Korean war and Vietnam war: A comparative approach to cold war in Asia
Korean War and Vietnam War:
A Comparative Approach to Cold War in Asia
Luong Thi Hong1
1 Institute of History, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
Email: hongflower@gmail.com
Received on 7 May 2019.
Revised on 30 May 2019.
Accepted on 14 August 2019.
Abstract: After World War II, the world was formed into two different systems: capitalism and
socialism, leading to a new form of war - "Cold War". Although being called "Cold War," it was
manifested by "Hot Wars" such as those in Indochina and the Korean peninsula. The Korean War
(1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1954-1975) were convergence points of confrontation between
the two systems. While both of the wars were partly an East-West conflict, they were also a
"North-South" conflict. This paper examines a reference by comparing the Korean War and the
Vietnam War from a perspective of the Cold War system. Due to developing differently in the
international, regional, and national contexts, the Korean War and the Vietnam War differed in
various dimensions. The article proposes the similarities and dissimilarities between the two wars
and how they still influence present historical issues.
Keywords: Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War.
Subject classification: History
(1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1954-
1975)3 also fell into these circles. Thus, these
1. Introduction
wars
had
similar
and
dissimilar
The Second World War ended in 1945
leading to establishing a new world order, in
which the Cold War2 played a crucial role in
foreign affairs. A confrontation between
capitalism and socialism occurred not only in
Europe but also worldwide, of which Asia
had full characteristics. During the Cold War,
besides the East-West confrontation, there
was also the North-South conflict and the
characteristics. However, both the Korean
War and the Vietnam War were profoundly
impacted by the global Cold War.
During the Cold War period, it is
assumed that all Cold War phases were not
intense confrontations. Between the periods
of violent struggles, there were less stressful
years which politicians and diplomats called
periods of “détente” (French, meaning
release from tension). A wide range of
development
of
national
liberation
movements. In this context, the Korean War
49
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
researchers and scholars agreed that there
were three tense and détente phases. The
period of 1947-1953 was the period of Cold
War formation, warming up, and getting
very tense. The two systems launched an
arms race, gathered forces, and confronted
each other fiercely. Peace was threatened
directly. From 1954 to 1962, it was a period
of peaceful coexistence, beginning with the
Korean Armistice Agreement and the
Geneva Agreement ending the Korean War
(1953) and the French-Indochina War
(1954). Between 1962 and 1965, the world
became tense again. In the capitalistic bloc,
the White House attempted to make America
great. On the other side, the Soviet Union
tightened diplomatic relations with other
socialist countries by erecting the Berlin
to resolve the distribution of interests and
establish a new global order. Two such
conferences were of importance: Yalta
(February 1945) and Potsdam (July 1945), in
which the United States, the United
Kingdom, and the Soviet Union decided to
divide the Korean peninsula into two zones
at the 38th parallel to disarm the fascist
troops. The Soviet Union and the United
States forces occupied the northern and
southern halves of Korea respectively. The
powers also decided to split up Indochina
into two occupied zones, taking the 16th
parallel as a boundary. The North was
assigned to the Chinese Army, the South
would be administered by British troops.
Thus, a typical point in this separation of the
Wall and basing medium-range missiles in two countries was that their destiny was
Cuba. A period of peace lasted place from
the mid-1960s to mid-1970s. By the late
1970s and early 1980s, the world was full of
turmoil and new forms of disagreement and
tensions arose. Finally, from 1985 onwards,
the Cold War came to an end.
decided by the superpowers (directly the
Soviet Union and the United States).
The Korean peninsula formed two states
with opposite political, economic, and
social systems: the Republic of Korea (10
May 1948) backed by the United States,
and the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, or DPRK (9 September 1948)
backed by the Soviet Union. The 38th
parallel became a frontier dividing the
Korean Peninsula as well as socialism and
capitalism in Northeast Asia.
Addressing these issues and phases helps
us find differences and similarities of these
conflicts during the Cold War era. From that
point of view, the Korean War (1950-1953)
and the Vietnam War (1945-1975) have
similar and dissimilar dimensions. The
importance of the Korean and Vietnamese
wars go beyond their strategic connection [27].
