Title: The Vietnam War (1945–1975): The Aftermath of the War | SparkNotes
Headings: The Vietnam War (1945–1975)
The Vietnam War (1945–1975)
History
The Aftermath of the War
Losses
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Vietnam and U.S. Society
Geopolitical Effects

Content: Those wounded in combat numbered tens of thousands more. The massive U.S. bombing of both North and South Vietnam left the country in ruins, and the U.S. Army’s use of herbicides such as Agent Orange not only devastated Vietnam’s natural environment but also caused widespread health problems that have persisted for decades. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
In July 1976 , the new unified Vietnam was officially reunited as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), with its capital at Hanoi. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City . Even though Vietnam had succeeded in evicting the United States, its military problems were not over. In neighboring Kampuchea (as Cambodia was now called), Communist dictator Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge forces began a reign of terror in the hope of creating a pre-industrial utopia, murdering around 2 million people in so-called “killing fields.” In 1978 , the SRV invaded Kampuchea to stop the Khmer Rouge. Although Vietnam’s invasion of Kampuchea put an end to the killing fields, China was threatened by Vietnam’s extension of influence in the region and began a border war with Vietnam. After decades of conflict, Vietnam found itself with the world’s fourth-largest army but one of the world’s poorest economies. In the late 1980 s and early 1990 s, it began to turn more toward capitalism and a liberal economy.