Korean war and Vietnam war: A comparative approach to cold war in Asia

owers. This 
 military ceasefire, but not a political 
confrontation related directly to the strategic 
 resolution which resolved the issue of 
calculations of the United States, the Soviet 
 national rights, including the unification of 
Union, and China and the involvement of 
 the Korean peninsula. This is a fundamental 
these countries in these clashes. 
 difference from the 1954 Geneva 
 Due to the political situation and Agreements on Indochina. It is also the 
geographic features, the wars’ purposes were longest lasting armistice that should have 
different: The Vietnam War was a struggle to been replaced by a permanent peace treaty 
preserve unity and territorial integrity - a for the Korean Peninsula. The mutual 
fundamental part of national rights. The suspicion and the ideological opposition 
Korean War was a direct engagement between North and South Korea were both 
between the two confronting blocs, namely symbols of confrontation. The conflict of 
China, Korea, and the United States. It led to the Cold War had a profound effect on the 
different results that directly affected Korean peninsula. The two political regimes 
countries and regions in postwar years. in the two regions had two different 
 In addition to its international character, ideologies, even opposing each other, so their 
the wars in Korea and Vietnams are North- perception was utterly different. 
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, 
 The Korean War occurred when the replace equipment lost in the bombings, 
East-West and the North-South conflicts and helped Hanoi to send more troops to 
were at the highest level, causing a bloody the South. "The fact that the Soviet and 
encounter. The result of the Korean battle Chinese supply almost all war material to 
was the Armistice Agreement, which meant Hanoi [has] enabled the North 
not ending the war. Vietnamese to carry on despite all our 
 After the French failure to stabilise operations" [9, pp.18-21]. 
Indochina in 1954, the United States The Vietnam War exposed internal 
followed in the French footsteps and conflicts leading to a fierce struggle 
deployed their combat forces to contain the between two political regimes. After the 
spread of communism in Indochina. The Paris Agreement (January 1973), the United 
Vietnam War converted a part of the Cold States troops withdrew from Vietnam, with 
War, and the United States used Vietnam as the only remaining forces being 
a card to gain global strategic interests, and Vietnamese. The war characterised a civil 
to contain the influence of the Soviet Union conflict, but overall, it was a resistance to 
and China. The United States used all kinds unify the nation. 
of weapons to achieve victory. In contrast, 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 
The Soviet Union and China strongly massacres, so they lost their loyalty and 
supported the DRV with regard to arms, public support back in the US as well as in 
ammunition, warfare facilities, expert many countries around the world. Thus, in 
teams, and anti-aircraft guards in some the United States, the anti-war movements 
northern provinces. Neither Soviet nor were calling for peace and unity. 
Chinese soldiers faced the United States 
and Saigon troops on the battlefield. 
 Due to the characteristics of the situation 7. Conclusion 
and nature of the war, the Vietnamese 
struggle was associated with anti-war From these above mentioned points, it can 
movements all over the world. Vietnam be seen that the Vietnam War brought 
tried to gain support from all nations, simultaneously three characteristics which 
especially anti-war movements of American significantly differ from the Korean War: the 
people. Thus, Vietnam consolidated and national liberation of Vietnamese people, the 
expanded its global sphere, and built up the opposing between the two regimes in 
pressure on the United States’ government Northern and Southern Vietnam, the 
in the international, diplomatic, and military confrontation between the two blocs in the 
arenas. Therefore, Vietnam created its world. It solved the conflict between the 
legitimacy of the struggle. Vietnamese people and US imperialists, 
 Although China and the Soviet Union between socialist and capitalist regimes, as 
supported Vietnam hugely, they could not well as the dispute between the Soviet Union 
control Vietnam's military and political and China. This split turned Vietnam into a 
policies. Hanoi determined its internal and place to win the other's influence. Thus, 
foreign affairs itself. Vietnam became a focus of the struggle not 
 Since then, each war extended its only between the two blocs (capitalist and 
effects in various ways. The Vietnam War socialist) but also within the socialist camp. 
affected the non-aligned movements, However, the most significant difference 
receiving the support of people all over the between the Vietnam War and the Korean 
world. The Korean War did not have that War is the final outcome of this struggle. 
considerable influence. Despite being affected by the global Cold 
 This difference created a political War, the Vietnamese people successfully 
advantage for the Democratic Republic of united the country. It was a result of the 
Vietnam, placing the conflict between the Vietnamese determination and sacrifices, 
Vietnamese struggle and the United States from which the Vietnamese Communist 
interference on the top. Therefore, the goal Party conducted the right leadership leading 
of the war was to fight against the to the success. Meanwhile, the Korean War 
aggression, to raise a banner of national was one of the bloodiest clashes in modern 
liberation, thereby uniting people, history and strongly influenced by external 
including a large number of people living factors. The split of the Korean Peninsula 
in the southern part of Vietnam. continues, and the remnants of the Second 
 61 
Vietnam Social Sciences, No. 1 (195) - 2020 
World War and the confrontation between 5 Casualty figures have been widely disputed, the 
the two sides in the Cold War have so far best analysis can be found in Allan R. Millet, 
not been resolved. Therefore, the Korean “Casualties”, Encyclopedia of the Korean War. 
peninsula remains in a state of being 
divided into two states. This division is a 
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