The division in Vietnam went through a
more complicated process than that of
Korea. In Vietnam, led by the Viet Minh, the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam, or DRV,
was proclaimed on 2 September 1945,
before the Allies’ entering. Therefore, the
powers were not able to set up indigenous
governments like in Korea. They had to
2. Divided countries with North-South
conflicts
At the end of World War II, in 1945, a series
compromise with other forces
to overthrow
Vietnam’s
of international conferences were organised the Democratic Republic of
50
Luong Thi Hong
government. Thus, after the withdrawal of
the British (February 1946) and the Chinese
troops (September 1946), there were only
two forces in Vietnam: one headed by Ho
Chi Minh’s government, another by French
colonialists. However, due to interventions
of great powers (in various degrees), the
Vietnamese resistance war against the
French colonialists for the independence
gradually caught up a wind of the Cold War.
The Geneva conference (1954) decided to
take the 17th parallel as a temporary military
delimitation zone, dividing Vietnam into two
regions. The 17th parallel turned temporarily
from a demilitarised zone into one of the
most restricted borders in the world. It
represented the Vietnamese struggle as "a
The Vietnamese people succeeded in
removing the demilitarised zone at the 17th
parallel, completing national liberation and
reunification. The Vietnam War, after much
pain and loss, ended.
The division of Korea, as well as that of
Vietnam, into hostile states resulted from
arbitrary decisions taken at the end of the
Second World War, concerning the
surrender of the Japanese and the
administration of territory occupied by
Japan. In these decisions, neither the
Vietnamese nor the Koreans were consulted.
3. Korean War in connection with
Indochina's position in the United States’
strategy
manifestation
of
the
fundamental
contradictions of the world, the conflict
between national independence, socialism
and the imperialist system, and between war
and peace" [2].
Nationalism, communism, decolonisation,
and the Cold War were all parts of the
Vietnam War and the Korean War. In the
early 1950s, the international context
changed dramatically. The two sides of the
Cold War manifested firm determination. In
The division of Korea (as well as that of
Germany) began with the Allies’ intentions in
dividing the outcome of World War II and
then bore the imprint of confrontation between
socialism and imperialism. The division in Europe, the division of Eastern European
Vietnam came from a compromise between
the confrontational powers (for the benefit of
each nation) under the profound influence of a
national liberation struggle.
socialism and Western European capitalism
added an important "highlight" to the
establishment of the two German states (the
German Democratic Republic and the
Federal Republic of Germany). In Asia, the
appearance of two states on the Korean
Peninsula (Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea and Republic of Korea) deepened
Just as the destiny of Korea, the division
of Vietnam by the Geneva Agreements
was a common phenomenon in international
relations after World War II. In general,
the similarity was a confrontation between the trace of a confrontational world. In
the two world systems during the Cold particular, the establishment of the People's
War, which due to an emergence of a new
world order divided the world into two
opposing political and social systems,
each led by a superpower.
Republic of China (1949) led by China’s
Communist Party changed the world
context, established a dominant position of
socialism, and created a new order in Asian.
51
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
The conflicts in Korea and Vietnam and improved its priority order in Asia.
stemmed from the interaction of two Indochina was a key for the US to do what
significant phenomena of the post World it called “protecting” Southeast Asia.
War II era, decolonisation (the dissolution
of colonial empires) and the Cold War.
After the communist victory in China
(1949) and the outbreak of the Korean War
At that time, there were three wars in (1950), the Truman administration made the
Asia: the French-Indochina War, the final first step towards directing the US’
phase of civil war in China, and the newly involvement in Indochina. The outbreak of
outbroken war on the Korean peninsula the Korean War, together with concerns
between the North and the South.
about the intentions of the Chinese
communists, solidified Washington's
commitment [14, p.9].
Under these subjective and objective
The climax of the tense situation in Asia
was revealed when the Korean War was
"internationalised". The United States and
Chinese troops directly engaged in the factors, Vietnam and Korea increasingly
Korean War. Thus, the war which broke out occupied a critical position in the strategy
within boundaries of two regions to unify a of the United States, China, and the Soviet
country turned the peninsula into a "direct Union, although these regions were still not
battlefield" between Chinese and American considered central areas but just
forces. It became a hot spot of the Cold War "peripheral" areas of the Cold War.
and reflected the confrontation between two
halves of the Yalta order.
