Why did the US invade Vietnam?

I never understood what was the real reason that led the USA to take that country by force.
I don't think it's only because of the communists since at that time there were many communist countries.
https://images.immediate.co.uk/produ...resize=980,654

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_theory

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy decided to conduct a “counterinsurgency operation” in South Vietnam to cope with a deteriorating military and political situation in the country. There were 16,000 US military personnel supporting the South Vietnamese Army in its struggle against a Communist insurgency in 1963, the last year of his presidency. After Kennedy’s death, his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson acted to escalate US involvement in the war, sending tens of thousands of ground troops to South Vietnam from the United States. Most historians see this as a major mistake made by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Proxy war, also known as "the war on cheap". But the US sent their troops, because of lower nuclear war danger.

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What is the significance of the proxy wars?

As both the United States and the Soviet Union possessed extensive nuclear capabilities, their respective geopolitical goals needed to be achieved without direct confrontation. Thus it became necessary to conduct the Cold War to a large extent through proxy states. As well as potentially avoiding the dangers of nuclear armageddon, this strategy enabled the United States and the USSR to advance their ideological agendas. The United States could, through developing relations with their proxy states, allow the opening up of new markets to American industry. Such partners could take various forms, whether they were military dictatorships in Latin America or European liberal democracies.

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North Vietname being the proxy of the USSR and the southern Vitenam being America`s, and Vietnam was small enough to be a safe proxy for both big nations without the danger of direct nuclear conflicts with each other(where Australia or Canada are too big to be a proxy). A proxy war that turned into semi-proxy when the USA directly sent their troops, but still by nature a proxy war meant for and by the USSR and China and the USA. And the US fought Vietname because the USSR and US and China needed this war(to reconcile with each other), China and Russia did not have to sent military because of geopolitical advantages and they fully exploited this advantage and won.

Smaller countries should beware not to be made into such convenient proxies by either sides.

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Originally Posted by sailormoon

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy decided to conduct a “counterinsurgency operation” in South Vietnam to cope with a deteriorating military and political situation in the country. There were 16,000 US military personnel supporting the South Vietnamese Army in its struggle against a Communist insurgency in 1963, the last year of his presidency. After Kennedy’s death, his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson acted to escalate US involvement in the war, sending tens of thousands of ground troops to South Vietnam from the United States. Most historians see this as a major mistake made by Lyndon B. Johnson.

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In the end, the American intervention did not change much, the situation did not end better than how it had started.

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Originally Posted by Hexachordia

Proxy war, also known as "the war on cheap". But the US sent their troops, because of lower nuclear war danger.



North Vietname being the proxy of the USSR and the southern Vitenam being America`s, and Vietnam was small enough to be a safe proxy for both big nations without the danger of direct nuclear conflicts with each other(where Australia or Canada are too big to be a proxy). A proxy war that turned into semi-proxy when the USA directly sent their troops, but still by nature a proxy war meant for and by the USSR and China and the USA. And the US fought Vietname because the USSR and US and China needed this war(to reconcile with each other), China and Russia did not have to sent military because of geopolitical advantages and they fully exploited this advantage and won.

Smaller countries should beware not to be made into such convenient proxies by either sides.

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Vietnam, the Koreas, Germany itself, among other countries, were the scenes of the proxy war between the USA and the USSR.

Double

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Originally Posted by Ruggery

In the end, the American intervention did not change much, the situation did not end better than how it had started.

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America likes to ostensibly claim they are not Empire, such as the British empire, but is an empire but it is more covert or what we could term : a "covert empire".

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Originally Posted by SuperLimey

America likes to ostensibly claim they are not Empire, such as the British empire, but is an empire but it is more covert or what we could term : a "covert empire".

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I think that currently no one can deny that the USA is an empire or at least behaves like one.

To reduce commie influence in Asia.