Casualties of the Korean War

The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. More than half of these–about 10 percent of Korea’s pre-war population–were civilians. Almost 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded.

The Vietnam War (вооружитесь терпением и дочитайте до конца) was a long, costly armed conflict between the communist regime of North Vietnam and its allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war began in 1954, after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam. More than 3 million people (including 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians. Growing opposition to the war in the United States led to bitter divisions among Americans, both before and after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. In 1975, communist forces seized control of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.

Roots of the Vietnam War

During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied Vietnam that had been under French administration since the late 19th century. Inspired by Chinese and Soviet communism, Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet Minh, or the League for the Independence of Vietnam, to fight both Japan and the French colonial administration. Japan withdrew its forces in 1945. Ho's Viet Minh forces rose up immediately, seizing the northern city of Hanoi (Ханой) and declaring a Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) with Ho as president.

Seeking to regain control of the region, France set up the state of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in July 1949, with Saigon (Хошимин) as its capital. Armed conflict continued until a decisive battle in 1954 ended in French defeat by Viet Minh forces. The subsequent treaty negotiations at Geneva split Vietnam along the latitude known as the 17th parallel (with Ho in control in the North and Bao in the South) and called for nationwide elections for reunification to be held in 1956. In 1955, however, the strongly anti-communist Ngo Dinh Diem (Нго Динь Зьем) pushed Bao aside to become president of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam.