REVOLUTIONARY WAR IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM 1954-1975: A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The War of Liberation in Southern Vietnam, known in Western scholarship as the Vietnam War and in Vietnamese historical records as the Anti-American Resistance War for National Salvation, stands as one of the most protracted and fierce armed conflicts of the 20th century. Spanning from 1954 to 1975, this war not only reshaped the political landscape of Southeast Asia but also profoundly impacted the foreign policies of global powers and the principles of worldwide military thought. The complexity of this conflict lies not merely in its scale and military intensity but also in the profundity of non-military factors, particularly culture, which played a pivotal role in shaping its trajectory and outcome. While numerous in-depth studies have explored the Vietnam War from diverse angles military, economic, political, and diplomatic approaching and analyzing this war through a cultural lens remains a field with great potential, requiring deeper exploration. This research endeavors to re-contextualize and analyze “The Revolutionary War in Southern Vietnam 1954-1975” through a “cultural perspective”, thereby illuminating the role, influence, and interplay of spiritual cultural values in the Vietnamese people's struggle for independence and national reunification.