Frank Schaaf, age 15, of Birmingham, Ala., for his question:
HOW LONG DID THE VIETNAM WAR LAST?
Almost 30 years passed between the start and the end of the Vietnam War. It started in 1946 after World War ii as a fight by the Vietnamese to gain independence from French rule and it developed into an international fight that included many of the world's nations. The war ended in 1975.
The country had been divided at the 16th parallel. In the north was a Communist group called the Vietminh headed by Ho Chi Minh while the south was occupied by the French. The plan was to bring about unification between the two sections. There were differences that couldn't be resolved easily.
In November, 1946, the French attacked Haiphong. And in December the Vietminh retaliated with an attack on Hanoi. The Vietnam war was under way.
At first the French had a military advantage with well armed forces. But the Vietminh had popular support while the French did not.
The Communist takeover in China coincided with the widening of the war in Vietnam. In 1950 both China and the U.S.S.R. recognized the northern DRV (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) while the United States recognized the Emperor Bao Dai government in the south.
From 1950 to 1954 the war increased in intensity and spread into Laos and brought about the last French Vietminh battle at Dien Bien Phu.
Anti Communist premier Ngo Dinh Diem replaced Emperor Bao Dai as head of state in South Vietnam in 1955 and refused to hold elections.
Soon an anti government movement started in the south and a full scale civil war resulted. The anti government group was called the NLF, or National Liberation Front, and it had the backing of the northern Vietminh.
By 1960 the war had evolved into an international conflict with the South Vietnamese being assisted by the U.S., Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippine Islands.
In January, 1973, after five years of negotiation, a cease fire agreement was signed by the U.S., North and South Vietnam and the Viet Cong.
In 1969, the United States started slowly to reduce its troop strength in Vietnam. They were replaced by South Vietnamese forces. Meanwhile, peace talks continued but no progress was made.
By March 1973, all U.S. troops had been taken out of South Vietnam and the last U.S. prisoners of war had been released. But the cease fire was repeatedly violated.
Early in 1975 the Communist forces started a large new offensive and in a three week period South Vietnam lost nearly two thirds of its territory. Much of the land was abandoned without resistance.
Early in April of 1975 the president of South Vietnam resigned, hoping to achieve a negotiated settlement. But the Communist troops pressed on and captured the city of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The Saigon government surrendered, bringing an end to almost 30 years of war.