 1975. The war was between the United States and Vietnam. This war was a very gruesome and tragic war. In Vietnam their leader Ho Chi Minh has returned after a 30-year journey to discover the world. When he returned, his country was occupied by two large countries, Japan and France. Ho Chi Minh had a plan to drive them out of his country, but he needed the United States for it to work. The United States was still in the Cold War with Russia and there was a fear of communism there. So the United States decided not to help Vietnam and to send military aid to help the French and Japanese forces, to stop communism. Thus began the Vietnam War! The first major battle of the war was the Battle of AP Bac. It all began on January 2, 1962. AP Bac was a village in Dinh Toung province. The battle resulted in a lot of deaths and a much stronger group of South Vietnamese troops with American assistance in weapons and planning. The next major battle was the Battle of La Drang Valley. The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between US regular troops and those of the People's Army of Vietnam. It began on October 6, 1965. The Battle of La Drang Valley was considered essential as it established the tactical pattern for both sides during the conflict. This battle ended on November 27, 1965. The third major battle in the Vietnam War was the Battle of Khe Sahn. The Battle of Khe Sahn began on January 21, 1968. On that date Vietnamese troops began a heavy artillery bombardment of the U.S. Marine garrison at Khe Sanh. This battle was the longest and bloodiest of the Vietnam War. This battle ended on April 9, 1968 after 77 long days of fighting. The next battle was the Tet Offensive. It all started at the end J... in the middle of the paper... he had suffered from post-traumatic stress after the war. Soldiers would have nightmares about war in those conditions. The war lasted from 1956 to 1975, after North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam and the United States. The Vietnam War was very tough and everyone will do everything to prevent it from happening again. Works Cited PBS. PBS. Network. April 30, 2014. .Barr, Roger. The Vietnam War. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1991. Print."Vietnam War Facts - The Vietnam War." The Vietnam War. Network. 01 May 2014. "Fast facts on the Vietnam War." CNN. Cable News Network, January 1, 1970. Web. April 28, 2014. "Soldiers of the Vietnam War." Conflict in Vietnam. Network. April 30. 2014. .