The Beginning of the Terrible Vietnam War

War is a physical and non-physical action that takes place between two or more human groups, to dominate in the disputed area. Ancient warfare was synonymous with armed conflict, which ultimately eliminated many human lives who knew nothing.

Do you still remember the events of World War II that have happened in the past? The war was recorded as a very terrible war, which had happened in the world. This war has left a tragedy of life that is very dark and very sad to remember. Millions or even more humans must die in vain in this war.

After this war ended, life in the world is expected to be better than before. However, when all the nations cheered because the war was over, a new disaster instead came back and began to tear down the fabric of peace that had just been felt.

Many think that World War II will be the final war. But, all is just a mere hope, because it turned out that after the terrible war, a war reappeared which was even far from just horrible, compared to the wars that had happened before.


Do you know what war is meant? The notorious war was the "Vietnam War". Remember not that one war?

The Vietnam War was also called the Second Indochina War, which was a war that occurred between 1957-1975 in Vietnam. This war is part of the Cold War between the two biggest ideological camps in the world, which are always contradictory, namely: Communists and Liberals. The superpower that adheres to this understanding is Unisoviet and the United States. The two countries are countries that have a very large role in the occurrence of this Vietnam war.

This terrible war has resulted in a massive exodus (leaving the place of origin) of Vietnamese citizens to other countries, especially to the United States, Australia and other western countries, so in that country you can find a large number of Vietnamese communities . The number of victims who died in the Vietnam war is estimated at around 1,280,000. This war was reported as the first defeat of the American war.

The Beginning of the Vietman War

The Vietnam War began on November 20, 1953, where the French colonial power placed as many as 16,000 troops in Bien Phu, a mountain valley along the border of North Vietnam and North Laos. From Dien Bien Phu. France intends to control the border area between the two countries.

The French military at that time believed that the Dien Bien Phu Valley, which had a length of 19 km and a width of 13 km, was a safe place to avoid Viet Minh attacks. Viet Minh or Viet Nam Dong Minh Hoi is an independence league, which aims to fight for Vietnam's independence from France and to banish Japanese occupation.

However, the Vietnamese forces under the leadership of General Giap, prepared to attack Dien Bien Phu. With the help of more than 200,000 porters, the Viet Minh regulates the appointment of heavy artillery to the mountains surrounding the Dien Bien Phu valley.

In March 1954, the Viet Minh began an attack on French forces in Dien Bien Phu. Precisely on May 7, 1954, they finally succeeded in conquering the French command center. This war between the Viet Minh and France took place for nine years, and claimed a huge number of lives, consisting of more than one million civilians, 200,000 to 300,000 Viet Minh people and more than 95,000 members of the French colonial forces had to lose their lives in the war. Really cruel right?


On July 20, 1954 in Geneva, a negotiation took place between Vieth Minh and France. Both agreed that Vietnam was divided into two major parts, namely, communist North Vietnam and the Capitalist South Vietnam. In 1959-1963, after the communist guerrillas of South Vietnam could overthrow the Diem government, the communist government of North Vietnam controlled the course of military confrontation.

More than 40,000 North Vietnamese guerrillas entered the South, and provided weapons and ammunition to communist South Vietnam, which was carried through the small streets of Ho Chi Minh in the Lao region and Cambodia.

In 1954, France left the land, and America replaced it. 4 years later America has more than 500,000 troops in South Vietnam. America under its president, in a row has involved his country to plunge into a long war with a great distance.

On August 2, 1964, two American cruise ships were shot by North Vietnamese patrol ships in Tonkin Bay. In March 1965, US fighter planes began Rolling Thunder Operation or a massive American bombing of North Vietnam. About three and a half years later, bombs were dropped around North Vietnam, which was 2 times more than the number of bombs dropped in World War II.

The peak of the Vietnam war took place in 1968, when the US sent more than half a million troops to Vietnam. Australian, New Zealand, South Korean, Filipino and Thai troops all number 90,000. And at that time the South Vietnamese army numbered 1.5 million people. The National Liberation Front under the communist leadership named Vietcong by the US has the power of 400,000 troops.

