Category Archives: Ho Chi Minh Trail

An American Who Has Helped Clear 815,000 Bombs From Vietnam

Posted on March 16, 2024 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Chuck Searcy, 79, co-founder of a group that works to deactivate unexploded bombs in Vietnam, a legacy of the war. He stood next to deactivated ordnance in Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province, last month.  NY Times, March 15, 2024: … Continue reading →

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Henry Kissinger and the Vietnam War

Posted on November 30, 2023 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“American diplomat Henry Kissinger (1923–2023) played an important and controversial role in the Vietnam War. Starting out as a supporter, Kissinger came to see it as a drag on American power. In 1968, Kissinger leaked information about the status of the peace talks in … Continue reading →

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The Secret War That Transformed the CIA

Posted on December 1, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

American helicopters land at Khe Sanh base, on the Laos border on February 1, 1971. “If you work at it, you can make a case that Americans fought on the right side in Vietnam. There is an argument — not … Continue reading →

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“The Idiocy of War”

Posted on June 21, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Chinook helicopter C.J. Hughes – Aug. 2017: “Long, unpopular and ultimately a failure, the Vietnam War remained so controversial after it ended that many veterans were loath to discuss their combat experiences in the conflict for decades—even among close family … Continue reading →

Posted in Draft board, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Lyn. Johnson, Marijuana, R. McNamara, Saigon, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Smithsonian: Revolutionary Road

Posted on March 25, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Where thousands of soldiers ferried supplies toward the front, a new road swings through Quang Tri Province “The old Ho Chi Minh trail passes right by Bui Thi Duyen’s doorstep in the hamlet of Doi. The hamlet, quiet and isolated, … Continue reading →

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The Vietnam War Was Already Lost, but I Had to Go Anyway

Posted on July 12, 2019 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Incoming troops at the Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. June 1969 “In the summer of 1969, the first American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. Their war was over, but mine was just beginning. The previous November, Richard M. Nixon … Continue reading →

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Sihanouk Trail

Posted on March 23, 2019 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Map of the Communist forces in South Vietnam, 1964, showing areas controlled by the Viet Cong and the Ho Chi Minh trail that brought reinforcements from the North. “The Sihanouk Trail was a logistical supply system in Cambodia used by … Continue reading →

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Revolutionary monument to CIA’s fall in Laos

Posted on November 2, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Air America helicopters land on top of Phou Pha Thi mountain during the US’ ‘secret war’ in Laos. “Half a century after North Vietnamese sappers scaled sheer 200-meter cliffs in the dead of night to overrun a strategic US Air … Continue reading →

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CIA activities in Laos

Posted on September 4, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Vietnamese soldiers in Laos “CIA activities in Laos started in the 1950s. In 1959, U.S. Special Forces began to train some Laotian soldiers in unconventional warfare techniques as early as the fall of 1959 under the code name Erawan. Under … Continue reading →

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Robert McNamara and the Ghosts of Vietnam

Posted on July 24, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“Not long after dawn, Robert S. McNamara set out on a rapid walk through the half-light of Hanoi. A steamy drizzle soon soaked his dark blue jogging shorts and shirt. He stared intently ahead, barely glancing at the Vietnamese along … Continue reading →

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The Vietnam War Is Over. The Bombs Remain.

Posted on July 10, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Bombs, Agent Orange and the Lethal Legacy of Bombs in Quang Tri “Shading my eyes from the bright sun, I stared into the bomb crater amid the verdant rice paddies. While it had been nearly 50 years since the last … Continue reading →

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The American Who Predicted Tet

Posted on June 8, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Tet offensive, which began 50 years ago today and is remembered as the turning point of the Vietnam War, caught Americans by surprise. One of the few who saw what was coming was Edward Lansdale, the legendary covert operative … Continue reading →

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Võ Nguyên Giáp

Posted on May 29, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“Võ Nguyên Giáp (Vietnamese: [vɔ̌ˀ ŋʷīən zǎːp]; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general in the Vietnam People’s Army and a politician. Võ Nguyên Giáp is considered one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Hanoi, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Laotian Civil War

Posted on April 30, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Laos became drawn into the Vietnam War primarily because the North Vietnamese began moving men and supplies through Laos as part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The photograph was dated March 18, 1970. “The Laotian Civil War (1953–75) was … Continue reading →

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What Went Wrong in Vietnam – New Yorker

Posted on February 27, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

In Lansdale’s counter-insurgency approach, soldiers were fighters but also salesmen. (Audio) “For almost thirty years, by means financial, military, and diplomatic, the United States tried to prevent Vietnam from becoming a Communist state. Millions died in that struggle. By the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cambodia, CIA, Cuban Revolution, Hanoi, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Rob. Kennedy, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cambodian Civil War

Posted on February 24, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Cambodian Civil War (Khmer: សង្គ្រាមស៊ីវិលកម្ពុជា) was a military conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge) and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Viet Cong against … Continue reading →

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Hue Prepared for a Holiday, Then the War Came

Posted on February 10, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Many civilians were driven from their homes during street fighting in the ancient city of Hue in February 1968.  “During the early days of January 1968, the 150,000 residents of Hue, like all Vietnamese, began preparations for their biggest event … Continue reading →

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The Story of the Tet Offensive

Posted on January 31, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“At the end of January, the media will commemorate the fifty-year anniversary of one of the Vietnam War’s most pivotal moments: the Tet Offensive. On January 30, 1968, the combined forces of the Viet Cong, the People’s Liberation Armed Forces … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, Cambodia, Cronkite, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, NVA, R. McNamara, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Snake-Eaters and the Yards

Posted on January 28, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

An American officer sits with a group of Montagnards in a military camp in central Vietnam in 1962. “In 1965, syndicated columnists Rowland Evans and Robert Novak used a frontier metaphor to describe the American Special Forces’ advisory role with … Continue reading →

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The Laos Crisis, 1960–1963

Posted on January 2, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The first foreign policy crisis faced by President-elect John F. Kennedy was not centered in Berlin, nor in Cuba, nor in the islands off the Chinese mainland, nor in Vietnam, nor in any of the better-known hot spots of the … Continue reading →

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Was It Legal for the U.S. to Bomb Cambodia?

