The Vietnam War was a long and rather costly armed conflict involving the communist North Vietnamese regime known as the Viet Cong, South Vietnam, and the United States. The war began in 1954, although the area had been in conflict since the mid-1940s after North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and his political party; The Viet Minh took power during the Cold War. During the growing standoff between the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union; and at the end of the Red Scare, the United States attempted to stop the spread of communism. The Vietnam War was never officially declared a war by Congress, but rather considered a “conflict.” The “Conflict” began as a “proxy war” under Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, but fully escalated under Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. Although the American people wanted to end the spread of communism, the Vietnam War received great opposition in the United States, along with tons of media coverage and journalists reporting on the war. Unfortunately the Vietnam War was perceived as a failure due to many contributing factors, such as the numerous unnecessary casualties inflicted by both sides (History.com). During World War II, Japan occupied Vietnam, a nation that had previously been under French administration. Influenced by Chinese and Soviet communism, Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet Minh to fight against the French colonial administration and captured the capital Hanoi after the retreat of the Japanese and declared himself president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (History.com). Wishing to gain control of the region, the French supported the Vietnamese emperor Bao Dai and founded the state of South Vietnam with Saigon as its capital. After years of armed conflict, the Viet Minh... in the center of the card... opponents of the war, who considered them murderers, and supporters, who accused them of having lost the war. The veteran also began reporting post-traumatic stress disorder and turned to drugs and alcohol to help him. The Vietnam War left a stain on America's past with approximately 58,000 American soldiers dead or missing during the war (History.com). Works Cited "55d. The anti-war movement". United States History Textbook (n.d.): 55-60.Abernathy, Ralph. "The Vietnam War." The Sixties in America. Hackensack, New Jersey: Salem Press, March 1999. 753-755.History.com. 2009. 03 April 2014 .Library of Congress Catalog Record. The World Book Yearbook. Chicago: Chicago, World Book - Childcraft International, 1962-.Pendergast, Tom. "The Anti-War Movement". The Sixties in America Primary sources. Thomson Gale, n.d.