Truman himself reveals the domino
theory’s compelling logic: “If we let South
Korea down, the Soviets will keep right on
going and swallow up one piece of Asia
after another”, which would eventually cause
a collapse in Japan and Europe [20, p.148].
In the context of a world divided into
two hostile blocs, a fragile balance of
superpowers, a zero-sum game in which
any advance for the communist camp was
considered a loss for the "free world",
previously unimportant regions such as
Indochina suddenly took a considerable
significance. The North Korean troops’
entering South Korea in June 1950 seemed
to confirm American fears of communist
advancement and heighten the importance
of Vietnam [9, pp.18-21].
However, the Korean peninsula and
Indochina were places where the "hot wars"
happened fiercely, cruelly, and bloody
between the two systems in the world.
These events reflected an essential feature
of the Cold War, in which military conflict
often arose in areas not directly endangering
the national security of two superpowers. It
proved their own merits in the international
politics of powerful countries.
The Korean War and the international
situation in this war were also an essential
factor changing the United States’ policy on
The United States intervened in Vietnam to
Asia in general and Vietnam in particular. It contain communism and prevent it from
is assumed that the Korean War affected the spreading throughout Asia. Had it not been for
United States’ policy towards Indochina in the Cold War, the United States, China, and
an indirect way but an important form. The the Soviet Union would not have intervened
Korean War influenced the US’ strategy in what likely had remained a local struggle
52
Luong Thi Hong
for decolonisation in French Indochina. The for the United States government officially
Cold War shaped the way the Korean War used in the historical analogies for reasons
and the Vietnam War were fought and leading up to the escalation in Vietnam in
significantly affected their outcome.
1965 [23, p.237].
The Korean conflict coloured the United
States’ perceptions of the need to contain
communism in Asia and influenced the
Washington’s involvement in Vietnam. The
North Korean entering South Korea in June
1950 seemed to confirm the United States’
fears of a communist expansion and to
heighten the significance of Vietnam. "The
United States never set out to win the war in
the traditional sense. It did not seek the defeat
of North Vietnam. On the contrary, vivid
memories of Chinese intervention in the
Korean War in 1950 let the administration to
wage a limit war" [9, pp.18-21].
"The Cold War was an early and
constant preoccupation, presenting a range
of problems, challenges, and opportunities…
To a degree not fully evident at the time,
the superpowers’ actions in Indochina in
1950 had the effect of intensifying the
struggle and prolonging it, and of reducing
(but not eliminating) the freedom of action
of both France and the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam" [12, pp.281-304].
In Indochina, the stage was already
being set for the United States’ involvement
in Vietnam before the Korean War broke
out. A month before North Korea’s attack,
the US granted a modest aid package to the
French colonialists in Vietnam. While the
US said it may have continued to increase
in the absence of the Korean War, the
outbreak of fighting on Korean peninsula
certainly worked to deepen and intensify
the mushrooming the United States’ will to
containing communism in Indochina [19,
pp.122-146]. In fact, less than a year after
the Korean War ended, the United States
was underwriting about 80 percent of the
cost of the French War in Indochina [10,
p.349]. By the mid-1960s, the United
States’ policymakers looked back on Korea
as a successful exercise in limited war,
which encouraged them to believe that they
could achieve a repeated performance in
4. Internationalised wars and superpowers'
involvement
The Korean War and the Vietnam War
were power games between the United
States, the Soviet Union, and China during
the Cold War. The United States’
perception of the Soviets’ role in the
outbreak of the Korean War and the
latter’s aims in Korea thus played an
essential role in escalating and shaping the
Cold War [26].
The Korean peninsula had a significant
position in the United States’ strategy. As
President Truman said in proposing the
“little ECA” for Korea to the Congress on 7
June 1949:
Indochina
[23,
p.236].
Similarity,
Vietnam’s confirmation of a new policy
pattern begun in Korea that went against the
old policy of strictly avoiding land wars on
the Asian landmass [15, pp.39-40]. The
Korean War seemed the most likely factor
“Korea has become a testing ground in
which the validity and practical value of the
ideas and principles of democracy which the
Republic is putting into practice are being
53
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
in
matched against the practices of communism
South Korea in 1953, and the density of
which have been imposed on the people of the commitment to Korea exceeded
North Korea. The survival and progress of Vietnam, 329 to 302 [13, pp.635-656].
the Republic towards a self-supporting,
stable economy will have an immense and
far-reaching influence on the people of Asia.
