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: Vietnam and U.S. Society
By 1975 , Vietnam was off the Gallup Poll list of top issues in the United States. Aside from concern for remaining U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) still in Vietnam, Americans became less and less concerned with events within the country. Nonetheless, the war had lasting effects. Combined with the Watergate scandal, it inspired widespread public distrust of the U.S. government and made the military less popular, at least in the short term. The draft has not been used since. The Vietnam War also has played a large role in American popular culture, especially in film. Prominent films such as Taxi Driver ( 1976 ), Coming Home ( 1978 ), The Deer Hunter ( 1978 ), Apocalypse Now ( 1979 ), Platoon ( 1986 ), Full Metal Jacket ( 1987 ), and Born on the Fourth of July ( 1989 ) dealt with topics ranging from the brutality of the war itself to the difficulty of Vietnam veterans’ attempts to readjust to American society and cope with war trauma after returning to the United States. Geopolitical Effects
In 1975 , it appeared that the Vietnam War was a clear loss for the United States. But while much of Indochina did become Communist, validating the domino theory to an extent, the war left mostly psychological scars in the United States. It did not affect the United States’ status as a superpower, and though North Vietnam “won” the war, realizing Ho Chi Minh’s lifelong dream, Vietnam’s postwar period was filled with more fighting, poverty, and suffering for its people.