Within the context of cold war conflict in Vietnam, the series of US presidents tried to support south Vietnam to make their military commitment grow. Under the regime of John F. Kennedy, there was assistance to southern Vietnam with of jet fighters, helicopters, river patrol boats, the reinforced personnel carriers. Besides, president J.F Kennedy authorized the use of napalm and defoliants like the Agent Orange. The case was similar to that of President Dien Bien Phu who supplied the nuclear weapons to push airstrikes and make French to suffer the catastrophic defeat. Under the regime of President Lyndon Johnson, there was recognition of the Vietnamese government approach of collapse. Therefore, the President sent the combat US troops into the battle during the early years of 1965, where they were authorized to carry out the massive bombing (Powaski 2017, pp. 69 – 73). It was named as operation Rolling Thunder which was designed to continue for several years. On the other hand, President Richard Nixon carried the process of gradual Vietnamization (withdrawing American troops from war). However, he intensified the conflict through approving private secret bombing of neighbouring Cambodia in the year 1969. It was a plan of disrupting North Vietnamese supplies and also aimed at the destruction of camps of Viet Cong.
The war ended under the regime of President Nixon in 1973 when there was heating up of Watergate scandal. It was ended under the philosophy of “peace with honour” which came with other costs (Powaski 2017, p.113). The expenses were the mighty air battle thrashing the cities of North Vietnamese with approximately 36,000.0 tons of bombing.
Ho Chin Minh can be described as a communist who used nationalism as a way of taking power. When Ho Chin Minh attained the power, the European countries were already decolonizing, and indeed Vietnam would have followed. One aspect Hon Chi Minh was afraid of is French getting away with their actions and that why he presented himself the freedom fighter. Indeed he wanted Vietnam to believe that he was fighting for independence and freedom from oppression.