Moreover, the Korean Republic, by
demonstrating the success and tenacity of
democracy in resisting communism, will
stand as a beacon of the people of northern
Asia in opposing the control of communist
forces which have overrun them. If we are
faithful to our ideals and mindful of our
interests in establishing peaceful and
prosperous conditions in the world, we will
not fail to provide the aid which is so
essential to Korea at this critical time” [30].
The nature of the war, on the
Vietnamese side, was still a struggle to
defend the independence of the motherland,
protect territorial integrity and unification
of the country. However, in the context of
the international division of the two sides,
the Vietnam battlefield also inevitably
became a place where great powers gained
their influence. China supported the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam; the
United States and its allies assisted the
Republic of Vietnam.
When the Vietnam War became a large-
scale one, and the first US combat troops
arrived in Southern Vietnam in 1965, the
Soviet Union moved from being an
"observer" to providing direct assistance.
The communists increased economic aid to
Vietnam to consolidate its position in the
strategic battle with the United States in the
East-West confrontation. In the period
between 1954 and 1965, the total amount of
non-refundable aid and long-term loans
from China to Vietnam was worth 439
million roubles (287.5 million of that were
grants, 151.5 million were loans). In the
period from 1966 to 1971, the total amount
of aid was 1,336 million roubles, of which
864 million were grants and 472 million
were long-term loans [4].
The Korean War was one of the
principal triggers for the expansion of the
Cold War, and it embraced the continuing
Vietnamese War into that conflagration,
which marked the anti-colonial and anti-
communist wars of the 1950s. The Korean
War also marked the return to the massive
industrial warfare of the Pacific and
European Wars, with substantial investments
in air power, armour, and heavy artillery.
The rise of the People's Republic of China
brought the United States’ attention back
from Europe to Asia, leading to the
allocation of a multi-million dollar defence
expenditure to the "general area of China".
Sixteen countries provided military
assistance, and at peak strength, the United
Nations Command forces numbered about
400,000 soldiers from the Republic of
Korea, 250,000 from the United States, and
35,000 from other nations [24, pp.421-433].
The spirit and attitude of the communist
economic aid to Vietnam had different
characteristics. Grants were only provided
during the period of the United States’
direct involvement in the war (1965-1972).
In the period of the implementation of the
first five-year plan (1961-1965) and the
At first glance, the maximum of 537,000
US servicemen in Southern Vietnam in
dwarfed the peak of 326,863 soldiers
1968
54
Luong Thi Hong
period of 1973-1975, communist economic loans, aiming at economic cooperation on
assistance was reduced in the numbers of the principle of mutual benefits and
direct grants and changed to long-term facilitated repayment of loans.
Table 1: Communist Economic Assistance to Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1955-1974)
Total
(mio. RUB)
5,749
Grants
(mio. RUB)
4,844
Loans
(mio. RUB)
950
Countries
Soviet Union
China
1,831
1,365
466
2,872
2,577
295
Others
1,091
902
189
Source: Situation of economic relations between Vietnam and foreign countries from 1955 to
1974, Dossier 32, State Planning Committee Folder, Vietnam National Archive Centre No. 3.
adopted a policy that allowed its air strikes
to hit any force that blocked American air
routes, even those based in China [18].
When Beijing leaders became more
concerned about the rising security threat
from the escalation of the war by the
United States, China increased its support
for Vietnam, despite knowing that such
action could lead to a total war against the
United States.
The United States’ military aid to the
Saigon government in the period 1955-1960
was USD 1,028.9 million, USD 1,177.9
million for the period 1961-1964, USD
3,420.0 million for the period of 1965-
1968, and USD 12,311.8 million for the
period 1969-1975. For the whole period
1955-1975, the United States’ government
provided USD 17,939.1 million on military
aid to the Republic of Vietnam [1, p.486].
From this analysis, it can be said that
communist economic aid to Vietnam was a
result of a confrontation between the
capitalist and socialist systems. Thus, in
the period from 1965 to 1968, the level of
intervention of the United States, the
Soviet Union, and China was pushed to the
highest level. After the United States
planes bombed Hai Phong (1966), which is
a city close to China's border, in an official
statement dated 7 September 1966, China
announced that "the United States
military's attack against Vietnam was an
attack against China," warning that
It is notable that the period in which
Vietnam received the highest economic aid
was also the period that the United States’
combat troops in Vietnam were at the
highest level [3].
