Many Americans fought and died in Vietnam in a war that almost no one understood and many protested. In this book, the roots of the war are explored thousands of years before America joined the battle. It is necessary to examine these roots to get an idea of ​​what happened later during the war. Two thousand years ago, to be exact, China first invaded Vietnam. For centuries, the Chinese and Vietnamese fought for control of territory. During the short periods of freedom from the Chinese, the Vietnamese often fought among themselves to see who would be able to govern this part of Indochina. When the Vietnamese were finally freed from Chinese rule and enjoyed some neutrality among themselves, the French arrived to take control of this part of Indochina. on the nation as a colony for almost a century. During World War II, the Japanese conquered Vietnam and held it from the French for four years. Upon returning from France, at the end of the war, part of the Vietnamese people rebelled to free themselves from foreign leaders. The French-Vietnamese War ended in 1954 with a divided country. During this period, the United States became increasingly involved in the struggle, until Americans discovered that their country was in it for the long haul. Ten painful years passed before the American side of the war ended. This story is about the two thousand year war in Vietnam. By delving deeper into this past, we can better understand what happened to the Vietnamese, French and Americans who lived and died in Vietnam. The word “Vietnam” means many things to many people today. For many, this signifies a conflict that has received much attention for eight years of American life. For others, who fought there, it involves the friendships and heartaches of combat, or ...... middle of paper ...... to be able to fully understand what happened in Vietnam. The Vietnam War is not just a source of information. It’s also a story. It was a battle between Western technology and Eastern tolerance; between two different social systems; between the New World and the Third World. Within these battles lie countless horrific stories. Stories of political struggle, soldiers at war, and hometown protests against government actions in the United States and Vietnam. During the Second World War, most major events took place on the battlefield, in the presence of thousands of witnesses, soldiers and citizens. In Vietnam, these events took place either in the president's office in Washington or in Ho Chi Minh's office in Vietnam. We know a lot about what happened in Washington and almost nothing about the thought process in the city of Hanoi in Vietnam..