Vietcong Tactics
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.3.6
Vietcong Tactics
Guerrilla warfare, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, tunnels and booby traps were the main Vietcong tactics.
Guerrilla warfare
- Guerrilla warfare is when fighters avoid open battles and instead ambush their enemies.
- It was used due to small size of VC compared to USA.
- It was hard for the ARVN and USA to fight back because the VC blended into villages as they wore no uniform.
- Ambush attacks, infiltrated US army bases/cities and laid traps.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
- A 600-mile trail through Laos and Cambodia used to provide supplies from North/China for attacks in South.
- The USA couldn’t stop it as goes through other countries, and they wouldn’t declare war on them.
Tunnels
- The VC used tunnels as bases and ambush spots.
- They contained hospitals, storage and weapons and allowed the VC to move unseen across 400km of South Vietnam.
- The US couldn’t fit in the tunnels to destroy them, so simply destroyed any entrances they found.
Booby Traps
- Examples of VC traps would be Punji sticks covered in excrement or Bouncing Betty mines laid by women and children.
- 19% of US casualties were caused by traps.
Test yourself on Vietcong Tactics
What were the main Vietcong tactics?
What percentage of US casualties were caused by traps?