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The Vietnam War

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  • 17-05-2012 10:55pm
    #1
    The Jammy dodger
    Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭


    Hey. Just got a Box set ( 6 Cd's ) of a documentary by HC in HMV today. I watched the first two DVD's so far. I've never known much about the Vietnam war and felt this would educate me. I would have always been on the Americans people side who were for peace and bringing the soldiers home.

    After watching the DVD's it seems like the pro-vietnam war guys were trying to say that the anti-war ( or peace movement ) going on in the states was destructive to them winning the war. Would you agree?

    Ho Chi Minh was a communist leader. And no... communism is not good in any part of the world. So do you think their was just reason to bring Ho Chi Minh down? or do you think the whole Vietnam war was a farce and that the peace movement in America were right in their stance to bring the American troops home?

    Was the Vietnam War a good one? 142 votes

    Yes!!! they were right to bring Ho Chi Minh down
    0% 0 votes
    No!!! No war is ever good and the American anti-war protest was a good movement
    26% 37 votes
    I dont know much about the Vietnam war to be able to vote
    73% 105 votes


«13456

Comments

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    #2
    LumpyGravy
    Registered Users Posts: 123 ✭✭LumpyGravy


    Are you for real?


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    #3
    sunflower27
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,822 ✭✭✭sunflower27


    I remember studying this in depth in High School. There was a lot of anti-US sentiment.

    It has often been said the reason the US lost the war is because they weren't wanted there.

    It is a tragic but fascinating part of history. To think America with all their might could be effectively run out of a small country like Vietnam.

    My father fought in Vietnam when he was 19/20.


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    #4
    Pottler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,073 ✭✭✭Pottler


    The Vietnamese are warm and hospitable people with a very nice nature. America loves being at war with someone. Go figure.


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    #5
    Immaculate Pasta
    Registered Users Posts: 1,663 ✭✭✭Immaculate Pasta


    Aye it was a cracking war alright :cool:

    A lot of good music came out of it, Apocalypse Now was a good film, some of the VietCong traps were top.

    One of the better wars definitely.


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    #6
    Larianne
    Registered Users Posts: 35,954 ✭✭✭✭Larianne


    The war museum in Ho Chi Minh City was amazing. Very, very sad and you come out hating America. I'd recommend anyone going to Vietnam to go there.

    I didn't know anything about Agent Orange. Actually, must do some more reading about it.


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    #7
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    The Americans lost the war for hearts and minds both in Vietnam and at home.

    However you feel about the war the achievement of the Vietnamese people is really quite incredible both against the French, Americans and Chinese.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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    #8
    eth0
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,635 ✭✭✭eth0


    Fecking Communist bastards.

    They should have given up on Vietnam and taken over China instead


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    #9
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    Jayzus OP, grab yourself a History book. The Vietnamese wanted all foreign rulers out of their country be they French or American. Just so happens the freedom fighters at the time were communist.
    A few million Vietnamese died due to the war, alot by American random bombings. About 60,000 Amercians died, a miniscule number when you think about all the media attention they attained.


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    #10
    flutterflye
    Registered Users Posts: 3,538 ✭✭✭flutterflye


    I watched 'The Deer Hunter' earlier, and now I'm watching 'Apocalypse Now' - both for the first time.
    Oh my god - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
    There are both so boring.
    That's probably not relevant, but I'm not quite sure how to answer whether I believe it to be "a good war" or not!


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    #11
    MrStuffins
    Registered Users Posts: 19,154 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    What?

    YOU WEREN'T THERE MAAAAAN!!!!!!!


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    #12
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    Nobody cared while the poor and unemployed Americans who could not get exemptions were sent to fight in the early years
    Of course there were professional servicemen[and women] already but draftees were needed too


    But as soon as they targeted middle class people and who planned to go to college the whole anti-war movement took off

    That movement was less about the war/peace and more about the self interest in not getting drafted


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    #13
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    flutterflye wrote: »
    I watched 'The Deer Hunter' earlier, and now I'm watching 'Apocalypse Now' - both for the first time.
    Oh my god - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
    There are both so boring.
    That's probably not relevant, but I'm not quite sure how to answer whether I believe it to be "a good war" or not!

    Jesus wept.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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    #14
    ChunkyLover_53
    Closed Accounts Posts: 901 ✭✭✭ChunkyLover_53


    "you smell that?"
    "smell what?"
    "trollin, son. Nothing in the world smells like that. I love the smell of trolling in after hours"


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    #15
    Lumbo
    Registered Users Posts: 2,113 ✭✭✭Lumbo


    There's lots of museums in Vietnam where they'll show you various ways how to kill Americans.

    They enjoyed beating the Yanks.


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    #16
    flutterflye
    Registered Users Posts: 3,538 ✭✭✭flutterflye


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    Jesus wept.

    Didn't expect it to be a popular opinion!!!
    I'm sticking with it though - both rubbish films.

    Re op - It just makes me think even less of the Americans tbh.


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    #17
    Where To
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    Where's the 'blame the French' option OP?