Given the growing threat from the
United States of the escalation of military
offense against the DRV, Beijing
expressed its concern over a possible open
confrontation with Washington. Meanwhile,
air strikes against the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam shifted to the China-
Vietnam border area. The United States
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Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
Washington could have "made a serious
historic mistake" if it underestimated
China's determination to support Vietnam
[21, pp.7-10].
capitalist and socialist systems were
established after World War II. The two
countries played decisive roles which
affected all international relations, involving
many regions and nations in a new form of
war - the Cold War. Although it was called
the "Cold War", the atmosphere of the
world was not "cold" at all. "Hot wars", i.e.
local conflicts between the United States
and the Soviet allies happened in many
regions of the world. Behind that, it had
hands, shadow, and data, implicit plans of
great powers (in Indochina, the Korean
Peninsula, the Middle East). With the
formation and hostility between capitalist
and socialist systems, Vietnam's unification
struggle was put in a spiral and affected by
the profound influence of this context.
While asserting the attitudes of
superpowers taking their benefits from
Vietnam’s struggle, on meeting with Zhou
Enlai, the Secretary-General of the
Communist Party of Vietnam, Le Duan,
said: "The relationship between China and
Vietnam will exist not only in the struggle
against the United States but also in the
long future ahead. Even if China does not
help us as much, we still want to maintain
close relations with China, as this is a
guarantee for our nation's survival" [29].
Thus, the level of intervention of the
United States, the Soviet Union and China
was pushed to the highest level. Therefore,
the Vietnam War became increasingly
severe and part of East-West conflict, with
the international character of the conflict
In Asia, the concept of “Cold War” is
more complicated. Its origins in Vietnam
involved policies pursued by the colonial
authorities returning to the region after
becoming more apparent. The involvement World War II, their relations with great
of the United States, the Soviet Union and powers, as well as the agendas pursued by
China in the Vietnam War reflected the
complicated relationship between the two
superpowers and had a profound impact on
the nature and progress of the war as well
as on Vietnam itself. However, it is also
increasingly clear during the Cold War that
Vietnamese leaders turned the rivalry
among the contemporary superpowers to
their advantage in their struggle for national
liberation [17, pp.1-16].
the local nationalist forces and communist
parties of the region [8, pp.441-448]. The
Cold War in Asia reflected by conflicts and
diplomatic hostilities across the borders of
the two blocs. It is assumed that the Cold
War is characterised by hot wars and was
one of the most crucial events in Asia in the
second half of the twentieth century. The
Cold War had a significant impact on
decolonisation and nation-building in Asia.
For long periods of time, many Asian
countries experienced the Cold War.
Tensions and hostilities marked the
relationships not only among Asian
5. Hot Wars in a Cold War
Resulting from interests of great powers members or the US and the Soviet Union
with two confronting systems headed by the
United States and the Soviet Union, the
but also between North and South in each
country in some cases [25, p.7].
56
Luong Thi Hong
nearly 500,000 children with deformities
due to chemical warfare4.
During the Cold War, nation-state
building and socio-economic development
were two independent, and interrelated
The Korean War, in which 54,000 US
processes transforming Asia. Nation-state troops were killed, forms the background
against which the connection of the United
States to the hostilities in Indochina at that
time was played out [7, p.99].
building began with decolonisation. It is
assumed that some Asian countries took the
Cold War as a chance to secure American
or Soviet aid for their nation-building
programmes [6], [16], [5]. Nation-state
building also went along with numerous
civil wars interacting closely with the Cold
War but followed their particular logic,
such as Korea (1950-1953), Vietnam (1954-
1975), Laos (1958-1975), and Cambodia
(1970-1975).
The American losses in Korea amounted
to 144,000 casualties, MIAs, and POWs,
whereas the North Koreans and their
Chinese allies together lost over 1,2 million
people [7, p.140].