Through US military operations, the US air force bombed North Vietnam, and ended in October 1968. Slowly, the US began to withdraw its troops from Vietnam. The long war that took place over the past 10 years is a very valuable experience for America.

In 1969 in Paris, the US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Vietcong negotiated to withdraw all US troops from Vietnam. In 1972, before Paris negotiations came to fruition, the US had reduced its troops to around 100,000.

In this long war and bloody struggle, there were three things done separately, a war against the people of their own country, a war against enemy guerrillas in South Vietnam, and a war against the air power of North Vietnam.


In March 1973, the last American troops left Vietnam. Two years later, North Vietnam and Southern communist forces began an attack with the intention of taking control of the South Vietnamese state, but on April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops occupied Saigon which resulted in the end of the thirty-year war.

It turned out that the position of Hambleton could be monitored by the Vietcong, who went straight to the place where he was. Meanwhile, Jimmie Kempton had flown to the South, where friends were doing radio calls, to take action. Soon he returned with 4 Army-2 Cobra Gunship helicopters and 2 passenger helicopters.

During the Vienam war, this was the first time that the Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) was used massively as an important component in the air defense system. The use of aircraft carriers as a base for warplanes has become more important compared to what was done in World War II.

Besides that, in the Vietnam war it was also developed aircraft refueling systems in the air, by tanker airplanes, as a US effort to increase the radius of action, as well as the ability to maneuver fighter planes against Russian aircraft.

In this Vietnam war, the US was somewhat overwhelmed in the face of the efficacy of Russian-made warplanes. For Air-to-air Combat, Vietnam uses the MIG-17 and MIG-19, while the US only relies on its F-4 Phantom to deal with this attack.

While other US aircraft that were heavily involved in the Vietnam war included F-100s, OV-10 Bronco, C123, C-130 and C-7 Trash Haulers, besides that they also used F-105, F-111 and B52 as bombers.

And as a result of the Vietnam War, history records that the United States, which is known as a superpower, never lost. This war alone has consumed around 50 thousand American military personnel, and made about 150 thousand others disabled due to injuries.



During this Vietnam war, there were around 7,500 American women, who were registered and involved in it. Wuah, how wonderful these women are, guys. These tough women participated in fighting the communists. Some of them are involved in the health sector, and some others even take part in the battlefield.

Most of them made it through difficult times during the war, and managed to return to their country. But 8 of them died in the war because of several things that happened. The names of the eight women have now been enshrined in the monuments of the Vietnam war, and were awarded the medal of honor for their courage.

The end of the Vietnam war, brought great relief, not only to Vietnam, America and Russia, but all humanity in the world. No one in this world wants war to happen. Remember! War will not solve problems, but will only add to regret, suffering, and even futile death.

Biographies of World Leaders: Fidel Castro, Symbol of the Communist Revolution

Fidel Castro is known as a symbol of the communist revolution in Latin America after carrying out the Cuban Revolution in 1959. After overthrowing the government of Fulgencio Batista, he served as prime minister until December 2, 1976. After that, Castro served as President of Cuba before deciding to resign for reasons health on February 24, 2008. The following is a biography of a figure whose supporters were considered successful in releasing Cuba from the grip of American imperialism

1. Childhood and Political Interest Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13 in Biran, eastern Cuba. His father, Angel Castro, Argiz, is a veteran of the Spanish-American War. He moved to Cuba from Galicia, Spain, and gained success after planting sugar cane on the Las Manacas Biran farm. While Castro's mother is Lina Ruz Gonzalez who was originally a servant of Angel's first wife, Maria Luisa Argota. Angel and Lina have a relationship, and have three sons and three daughters with Castro being the sixth child. At the age of six, he was sent to live with his teacher in Santiago de Cuba before being baptized two years later. After being baptized, he attended the La Salle Boarding School in Santiago. Because of his behavior, he was transferred to Dolores School which was run by the Jesuit priest. Also read: Kim Jong Un Send a Letter to Sister Fidel Castro In 1945, Castro was transferred to a Jesuit school whose name is known as mash, El Colegio de Belen in Havana. Although Castro is very fond of history, geography, and arguing, he is not classified as a student with good academics because he is serious about sports. In the same year, Castro entered the University of Havana Law Department. Claiming to be "politically blind", he began to be involved in student activities. He became a devotee of anti-imperialism and opposed the intervention of the "Uncle Sam" Country in the Caribbean region. His interest in politics intensified after he criticized President Ramon Grou's government which was considered corrupt in November 1946. In 1974, he joined the veteran politician Eduardo Chibas, who is known for being charismatic.

