The Vietnam War, also known in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America, has its roots in French Colonial rule. This drawn-out war was fought in the shadow of the Cold War. Fearing the spread of communism, the United States allied with the South Vietnamese State to fight an independence movement driven by communist North Vietnam and the Viet Mihn, led by Ho Chi Minh. More than three million people were killed, with more than 25 per cent of the dead being civilians.

The human costs of the conflict were severe. When released in 1995, the same year that marked the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Vietnam estimated that as many as 2 million civilians had died on both sides. Despite its staggering losses, Vietnam emerged from the war as a Southeast Asian military power. However, its industries were harshly affected, with large areas of its countryside damaged and strewn with land mines. For the United States, the war had been its longest and most controversial.