Vietnam War

Vietnam War
Part of the Cold War


A UH-1D helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of US infantrymen on a search and destroy mission.

Date September 26, 1959[1] – April 30, 1975
Location South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos

Result North Vietnamese victory
Eventual communist takeover of South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Territorial
changes Unification of North and South Vietnam

Belligerents
Anti-Communist forces:
  South Vietnam
  United States
  South Korea
  Australia
  Philippines
  New Zealand
Khmer Republic
  Thailand
Kingdom of Laos[citation needed]
Republic of China
Communist forces:
  North Vietnam
Viet Cong
Khmer Rouge
Pathet Lao
  People's Republic of China
  Soviet Union
  North Korea

Commanders
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Ngô Đình Diệm
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
William Westmoreland
Creighton Abrams
...more
Hồ Chí Minh
Lê Duẩn
Võ Nguyên Giáp
Trần Văn Trà
...more

Strength
~1,200,000 (1968)
South Vietnam: ~650,000
United States: 553,000 (1968)[2]
South Korea: 312,853,[3] New Zealand, Thailand, Philippines: 10,450[4]
Australia: 49,968 (1962–1973)[5]
~520,000 (1968)
North Vietnam: ~340,000
PRC: 170,000 (1969)
Soviet Union: 3,000
North Korea: 300
Casualties and losses
South Vietnam 220,357 dead;[6] 1,170,000 wounded
US 58,159 dead;[6] 1,724 missing; 303,635 wounded[7]
South Korea 4,960 dead; 10,962 wounded
Kingdom of Laos 30,000 killed, wounded unknown [8]
Australia 520 dead;[6] 2,400* wounded
New Zealand 37 dead; 187 wounded
Thailand 1,351 dead[6]
Total dead: 315,831
Total wounded: ~1,490,000+   North Vietnam & NLF 1,176,000 dead/missing;[6]
600,000+ wounded[9]
P.R. China 1,446 dead; 4,200 wounded
Soviet Union 16 dead[10]
Total dead: ~1,177,446
Total wounded: ~604,000+
South Vietnamese civilian dead: 1,581,000*[6]
Cambodian civilian dead: ~700,000*
North Vietnamese civilian dead: ~2,000,000[11]
Laotian civilian dead:...