One estimate places the casualties toll at
750,000 militaries and 800,000 civilians. Of
the military deaths, 300,000 were from the
North Korean Army, 227,000 from the
Republic of Korea Army, 200,000 from
Chinese volunteers. About 37,000 Americans
and 4,000 UN allies were killed. Civilian
casualties are hard to estimate. On the high
end, one UN estimate places the number of
South Koreans who died of all causes
including disease, exposure, and starvation
at 900,000. North Korean casualties were
probably higher [22, pp.109-110].
The Korean War is an immensely crucial
event which was the first armed war of the
Cold War, the first United Nations War,
and the only time that major military
powers have clashed on the battlefield since
World War II [24, pp.421-433].
On 25 June 1950, the combat troops of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK,
or
North
Korea)
made
advancement across the 38th parallel.
Of the 132,000 North Korean and Chinese
military POWs, fewer than 90,000 returned
home. Of the 10,218 Americans captured by
the communists, only 3,746 returned; the
remaining 6,472 perished. Perhaps four times
that number of South Korean prisoners died.
RoK forces sustained some 257,000 military
deaths, while the United States war-related
deaths numbered 36,574, and forces under
the United Nations’ command suffered 3,960
casualties. The DPRK has released no
On 7 July, the UN Security Council
established a unified military command
under the United States. Eventually, sixteen
nations contributed forces. By the spring of
1951, these included 12,000 British, 8,500
Canadian, 5,000 Turkish, and 5,000
Filipino soldiers [22, p.102].
Both wars left huge losses. According to
incomplete statistics of Vietnam, 1,1
million soldiers died, 600,000 soldiers were
wounded, 300,000 soldiers went missing, casualty figures, but its military deaths are
and two million civilians were killed. There estimated at 295,000. Chinese deaths from all
are also about two million people who
suffered from disabilities, two million who
came in contact with toxic chemicals, and
causes might approach one million. Perhaps
900,000 South Korean civilians died during
the war from all causes5.
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Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
The United States Air Force dropped 7,5 two competing ideological systems was
million tonnes of bombs in Indochina, three destined to be decided [11, p.4].
times as much as in World War II (2,1
million tonnes), 47 times more than in
Japan (160,800 tonnes) and more than ten
times than in the Korean War (698,000
tonnes) [1, p.498].
The Cold War also had impacts on the
Vietnam War. In contrast, the Vietnam War
affected trends of the Cold War at some
points. The United States decided to
intervene, causing the Cold War to push
The Korean War and the Vietnam War Indochina into a hot spot. Vietnam accepted
were all products of the Cold War, with the to sign the Geneva Agreements contributing
involvement of superpowers with their to creating more peace and harmony. The
calculational strategies, differently expressed Vietnamese struggle step by step promoted
in each region and each country.
national liberation movements in the Third
World, and became a new hot spot in the
Cold War. Vietnam was a factor pushing
Sino-American rapprochement. These
complex relationships contributed to
promoting international peace at that time.
The conflation of the Cold War and the
decolonisation provided opportunities as
well as challenges to indigenous nationalists
and European powers alike, hastening
decolonisation in some territories and
prolonging that process in others.
Thanks to the Cold War, national
movements in Asian attracted superpowers’
backing by drawing to their respective
geopolitical concerns and fears. The Cold
War impacted the course of decolonisation
in Southeast Asia extremely. However,
even as the Cold War influenced the future
destiny of Southeast Asia in an era of
decolonisation, it was transformed by its
raging revolutionary fires into a "hot" Cold
War. It was assured after a series of
exogenous events in East Asia, beginning
with the victory of communism in China in
October 1949, and followed shortly
thereafter by the outbreak of the Korean
War in June 1950. These events conspired
to fundamentally affect its tenor and
consequence. By the end of the 1950s, Asia
in general and Indochina in particular, had
become not just another regional theatre of
the Cold War but the crucial main front in
Asia where the looming and even "hotter"
contest to finally resolve the outcome of the
6. Dissimilarities
In fact, there were two Cold Wars in Asia,
the one between the United States and
China as well as the Asian dimension of the
United States-Soviet Union Cold War.
Also, there were two "hot" wars in which
the United States military forces were
directly involved - the Korean War and the
Vietnam War. Asia was beset with such
conflicts and two full-fledged battles with
the United States as
a
significant
participant. The Cold War in Asia is a
misnomer unless it merely means that the
United States and the Soviet Union engaged
in a power struggle in Asia but avoided, as
in Europe, a direct military engagement.