Posted on December 13, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

South Vietnamese marines rushed to the American Army helicopter after a sweep east of the Cambodian town of Prey-Veng during the Vietnam War. “Is it acceptable to engage an enemy on the territory of a third country? It’s a question … Continue reading →

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The Laotian Fragments – John Clark Pratt (1974)

Posted on November 11, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

John Clark Pratt: “After my long, long year (1969-70) at war (first in Vietnam, then in Thailand flying combat missions into Laos and writing official Air Force histories about the ‘secret war’), I vowed to put the experience behind me. … Continue reading →

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Battle of Huế

Posted on November 4, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Battle of Huế (also called the Siege of Huế), was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War. In February 1968, in the South Vietnamese city of Huế, 11 battalions of the Army of the Republic … Continue reading →

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Hồ Chí Minh Trail

Posted on October 8, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Hồ Chí Minh trail (also known in Vietnam as the ‘Trường Sơn trail’) was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) through the kingdoms of Laos … Continue reading →

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A broken promise and ‘the butcher’: Ex-envoy laments U.S. handover of Cambodia

Posted on October 2, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“PARIS – Twelve helicopters, bristling with guns and U.S. Marines, breached the morning horizon and began a daring descent toward Cambodia’s besieged capital. The Americans were rushing in to save them, residents watching the aerial armada believed. But at the … Continue reading →

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The Vietnam War Is Not Over

Posted on September 27, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Marines marching in Danang, Vietnam, March 15, 1965 “‘The Vietnam War’ Ken Burns says in a recent interview, ‘was the most important event in American history since World War II.’ But, he explains, it’s also an event that tore the … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, Cambodia, Documentary, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, My Lai, Napalm, Nixon, NVA, R. McNamara, Rob. Kennedy, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War, Weather Underground | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Not to ‘Win Hearts and Minds’

Posted on September 26, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

A U.S. infantryman moving Vietnamese civilians from their village northwest of Saigon to protect them during a firefight with Viet Cong snipers. “From the early stages of the Vietnam War, American officials insisted that winning the hearts and minds (yes, … Continue reading →

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Battle of Lang Vei

Posted on September 17, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Battle of Lang Vei (Vietnamese: Trận Làng Vây) began on the evening of 6 February and concluded during the early hours of 7 February 1968, in Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam. Towards the end of 1967 the 198th Tank … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, Cambodia, CIA, Cronkite, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Michael Herr, NVA, R. McNamara, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What was happening in Cambodia during the Vietnam war?

Posted on September 3, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Child soldier loyal to the Cambodian government standing next to his foxhole. “Cambodia was having it’s own civil war that very closely tied with the Vietnam War. It was fought between the pro American military dictator Lon Nol and the … Continue reading →

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Attack on Camp Holloway

Posted on August 14, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Pleiku area and Engineer Hill “The attack on Camp Holloway occurred during the early hours of February 7, 1965, in the early stages of the Vietnam War. Camp Holloway was a helicopter facility constructed by the United States Army near … Continue reading →

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Blood Road (2017)

Posted on July 25, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“Halfway along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Rebecca Rusch finally learned to slow down. The now 48-year-old endurance mountain biker had come to Southeast Asia in February 2015 to find her father, who had disappeared near the end of the … Continue reading →

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Battle of Kontum

Posted on July 24, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The lead-up to the Battle of Kontum began in mid-1971, when North Vietnam decided that its victory in Operation Lam Son 719 indicated that the time had come for large-scale conventional offensives that could end the war quickly. The resulting … Continue reading →

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Search and Destroy

Posted on July 20, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Burning Vietcong Base Camp My Tho “Search and Destroy, Seek and Destroy, or even simply S&D, refers to a military strategy that became a large component of the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground … Continue reading →

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Vietnamizing the War (1968–1973), Cambodia and Laos

Posted on July 20, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“By Christmas 1969, American troops were being withdrawn under President Nixon’s policy of having more of the ground fighting transferred to the South Vietnamese army. That year as many as 4000 South Vietnamese soldiers were being killed every week. The … Continue reading →

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Vietnam A Television History: Tet 1968

Posted on July 16, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The year 1968 was to be a new year for US efforts in Vietnam. Reports from the Embassy said that they were winning the ground war but American TV reports were showing a different picture altogether. The Tet offensive showed … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Lyn. Johnson, Napalm, NVA, R. McNamara, Rob. Kennedy, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

America’s Enemy: 1957-1967

Posted on July 10, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

A strategic air command B-52 bomber with externally mounted, 750-pound bombs heads toward its target about 56 miles northwest of Saigon near Tay Ninh on November 2, 1965. “… The first years of involvement by US combat troops is seen … Continue reading →

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The Women Who Fought for Hanoi

Posted on June 8, 2017 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Nguyen Thi Hoa “Thirty-six years after she last took aim with her AK-47 assault rifle, Ngo Thi Thuong’s phone rang. Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, who had led the North Vietnamese military during the Vietnam War, was looking for the woman … Continue reading →

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