Why the Americans Lost the Vietnam War?

Why the Americans lost the Vietnam War?
U.S Soldiers
• Low morale- in the beginning there were top quality, professional soldiers. By the end of the war they were relying on conscripts. Also, by 1968, it was publically known that Johnson didn’t want to continue the war therefore the soldiers didn’t believe in what they were fighting for.
• Booby traps- The Vietcong had used very tactical methods. Bungee sticks were common, trip wires were a constant threat to American soldiers. They didn’t know when it was going to happen therefore they felt continuously under pressure.
• Weather- the weather was hot, humid and rainy. It was unusual weather for the soldiers and made it hard for them to fight to the best of their ability.
• Insects- the soldiers were continuously being bitten. There were leeches, mosquitoes etc. This was a de-motivator and also led to soldiers being ill a lot.
• Jungle- The jungles were very dense which meant the soldiers couldn’t see anything which made it very hard for them to fight.
• Leadership- young, inexperienced soldiers were trying to boss well experienced, old officers.
• Fragging- fragging began due to the young, inexperienced soldiers trying to boss the well experienced officers. During the night, they would throw attack the tent, killing the officers.
• One or two year conscripts- The conscripts arrived inexperienced however during their term they would learn the skills and so they would get good at fighting, and then leave.
• Contrast between the comfort of base and the harshness of the jungle- the bases were comfy, air-conditioned, had volleyball courts, swimming pools, game rooms, supermarkets and everything they wanted. When they were forced to go into the jungle they were de-motivated and weren’t used to the harshness.
• Snipers- The American soldiers didn’t know who they were going to get, they would walk around until they found someone to kill.
• Casualties- The Americans were unwilling to sustain high casualties...