The Vietnam War differed from the
Korean War. It developed in unique
circumstances and changed in nature. It was
believed that behind the North Korean
attack stood Chinese and Soviet decisions.
58
Luong Thi Hong
However, the Democratic Republic of followed by the two poles in the two areas.
Vietnam was neither an agent of the Soviet As a result, gaps between the two regimes
Union nor of China. Given China's deepened, and a devastating war broke out.
advocacy of anti-American revolutions for
national liberation, it is more plausible to
argue that the North Vietnamese and their
southern allies were under Chinese
influence. In fact, the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam was an independent actor.
The Korean War began as a civil war,
leading to confrontation between
superpowers (China, the Soviet Union, and
the United States). From this event, the
relationship between the two blocs
worsened. After the 37-month long war,
a
The Korean War and the Vietnam War millions of people were killed, and the
Korean peninsula returned to its original
state - back to the dividing line that the
Soviet Union and the United States drew
upon at the end of World War II. The
Korean War left massive consequences for
both North and South Korea. Besides the
losses, this war led to suspicion, even
hostility between the South and North. The
Korean Armistice Agreement was the only
military ceasefire, but not a political
resolution which resolved the issue of
national rights, including the unification of
the Korean peninsula. This is a fundamental
difference from the 1954 Geneva
Agreements on Indochina. It is also the
longest lasting armistice that should have
been replaced by a permanent peace treaty
for the Korean Peninsula. The mutual
suspicion and the ideological opposition
between North and South Korea were both
symbols of confrontation. The conflict of
the Cold War had a profound effect on the
Korean peninsula. The two political regimes
in the two regions had two different
ideologies, even opposing each other, so their
perception was utterly different.
were all products of the Cold War, with
calculated involvements of superpowers.
However, in each region, each country, it
turned colours in different ways.
The Korean War and Vietnam War were
hot wars in the Cold War. However, the
evolution of the war reflected international
conflicts, becoming the battlefield of fierce
struggles between superpowers. This
confrontation related directly to the strategic
calculations of the United States, the Soviet
Union, and China and the involvement of
these countries in these clashes.
Due to the political situation and
geographic features, the wars’ purposes were
different: The Vietnam War was a struggle to
preserve unity and territorial integrity - a
fundamental part of national rights. The
Korean War was a direct engagement
between the two confronting blocs, namely
China, Korea, and the United States. It led to
different results that directly affected
countries and regions in postwar years.
In addition to its international character,
the wars in Korea and Vietnams are North-
South struggles. In both cases, the division
The Korean War and the Vietnam War
of the countries into two zones were differed in their nature and participants of
significant reasons leading to the breakout the war. The Korean War happened in two
of the war. The split led to a fierce phases. In the first phase, foreign allies did
confrontation between the two regions, not have crucial roles. During the second
59
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
phase, nearly 100,000 Chinese troops were However, the US escalation forced them to
fighting against the forces of the United make tough choices to assist the DRV's
Nations led by the United States. Thus, the efforts to reunify the nation. In total, the
first phase was a local conflict. The second Soviet and Chinese aid estimated at more
phase was an "internationalised" war on the than two billion USD. It helped to
Korean peninsula.
neutralise the United States’ air attacks,
replace equipment lost in the bombings,
and helped Hanoi to send more troops to
the South. "The fact that the Soviet and
Chinese supply almost all war material to
Hanoi… [has] enabled the North
Vietnamese to carry on despite all our
operations" [9, pp.18-21].
The Korean War occurred when the
East-West and the North-South conflicts
were at the highest level, causing a bloody
encounter. The result of the Korean battle
was the Armistice Agreement, which meant
not ending the war.
After the French failure to stabilise
Indochina in 1954, the United States
followed in the French footsteps and
deployed their combat forces to contain the
spread of communism in Indochina. The
Vietnam War converted a part of the Cold
War, and the United States used Vietnam as
a card to gain global strategic interests, and
to contain the influence of the Soviet Union
and China. The United States used all kinds
of weapons to achieve victory. In contrast,
The Vietnam War exposed internal
conflicts leading to a fierce struggle
between two political regimes. After the
Paris Agreement (January 1973), the United
States troops withdrew from Vietnam, with
the only remaining forces being
Vietnamese. The war characterised a civil
conflict, but overall, it was a resistance to
unify the nation.