In June 1947, he heard of an attempt to overthrow the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo, known as a US ally. He joined the coup which was then canceled. After that, he went to Bogota, Colombia in April 1948 to participate in the rebellion. Returning to Cuba, Castro became an influential figure in the protest against the government's intention to raise bus fares. In 1948, he married Mirta Diaz Balart, a student from a wealthy family associated with Fulgencio Batista. Although his second marriage was not approved, Dad Diaz Balart gave them several tens of thousands of dollars so they could honeymoon in New York.

 2. The Power of Batista and the Plan to Start a Rebellion After graduating from university in 1950, Castro began his practice in law. In addition, he is increasingly focused on Ortodoxo. He became a candidate for Partido Ortodoxo in the House of Representatives Election which was planned to be held in June 1952. He started a campaign which led him to meet Batista, a former president from the period 1940-1944 who returned to politics by using the United Action Party. At that time, Batista offered a position to Castro in his party if he succeeded in winning the election.

Although both did not like the government of President Carlos Prio Socarras, Castro did not have a vision of understanding with Batista. March 10, 1952, Batista moved the military, and carried out a coup that made Prio flee to Mexico. After declaring himself president, Batista announced the cancellation of the election, and introduced his system as a "disciplined democracy". Castro, along with others, considered Batista to have carried out dictatorial government, and sued legally. He brought several cases which were considered to be violations of the Batista regime. However, because it didn't work, Castro began to think about planning a rebellion.

3. The Beginning of the Cuban Revolution Castro began a rebellion by forming a group called "Movements" and moving using a secret cell system. July 26, 1953, Castro and around 150 followers attacked the Moncada military barracks located in Santiago de Cuba to overthrow Batista. The attack failed. Castro was caught. He was later tried, and sentenced to prison for up to 15 years. While in prison, he and his sister, Raul, formed the "July 26 Movement" as a warning to the attack on Moncada. May 15, 1955 Castro and other Moncada attackers were released after they received an amnesty from the Batista regime. In the same year, clashes broke out as a result of demonstrations and bombings. Castro, his sister, and his friends had to flee to avoid arrest. They headed for Mexico, where Castro met and then made good friends with an Argentine doctor named Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Guevara, who believed poverty in Latin America could only be overcome with an armed revolution agreed to join Castro.

4. Guerrilla War 1956-1959. After getting a yacht named Granma, Castro sailed from Tuxpan with 81 other members of the revolution on November 25, 1956. They only arrived on December 2, 1956 in the Manzanillo mangrove swamp, and were immediately greeted by Batista's attack. The attack left members of the revolution killed and captured. Only 12 people left, including Castro, Raul and Guevara. They took refuge in the Mount Sierra Maestra area, and began a campaign against the government military using guerrilla warfare tactics. Also read: Castro Says Trump Revives the Spirit of the US-Cuba Cold War Propaganda has begun to reap success with many people asking to join the guerrilla movement. In 1958, Castro and his forces began a series of operations to capture a number of important areas in Cuba. With the weakening of support, Batista chose to flee to the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959. At the age of 32, Castro successfully destroyed the Batista government when 800 of his followers defeated 30,000 government soldiers. Emergency government was temporarily rolled out, with Manuel Urrutia appointed as president, and Jose Miro Cardona becoming prime minister. The move quickly made the US admit. While Castro entered Havana with his supporters, he was appointed and was installed as military commander. In February 1959, Miro resigned after a dispute with Castro who was angry at seeing thousands of people becoming unemployed. They are unemployed after the government closes casinos and brothels. After retreating, Miro fled to the US, and joined the anti-Castro movement.

