From Wikipedia:
In the early 1950s, the Communist government in North Vietnam launched a land reform program, which, according to Steven Rosefielde, was “aimed at exterminating class enemies.” Victims were chosen in an arbitrary manner, following a quota of four to five percent. Torture was used on a wide scale, so much so that by 1954 Ho Chi Minh became concerned, and had it banned. It is estimated that some 50,000 to 172,000 people perished in the campaigns against wealthy farmers and landowners. Rosefielde discusses much higher estimates that range from 200,000 to 900,000, which includes summary executions of National People’s Party members.
Sounds like Mugabe. Just stand by? At least the 1 million catholics were given the opportunity to move south. It’s not that easy unless staying is a death sentence. They never cared for the Chinese. We should have known that. The French pull out reminded me of their giving up on the Panama Canal. America thought there was nothing we couldn’t do so tearing off a piece of Columbia to finish it justified the means. Viet Nam may very well have been our nations’ adolescent testosterone at work. Innocence was lost with the JFK killing.
Many Christian & Missionary Alliance, Regions Beyond and other Evangelicals massacred pre 1954. Even more Catholics as the North had more Catholics. The South had more Evangelicals ... until surviving Catholics fled to the South. Also many non-westernized Chinese poor, small businessmen, fled for fear of their lives.
1954 to Evangelical Dalat’s fall, the last place to fall, the Commies would go into Evangelical villages* and assassinate the elected leader. The village would immediately Democratically elect a successor and he would be assassinated.
Of course, among the mountain people, not everyone converted. But everyone saw the Christian culture as good. All the missionaries did was read the Bible, pray, teach school, provide medical care to the sick and teach better farming methods.
Down below, it was mostly Bhuddists among the Catholics.
Gallup type polls were taken every year from early 1950s to the fall of Dalat. During the 50s, the Evangelicals were 100% anti-communiist. The Bhuddists were 90% anti-commie and 10% neutral. The only Americans-Canadians were extremely polite, self-effacing westerners.
Then JFK dramatically increased military advisors with carefully trained special forces. But they were not at all meek like the previous westerners.
Then LBJ dramatically increased military to 550,000 untrained guys who raped the local women and called points for jeeps chasing those on the shoulder into the rice patties to avoid getting hit. Well, let’s say only 5 or 10% were the “ugly Americans”. So only 30,000 or 50,000...per year with some doing it quite frequently during their year tour.
The Vietnamese expected war to be hell. They didn’t like it but expected it. But they expected Americans to be friendly and not rape them. Guys in my unit would laugh while telling the story of how they went into a village and saw a hot young woman. She held up her Bible and told them in good English: I am a Christian. My husband is fighting the Communists. I am on your side. Please don’t rape me.
But they all raped her anyway. Every time we raped a woman, her entire extended families and friends, often entire village, turned anti-American.
And our guys just passed it off as “Those sluts want it.”