The resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation is the greatest event in the Vietnam history of fighting against foreign invaders for national independence and freedom in the 20^th century. That was a historic clash between Vietnam - a small, underdeveloped country and the U.S - the top military and economic imperialist. In that 21-year war with numerous hardships and sacrifice, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, our people successively defeated the US war strategies and advanced towards a comprehensive victory in the historic Spring of 1975. That revolutionary achievement is the result of a combination of a series of factors, of which the following ones are the most notable:

First and foremost are the Party’s clear-sighted political, military guidelines and methods to conduct the struggle. By analyzing and assessing the situation in all aspects, particularly the situation at home and abroad, the Party set out the guidelines to synchronously carry out two revolutionary strategies, namely the people’s democratic revolution in the South and the socialist revolution in the North, holding the national independence and socialism flag.

Young people of Hanoi in the war against the U.S. (File photo)

With those relevant strategic guidelines and by assessing situation of the South revolution, our Party timely mapped out plans for each revolutionary period, leading to greater and greater successes of our armed forces and people. Implementing the Resolution of the 15^th Party Central Committee (2^nd tenure) and the Resolution of the 8^th National Party Congress (1960), the revolutionary course in the South shifted from conservation of its strength to offensive, and defeated the US Staley Taylor Plan. The Resolution of the 14^th Party Central Committee (3^rd tenure) led the 1968 Tet Offensive to success, breaking down the strategy of “Local War”. Notably, the Politburo Meetings held in October 1974 and early 1975 timely made an exact evaluation of our  and  enemy’s strength, clearly identified the appearance of historical opportunity, adopted plans, and made a resolution to completely liberate the South. Realizing that resolution, our armed forces and people launched the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising and gained a comprehensive victory.

Second, conducting all-people, comprehensive war created combined strength to gain victory. Facing an outweighed military and economic power, our Party held the guideline of conducting a people’s war, and clearly identified methods to carry out it, ensuring the development of strength of our army, gaining and firmly maintaining the strategic initiatives, accelerating the resistance war to victory.

Together with conducting an all-people, comprehensive war to force the enemy to strain itself to deal with, our Party attached great importance to focusing strength on key positions when conducting operations to defeat the enemy. Reality in the war proved that it is inevitable to conduct military operations, and only by gaining victories in battles could defeat the enemy’s strategies, promote the anti-war movement of the American people and people around the world.

It was our military operations that broke down the enemy’s offensives and counterattacks, defeated the US war strategies in Vietnam, at the same time fostered political struggle, and facilitated diplomatic struggle. The people’s war was conducted by a close, harmonious combination of struggle in aspects with military operations played a key role in creating synergy to gain victory in that war.

Third, judiciously handling the relationships between strategic rear and on-the-spot rear, between internal rear and external rear. Our Party attached utmost importance to the role of rears, including strategic rear of the North and direct rear of the South, in which the former played a decisive role. Notably, since 1965, the 11^th Meeting of the Central Party Committee affirmed: while fighting the U.S., for national salvation is the most important task of the entire Party, the army and the people, the North brought into play pre-eminence of the socialist regime, generating strength to ensure the big rear’s capability to build up and defend itself while mobilizing personnel and material resources to support the South in the war against the U.S.

Besides, the formation and development of on-the-spot rear was closely linked with the development of the South revolution. It was the close relations and the harmonious management of the relationship between strategic rear and on-the-spot rear, the firm maintenance of transport system, especially the increased strength of the North that accelerated the development of the South revolution. In return, each victory of the South helped protect the socialist regime in the North, encouraging the army and the people of the North to surmount hardships and sacrifice for the cause of the Homeland reunification.

Despite the fact that more than 40 years elapsed, the decisive factors to the victory in the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation remain valuable and should be studied and reviewed to apply into the cause of national protection in the new situation.

Senior Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Cong Thuc

Vietnam Institute for Military History