Primary
Vassar College

Vassar: Wars for Viet Nam: Mc Namara Report to Kennedy

For Students 9th - 10th
Text of memo recommending significant involvement by U.S. forces in Vietnam by one of the principal architects of the war, Robert S. McNamara.
Primary
Vassar College

Vassar.edu: Excerpts From Law 10/59, May 6, 1959

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpts of laws that Diem imposed on his people in Vietnam.
Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Vietnam Weapons of War

For Students 9th - 10th
This informative site clearly describes what each side had in its arsenal of weapons during the Vietnam War.
Website
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Jfk in History: Vietnam

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a brief description of the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
Website
Nations Online Project

Nations Online: Vietnam

For Students 9th - 10th
Offers a virtual destination guide and profile of the south-east Asian nation of Vietnam, background details, and numerous links to key information on the nation's culture, history, geography, economy, environment, population, news,...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Text Sets: The Vietnam War

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the most controversial proxy-wars of the Cold War was the Vietnam War. Lasting from 1955 to 1975, the North Vietnamese fought the South Vietnamese with the USSR's and America's respective support. This collection includes 9...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Vietnamization [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Richard Nixon claimed to have a secret plan to end the Vietnam War when he was campaigning for president in 1968. See what that secret plan was and read about how it extended the war by another four years and galvanized anti-war...
Website
BBC

Bbc: News: Country Profile: Vietnam

For Students 9th - 10th
BBC News presents a general overview on the south-east Asian country of Vietnam. Includes country facts, information on leaders and media, and links to a timeline of key events and recent news.
PPT
University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina: Vietnam War [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A presentation covering the history of the Vietnam War beginning with the war for independence from France when it was a French colony. Covers the Geneva Accord and the war between the North and the South and how America became involved....
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Vietnam War Facts

For Students 9th - 10th
Numerous detailed facts concerning the Vietnam War (November 1, 1955-April 30, 1975) that began during the Cold War era.
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Into the Quagmire

For Students 9th - 10th
Vietnam is one of the longest wars fought, spanning multiple decades and U.S. presidencies. In this article, students will learn about France's defeat at and withdrawal after Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Accords, and the policies of the...
Graphic
Ohio State University

E History: Maps and Images of the Vietnam War

For Students 9th - 10th
Select "Vietnam War" from the TOPIC drop-down menu to access maps and photographas which chronicle the Vietnam War. Shows how the war started with the French and how the North Vietnam conducted the war.
Article
US Department of State

U.s. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay outlining the events surrounding the surprise attacks launched by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces on U.S. and South Vietnamese militaries during the Tet holiday, 1968.
Handout
Other

Links to Primary Documents & Classified Transcripts

For Students 9th - 10th
Check out this page for a list of links to primary source documents regarding the last years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, many of which are declassified transcripts of conversations between Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: The Cold War for Kids: Vietnam War

For Students 4th - 8th
Kids learn the history of the Vietnam War during the Cold War. A fight between the communists of North Vietnam and the US supported South.
Website
University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin: South / Southeast Asia Guide

For Students 9th - 10th
A university site from the University of Wisconsin with numerous hyperlinks to issues and information on South and Southeast Asia.
Graphic
Other

Fall of Saigon

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides many personal accounts of the fall of Saigon from Marines involved in the evacuations. Pictures are also included.
PPT
Other

Fall of Saigon by u.s. Marines

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a look at this firsthand account of the final days a U.S. Marine spent in Saigon, before it fell to North Vietnam in 1975.
Handout
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Viet Cong Program, 1962

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Fordham University's Modern History Sourcebook provides the Viet Cong Party Program from 1962. Includes a list of ten goals that are to be accomplished by the people's revolutionary party of Vietnam.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Early Involvement

For Students 5th - 8th
The U.S. early involvement in Vietnam during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations consisted of military aid to the doomed South Vietnamese government. Read about Ho Chi Minh and his leadership of North Vietnam.
Primary
Vassar College

Vassar College: President Nixon's Speech on Cambodia

For Students 9th - 10th
Text of the speech made by President Richard Nixon on April 30, 1970 announcing attacks on the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.
Handout
Arlington Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery: Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
A general in the US Army, he supervised the closing stages of the Vietnam War. Williams instituted the program of "Vietnamization," which was designed to turn the running of the war over to the South Vietnamese.
Primary
Vassar College

Vassar: Eisenhower's Letter of Support to Ngo Dinh Diem

For Students 9th - 10th
Text of a letter sent from U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower to Diem.
Primary
Rutgers University

Rutgers Oral History Archive

For Students 9th - 10th
This archive records the personal experiences of the American men and women who served on the homefront and overseas during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Also offers resources on the men and women who...