[signatoremo]

The most important objective was achieved — preventing the expansion of the communism block to other countries. Vietnam today is a market economy, the country is communist in name only.

Also, please try to Vietnam. The US is very favorably perceived, more than China or Russia, although probably below European countries.

In the sense, the US lost the war, but won in the end, at a very steep price, of course

[otherme123]

Sure! USA won a lot of wars just by not fighting: spreading wealth and culture via commerce is a far more effective way to _conquer_ countries than obliterating them.

And USA defeated the whole communist block using the same weapons. Also, don't dismiss tourism as a _weapon_: it's would be more effective to send millions of frienly tourists to Cuba than to embargoe them for decades.

But that's disgressing. Vietnam was only used as a sample of strategic millitary defeat albeit losing less people. I don't think anyone in the Whitehouse has planned the vietnamese frienship ahead.

[actuator]

It wasn't the US's intervention that succeeded in making it a "non communist" state, so the US failed in its objectives. Just because eventually Vietnam itself decided what path it wants to take doesn't mean, it was because of US.

US is perceived more favourably than China because their war with China was more recent and they have active disputes with PRC threatening island territories in South China sea.

Moreover, US has massive influence in terms of their media and their brands, something which China still doesn't match. Same reason even South Korea has massive appeal in Vietnam.

[NoboruWataya]

> Vietnam today is a market economy, the country is communist in name only.

This has nothing to do with US intervention. China is also a market economy, the US never won a war there.