The Peace Treaty between the United States and Hanoi

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The Peace treaty signed by the United States and Hanoi did not mean an end to conflict in Vietnam. The Republic of Vietnam, as Nixon saw it, was still the sole legitimate government in South Vietnam. The president of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu, even reiterated his four no’s policy soon after the Paris peace agreement. This policy called for “No recognition of the enemy, no coalition government under any disguise, no procommunist of the southern region of Vietnam, and no concession of territory to the communists.” Thus the war did not end in 1973. The war from 1973 was their war, not America’s. It was a war fought between Vietnamese and not Americans, although America still had a hand in this war.
Thieu began to defy the Paris Peace Agreement shortly after it was signed. Thieu broke the cease-fire by bombing the Joint Military Commissions teams that were in the countryside mapping respective zones. This was a requirement of the Paris peace agreement. Thieu also broke the cease-fire by launching offensives against PRG (Provisional Revolutionary Government) zones. Thieu believed that the presence of North Vietnamese troops “relieved him of any obligation to honor the cease-fire agreements.” Thieu implemented economic blockades to regions that were under PRG control. History looked to be repeating itself. The Geneva Agreements were ignored and it was looking like the Paris peace agreements would be ignored too. The PRG and DRV (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) wanted to give peace a chance and not continue the military war. The DRV then imposed the Five Forbids. The Five Forbids banned both the PRG and DRV military to attack the enemy, to attack the enemy carrying out land grab operations, to surround outposts, to shell outpos...

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...ere was even an American air strike against “a convoy of North Vietnamese mobile missiles.” Tran Van Huong replaced Thieu as president, but that was short lived. Duong Van Minh, who was president earlier in the South Vietnamese government, became president of the Republic of Vietnam on April 28th, 1975. Minh’s presidency was short lived too, as he ordered cease-fire on April 30th.
Hanoi quickly moved into the south to appoint officials and re-organize society. Northern and southern Vietnam had been separated for thirty years. The period of 1973-1975 was “their war”, not America’s war in Vietnam. This war was fought between Vietnamese. The United States was involved monetarily, but for the most part, this war was fought between North Vietnam vs. South Vietnam. North Vietnam won and the war was over. Vietnam had finally been reunited after many bloody years of war.

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