    So much you have to learn ;)


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    #18
    Pottler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,073 ✭✭✭Pottler


    If you want to know a bit about it, read about or visit the tunnels at Cu-Chi. Mind-blowing. I have an awful lot of admiration for the Vietnamese people, but really, they were beaten at the point that America withdrew due to public and political pressure-bombed, poisoned and blasted to the point of submission. Awful suffering inflicted on both sides but if you go there, there is no bitterness towards the west and the people are fantastic.


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    #19
    The Jammy dodger
    Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭The Jammy dodger


    MrStuffins wrote: »
    What?

    YOU WEREN'T THERE MAAAAAN!!!!!!!

    NEVER SAID I WAS MAAANNNN!!!!!! :pac::D


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    #20
    wallpaper12
    Closed Accounts Posts: 173 ✭✭wallpaper12


    sunflower27 wrote: »

    It is a tragic but fascinating part of history. To think America with all their might could be effectively run out of a small country like Vietnam.

    .
    A small country like Vietnam??? You clearly have never been there, its massive!

    One of the most fascinating things I have ever seen was in the war museum in Ho Chi Minh, it was a bunch of medals a GI had won during the war.
    He had sent them back to Vietnam with a note stating 'Sorry Vietnam, I was wrong'


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    #21
    sunflower27
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,822 ✭✭✭sunflower27


    I love the Deer Hunter. OK, the wedding scene at the start is waaaaaay too long, but a fantastic film regardless. Love it.

    I just can't get enough of De Niro :D Phwoar!


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    #22
    Johro
    Registered Users Posts: 4,705 ✭✭✭Johro


    Turn it up.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLpFMDmBo9s



    Ah, while I'm here...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyqNyjuTCuA


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    #23
    The_Thing
    Registered Users Posts: 1,017 ✭✭✭The_Thing


    A most excellent read for anyone who is interested - Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills


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    #24
    The Jammy dodger
    Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭The Jammy dodger


    ChunkyLover_53 wrote: »
    "you smell that?"
    "smell what?"
    "trollin, son. Nothing in the world smells like that. I love the smell of trolling in after hours"

    What makes you think I'm'a' Trollin son? :confused:


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    #25
    Corkfeen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,940 ✭✭✭Corkfeen


    Interesting fact. There was little to no prostitution industry in Vietnam until the Americans entered....

    But no, It was not a justified war to answer your question.


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    #26
    The Jammy dodger
    Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭The Jammy dodger


    mikemac1 wrote: »
    Nobody cared while the poor and unemployed Americans who could not get exemptions were sent to fight in the early years
    Of course there were professional servicemen[and women] already but draftees were needed too


    But as soon as they targeted middle class people and who planned to go to college the whole anti-war movement took off

    That movement was less about the war/peace and more about the self interest in not getting drafted

    Your post reminded me of one of my favourite bands from that era

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ScisGFllPY


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    #27
    sunflower27
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,822 ✭✭✭sunflower27


    wallpaper12 wrote: »
    A small country like Vietnam??? You clearly have never been there, its massive!

    One of the most fascinating things I have ever seen was in the war museum in Ho Chi Minh, it was a bunch of medals a GI had won during the war.
    He had sent them back to Vietnam with a note stating 'Sorry Vietnam, I was wrong'

    Sorry, I mean in terms of the size and might of America.

    Would love to see the museum there.

    My father never drank - ever. I remember him saying so many young men that went to war with him came back and drank themselves to death.


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    #28
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    The Jammy dodger wrote: »
    or do you think the whole Vietnam war was a farce

    It was. Nobody came out of it well. The US got itself involved in a civil conflict between clearly corrupt twats on one side in South Vietnam, and dirtbag communists in the North. Vietnam became the boxing ring for the US and various others (many neighbouring countries in the region) and communist prats USSR, China etc... and the biggest losers were the average Vietnamese on all sides.


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    #29
    Canis Lupus
    Registered Users Posts: 9,893 ✭✭✭Canis Lupus


    flutterflye wrote: »
    I watched 'The Deer Hunter' earlier, and now I'm watching 'Apocalypse Now' - both for the first time.
    Oh my god - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
    There are both so boring.
    That's probably not relevant, but I'm not quite sure how to answer whether I believe it to be "a good war" or not!

    Apoc Now... I was told it was the greatest Vietnam War movie ever made.... It's such a load of absolute bollix.


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    #30
    flutterflye
    Registered Users Posts: 3,538 ✭✭✭flutterflye


    Canis Lupus wrote: »
    Apoc Now... I was told it was the greatest Vietnam War movie ever made.... It's such a load of absolute bollix.

    The whole film is basically them sailing down a river!!


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    #31
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    flutterflye wrote: »
    Didn't expect it to be a popular opinion!!!
    I'm sticking with it though - both rubbish films.

    Re op - It just makes me think even less of the Americans tbh.


    Your opinion is just as valid as anyone else's even if it is stupid and wrong.

    Just as a matter of interest have you found any films on the Vietnam war that you did like, or any general films that you have enjoyed?

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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