At the same time, the Vietnam War
Vietnamese people also accepted all occurred in the context of global bipolar
hardship and sacrifice to gain their order. The North followed the socialist path
independence, freedom, and reunification. supported by the Soviet Union, China, and
For their obligations to allies, for their other socialist countries. The South
interests, the Soviet Union, China, and followed the capitalist path with aid from
other socialist countries assisted Vietnam in the United States and capitalist countries.
this struggle. The peace and national Thus, the battlefield in Vietnam became the
liberation movements fully supported confrontation between the ideologically
Vietnam, including also American people. opposing systems. This situation led to the
Thus, the French-Indochina war (1945- "internationalisation of the Vietnam War"
1954) and the Vietnam War (1954-1975) with the concern of the great powers. The
were leading international events of great Vietnam War reflected challenges and
attention for all humanity over an extended strength of both opposing sides.
period.
Whereas the Korean War (1950-1953)
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was a confrontation between the United
took advantage of the Cold War in other States and the People's Republic of China,
ways. Until 1964, both major communist the Vietnam War was only a direct combat
powers had been consummate pragmatists. of the United States troops and its allies
60
Luong Thi Hong
with Vietnamese forces in both regions. Meanwhile, American troops caused
massacres, so they lost their loyalty and
public support back in the US as well as in
many countries around the world. Thus, in
the United States, the anti-war movements
were calling for peace and unity.
The Soviet Union and China strongly
supported the DRV with regard to arms,
ammunition, warfare facilities, expert
teams, and anti-aircraft guards in some
northern provinces. Neither Soviet nor
Chinese soldiers faced the United States
and Saigon troops on the battlefield.
7. Conclusion
Due to the characteristics of the situation
and nature of the war, the Vietnamese
struggle was associated with anti-war
movements all over the world. Vietnam
tried to gain support from all nations,
especially anti-war movements of American
people. Thus, Vietnam consolidated and
expanded its global sphere, and built up the
pressure on the United States’ government
in the international, diplomatic, and military
arenas. Therefore, Vietnam created its
legitimacy of the struggle.
From these above mentioned points, it can
be seen that the Vietnam War brought
simultaneously three characteristics which
significantly differ from the Korean War: the
national liberation of Vietnamese people, the
opposing between the two regimes in
Northern and Southern Vietnam, the
confrontation between the two blocs in the
world. It solved the conflict between the
Vietnamese people and US imperialists,
between socialist and capitalist regimes, as
well as the dispute between the Soviet Union
and China. This split turned Vietnam into a
place to win the other's influence. Thus,
Vietnam became a focus of the struggle not
only between the two blocs (capitalist and
socialist) but also within the socialist camp.
Although China and the Soviet Union
supported Vietnam hugely, they could not
control Vietnam's military and political
policies. Hanoi determined its internal and
foreign affairs itself.
Since then, each war extended its
effects in various ways. The Vietnam War
affected the non-aligned movements,
receiving the support of people all over the
world. The Korean War did not have that
considerable influence.
However, the most significant difference
between the Vietnam War and the Korean
War is the final outcome of this struggle.
Despite being affected by the global Cold
War, the Vietnamese people successfully
united the country. It was a result of the
Vietnamese determination and sacrifices,
from which the Vietnamese Communist
Party conducted the right leadership leading
to the success. Meanwhile, the Korean War
was one of the bloodiest clashes in modern
history and strongly influenced by external
factors. The split of the Korean Peninsula
continues, and the remnants of the Second
This difference created a political
advantage for the Democratic Republic of
Vietnam, placing the conflict between the
Vietnamese struggle and the United States
interference on the top. Therefore, the goal
of the war was to fight against the
aggression, to raise a banner of national
liberation,
thereby
uniting
people,
including a large number of people living
in the southern part of Vietnam.
61
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020
5
World War and the confrontation between
the two sides in the Cold War have so far
not been resolved. Therefore, the Korean
peninsula remains in a state of being
divided into two states. This division is a
debt that the relevant powers need to be
responsible for towards the Korean people.
Casualty figures have been widely disputed, the
best analysis can be found in Allan R. Millet,
“Casualties”, Encyclopedia of the Korean War.
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