The North Vietnamese Strategy
1. North Vietnamese called the war the ‘NATIONAL RESCUE ANTI-AMERICAN RESISTANCE War’ → shows their aim = to free Vietnamese from US control.
2. Western textbooks often say North Vietnamese used just ‘guerrilla war’ – this = major simplification:
• By 1975, the PAVN had become a powerful, trained conventional army.
DAU TRANH (‘the Struggle’)
1. Based on MAO ZEDONG’s 3-stage theory of revolution:
• 1st: win people’s support.
• 2nd: use guerrilla war to wear down enemy.
• 3rd: win by conventional war.
2. North Vietnamese version = more complex → ‘war-by-all-means’ (not just military):
• Co-ordinated efforts: diplomatic, psychological, social, economic & military.
3. On battlefield:
• PAVN (North) & VC (South) worked closely, switching roles as needed.
• Aimed to control pace of war: fight on own terms, avoid large battles when weak.
• Holding territory ≠ priority; defeats used to learn.
4. Internal split over strategy:
• ‘Southern-firsters’ (eg LE DUAN, backed by China): wanted bold attacks, quick win.
• ‘Northern-firsters’ (eg GIAP, linked to USSR): wanted caution, diplomacy.
→ Five-Phase Timeline of the War:
◦ Phase 1 (1963–65):
- After Diem’s death, ‘SOUTHERN-FIRSTERS’ launched major attacks.
- 1964: Victory at AP BAC (near Saigon).
- 1965: Heavy PAVN losses at IA DRANG vs US troops → return to guerrilla war.
◦ Phase 2 (1966–67):
- War = stalemate → ‘Southern-firsters’ took charge again.
- ‘Anti-Party Affair’: pro-USSR officers arrested.
- New plan approved: a ‘GENERAL OFFENSIVE AND UPRISING’.
◦ Phase 3 (1968):
- TET OFFENSIVE: surprise attacks on US/SVN cities.
- Politically successful (shocked US public), but huge PAVN/VC losses → return to guerrilla war.
◦ Phase 4 (1972):
- EASTER OFFENSIVE: major conventional attack.
- Defeated by ARVN w. US airpower.
◦ Phase 5 (1975):
- After US withdrawal, final HO CHI MINH CAMPAIGN → Saigon captured → war won.
North Vietnamese Tactics
1. POLITICAL WARFARE
• CODE OF CONDUCT → win popular support.
• Propaganda (radio, leaflets) → lower morale in ARVN/US.
• Targeted ASSASSINATIONS of South Vietnamese officials to weaken govt control.
• Civilians who opposed them killed (c.27,000, 1966–71) & US/SVN prisoners tortured.
2. GUERRILLA WARFARE
• Small units using jungle, paddies, hills to hide.
• No uniform → hide in villages/hamlets.
• Night raids; ambushes; hit-&-run (esp into Laos – US couldn’t follow).
• ‘Hanging onto the BELT’ = close fighting to avoid US airstrikes.
• Snipers, sappers (sabotage), tunnels (eg CU CHI tunnels) → incl. underground hospitals, barracks, factories.
• Mines (eg ‘bouncing BETTY’), booby traps (eg pit traps, trip wires).
• Soldiers trained in tactics, politics & initiative (unlike many US troops).
3. CONVENTIONAL WARFARE
• Tactic: ‘One slow, FOUR QUICK’ – (1) prepare carefully, then (1) advance, (2) attack strongly, (3) clear the field, (4) withdraw.
• Weapons (mostly USSR):
◦ AK-47s
◦ Tanks, amphibious vehicles, APCs
◦ Truck-mounted field guns
◦ Hand-held missiles (anti-tank & SAMs)
◦ Radar-guided AA guns
◦ MiG jet fighters
• After 1970: full-scale ‘COMBINED ARMS’ assaults (eg 1972, 1975 offensives).
4. SUPPLY
• Weapons/funds from China & USSR.
• Camouflaged supply methods – bikes, animals, porters → vital in rainy season.
• Ho Chi Minh Trail (thru Laos & Cambodia):
◦ >600 miles long, up to 50 miles wide.
◦ Bridges, embankments, ‘dummy’ routes to fool US air photos.
◦ Thousands kept it running 24/7 despite bombs, jungle, monsoons.
◦ NSA called it “one of the greatest achievements of MILITARY ENGINEERING of the 20th C”.
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