Conflict in Asia: Indo-China under Ho Chi-Minh in the North and Diem in…

The idea

Following the Geneva Accords, Indo-China was divided into a communist North led by Ho Chi-Minh and a capitalist South governed by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem’s corrupt, nepotistic regime alienated the Southern population, prompting the formation of the NLF in 1960 to wage a guerrilla insurgency. Viewing Vietnam through the lens of the Domino Theory, Kennedy’s policies towards Indo-China escalated US involvement by increasing financial aid and deploying thousands of military advisors. However, Diem’s continued unpopularity, exacerbated by the 1963 Buddhist Crisis, made him a liability. In 1963, with tacit US approval, a military coup resulted in Diem's assassination, deepening American entanglement in the conflict in Asia.

What earns the marks

• Contrast the political and social structures of Indo-China under Ho Chi-Minh in the North with Ngo Dinh Diem in the South.
• Analyse the domestic factors in South Vietnam that led to the formation of the NLF in 1960.
• Evaluate Kennedy's policies towards Indo-China, including his application of the Domino Theory and strategy of 'Flexible Response'.
• Assess the impact of the 1963 Buddhist Crisis and Diem's authoritarian policies on US-South Vietnamese relations.
• Examine the circumstances surrounding Diem's assassination in 1963 and its consequences for subsequent US policy in Vietnam.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Claiming Kennedy sent combat troops to Vietnam.

  Put it right by specifying he sent military advisors and financial aid, whereas Johnson later deployed ground combat troops.

• Equating the NLF entirely with the North Vietnamese Army.

  Put it right by defining the NLF (Viet Cong) as a broad-based Southern insurgent coalition, albeit supported and directed by the North.

• Stating that the persecution of Buddhists caused the formation of the NLF.

  Put it right: The NLF was formed in 1960 due to Diem's broader authoritarianism, while the major Buddhist Crisis occurred later in 1963.

Exam tips

• Analyse Kennedy's policies towards Indo-China as a transitional phase between Eisenhower's initial support and Johnson's full-scale military escalation.
• Use the formation of the NLF to demonstrate how Diem's domestic failures directly fuelled the communist insurgency in the South.
• Evaluate Diem's assassination as a turning point that inadvertently increased US responsibility for the survival of South Vietnam.