5. Turning Cuba into a Communist On February 16, 1959, Castro was installed as the Prime Minister of Cuba. He reformed nationally a number of US factories and plantations. In the midst of the reforms, he announced he would impose compensation on foreign companies whose property was considered low to avoid taxes. The policy was felt to make it difficult for US companies. Soon after, Washington and Havana's relations deteriorated. During his tenure, Castro always refused to be called communist. But for the US people, the policy is too leaning towards the Soviet Union.

In April 1959, Castro visited the United States and became a guest of the National Press Club. He hired a public relations consultant to help him promote himself. However, the then US President, Dwight Eisenhower, refused to meet with Castro at the event. In May 1959, he signed the Agrarian Reform Act to limit foreign ownership of land in Cuba. On paper, the law aims to make farmers more independent. But in reality so that the state can control these lands. At the end of 1959, Castro's revolution was increasingly radical. He cleansed the cleansing of political and military elites. In the cleaning, Urrutia was forced to resign. In addition, Castro pressed the media that were critical of his policies. The Castro regime also began to establish relations with the Soviets. Moscow sent 100 advisers who were fluent in Spanish to help establish a defense committee. In February 1960, Cuba signed an oil trade agreement with the Soviets and established diplomatic relations. When a US-owned refinery refused to provide oil, Castro drove them away. Washington retaliated by cutting Cuban sugar imports.

6. The Gulf Pig Incident and the Cuban 1961 Missile Crisis became the culmination of tensions between Cuba and the US. Starting with Eisenhower's decision to sever diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961. April 14, 1961, Castro announced Cuba as a socialist country. Three days later, an incident occurred in the Bay of Pigs. About 1,400 Cubans in the United States are trying to carry out a coup to overthrow the "El Comandante" government.

The coup attempt failed, in which 1,000 people were captured, while hundreds of other rebels were killed. Although the US denied their involvement in the Bay of Pigs, there were reports that the Cubans were trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The National Security Archive then issued a document that Washington planned an action against Castro in March 1959. Castro used the Gulf Pig Incident to consolidate his power, and promote various agendas. May 1, 1961, he announced that all democratic elections in Cuba were stopped, and condemned the actions of US imperialism. In late 1961, Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist, and announced Cuba's economy and politics based on communism. All these calls made Washington declare a full economic embargo on Cuba on February 7, 1962. October 1962, Castro became more intimate with the Soviets where he sought assistance to prevent future US invasions. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, proposed the idea of ​​placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, about 144 km from the coastal region of Florida. Khrushchev said the move was made after the State "Uncle Sam" installed Jupiter Missiles in Turkey. The US U-2 reconnaissance aircraft succeeded in detecting the installation process of the missile facility which made President John F Kennedy react.

He then held a secret meeting with Khrushchev, where the two superpowers agreed to release the missile. The two leaders managed to save their reputation. Even reaping praise for being able to prove it can hold back. Castro, on the other hand, felt humiliated because neither the US nor the Soviet had invited him at all in the negotiations. During his reign, Castro was reported to be the target of a CIA assassination attempt. Starting from a bomb made into a cigar. Then there are wetsuits fitted with mushrooms so Castro has a terrible skin disease. According to Cuban intelligence, there were 638 attempted killings.

7. The Fall of the Soviet Union and Castro's Decline In 1991, the Soviet Union experienced a collapse that made the Cuban economy retreat, and made Castro lose momentum. Without cheap oil imports and the market share provided by the Soviets for Cuban products such as sugar, unemployment and inflation increase. In addition, speculation spread that El Comandante began to experience health problems caused by old age.

The most significant happened in 2006. At that time he had to undergo surgery due to gastrointestinal bleeding. On July 31, 2006 through a dramatic announcement, Castro appointed his younger brother Raul as a temporary leader. February 19, 2008, 81-year-old Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of Cuba. April 2011, shocking news occurred when Castro also announced the resignation of the First Secretary of the Communist Party. In his retirement, he began writing columns about experiences and opinions which were recorded as Reflections of Fidel.

8. Death of El Comandante On November 25, 2016, Cuban state television announced that Fidel Castro died at the age of 90 years. With unknown causes of death, Castro was cremated on November 26, 2016, and his ashes were buried at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, Santiago de Cuba.