The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was a military conflict between North Vietnam (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Vietnam (supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, and several other US allies). It is often described as a proxy war of the Cold War era. It ended with the capture of Saigon, the country’s capital, by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975. The Vietnam War claimed millions of lives. It resulted in the reunification of Vietnam under a communist government and communist prevalence in neighboring Laos and Cambodia. In the United States, which lost more than 50,000 soldiers in the war, mass anti-war protests broke out during the last stage of the conflict.
