The Vietnam War began in December 1956 and ended in April 1975. Initially, the war was between North Vietnam and South Vietnam , but they were both allies. North Vietnam's allies were the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies, while South Vietnam's allies were anti-communist countries like the United States. The United States enters the war and seeks help from the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN). Despite the United States' collaboration with the ARVN, the latter were constantly demeaned and not recognized for their contributions. Therefore, because the United States failed to work effectively with the ARVN, it may have cost it the war. In other words, if the United States had collaborated appropriately with the ARVN and learned to trust them with their weapons and help them economically, the war might have ended differently. Before 1945, Vietnam had already experienced years of dynastic regimes, monarchies and power grabs. and ruled by the French and occupied by the Japanese. Slowly, the French invaded Vietnam and were able to take control of the provinces of Vietnam. After the August Revolution and the end of the First Indochina War in 1954, the Geneva Accords summarily divided the country along the 17th parallel, with Ho Chi Minh and his group occupying the north and a French puppet government in the south (who would later be ousted when Ngo Dinh Diem, supported by the United States, established his regime, the Republic of Vietnam). The National Liberation Front, led by southern dissidents, was created in 1959 to oppose the Diem government. Diem's ​​actions regarding negotiations with North Vietnam over the withdrawal of American influence and eventual reunification led to a US-backed coup in 1963. This resulted in a series of military dictators ...... middle of paper ......, RC (2006). ARVN: Life and death in the South Vietnamese army. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Hoobler, D. and Hoobler, T. (1990). Vietnam, why we fought: an illustrated history. New York, NY: Knopf. Huei, P.Y. (2006). Beginning of the end: ARVN and Vietnamization (1969-1972). Small Wars and Insurgencies, 17(3), 2-25. doi:10.1080/09592310600671620Marr, D.G. (1995). Vietnam 1945: The quest for power. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Nguyen, B.V. (October 13, 1996). INTERVIEW. Retrieved from http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/arvn/interview.html Sobel, L.A. (1966). South Vietnam: American-Communist confrontation in Southeast Asia, 1961-65. New York, NY: Facts on the Case. Westheider, J.E. (Ed.). (2007). The Vietnam War. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Young, M. B. (1991). The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990. New York, New York: HarperCollins.