Considering the Vietnam War was one of the most controversial conflicts in recent history, there is a lot we don’t know about the war. Many of us have heard either only the basics of the war, or we have heard misconceptions about the war. There really is more than meets the eye. In fact, the Vietnam War was filled with many little-known details that never truly reached the public eye, with many details either hidden or distorted by the myths that arose during this time.

10CIA Abandonment Of The Hmong During The ‘Secret War’

In 1965, the CIA began fighting what would later be known as the “Secret War” under the airline Air America, which was owned secretly. By 1961, 9,000 Hmong guerrillas had been recruited to help the airline with its goals. Laos, where these Hmong men were from, claimed to be neutral during the war, but the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) had influence in the country. In 1965, the number of Hmong guerrillas had increased to 20,000, and the true reason for the “Secret War” was fully put into place.

The Hmong were to destroy NVA supply depots, ambush trucks, disrupt supply lines, and generally harass the NVA. When America began to leave Vietnam, Air America was forced to leave Laos, and on June 3, 1974, the last Air America aircraft left Laos, but the Hmong guerrillas were abandoned. Shortly after, the Laos government began to charge the Hmong guerrillas for fighting alongside the CIA, and many fled to the jungle where they have lived since the end of the Vietnam War. Many of these Hmong guerrillas claim that they are still hopeful that the US will one day come rescue them from the jungle, but many still remain in hiding to this day.

9Most Men Volunteered For Service

We often hear stories of men resisting the draft, and even fleeing the country to avoid being drafted. While the draft certainly was a real issue, it was nowhere near what the media and stories from the time make it seem. Three-quarters of all American soldiers had volunteered to be enlisted. More specifically, 9,087,000 military personnel served during the entire war, but only 1,728,344 men were drafted. This was a very low number of draftees compared to other wars.

In fact, in World War II alone, 8,895,135 men were drafted. This made up two-thirds of the entire American World War II military personnel, which is considerably larger than the amount of Vietnam War draftees. So, while the draft was fought and there was a large number of draftees, it was nowhere near as bad as the media and stories from this time make it seem. It’s just one more thing your grandparents exaggerated about.

8Draft Inequality

One of the other issues that was blamed on the draft was social inequality. Most of us have likely heard of this inequality, hearing that the draft was unfair to certain races or certain social classes. Despite this misconception, the draft was completely randomized. Men were chosen based on 366 blue capsules, each containing a day of the year. The very first capsule drawn had the date September 14 inside, so men born on September 14 in the years 1944 to 1950 were all assigned the number one in the lottery, meaning that the draft was fully randomized. Despite this method of drawing, many still believe that the draft was skewed.

This simply wasn’t the case, as 88.4 percent of men who served in the Vietnam War were Caucasian. Additionally, 86.3 percent of the men who died were Caucasian, meaning that the myth of minorities being “cannon fodder” simply isn’t true. Seventy-nine percent of men also had high school diplomas, higher than any other war, and three-quarters of all men were above the poverty line, disproving this social inequality. If anything, it was said that the men who came from wealthier backgrounds were much more likely to die, as they were trained for the most dangerous jobs.

7Payment Of Spies

South Vietnamese spies were important to the United States, but their work was dangerous. The challenge in recruiting these spies was that many came from barter societies, where money did not exist. This led to the use of rice and other commodities as payment, which worked for a while. However, the spies themselves were not getting all of the rice, and there was no need for some of the other commodities. There was a need for a new form of payment.

The solution? Let potential spies browse through the Sears catalog and pick what they wanted. The first order was six red velvet blazer vests with brass buttons, each in exchange for a 20-day mission. The spies would go on to order other garments, such as a large bra used to harvest fruit, and the program only came to a stop when the work became too dangerous.

6Not All Men Were Young

While the Vietnam War was unpopular for many reasons, one of the main criticisms was that it was sending young men to die. While it is true that many men were young when they enlisted, many older men enlisted as well. In fact, the oldest man known to have died in Vietnam was Kenna Clyde Taylor, who was 63 years old at the time of his death. There were also many pairs of father and son who fought in the war, with three of these pairs on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Additionally, there wasn’t an enlisted grade with an average age under 20, and the average soldier was 22 years old. Other categories of military personnel held higher averages. For example, the average age of an officer was 28 years old. While some of these men were certainly very young to be enlisted, they weren’t nearly as young as many of us may believe.

5Super Glue

Most of us have heard of the horrible injuries that occur on the battlefield. For the medics tending these wounds, quick thinking was often all that could save a life, as many of these wounds would result in a soldier bleeding out if not treated immediately. So, what did doctors turn to in these situations? Super glue.

The glue was accredited to saving many lives during the Vietnam War, as it was able to quickly stem bleeding as soldiers awaited surgery. While super glue isn’t recommended for quick fixes anymore, unless it’s an emergency, this shows contrast to the advancements made during this time. Essentially, the military had numerous advancements, but was unable to come up with a better quick fix than super glue. It was certainly effective considering the lives it was able to save, and some of us can probably thank super glue for our parents or grandparents being around today.

4Life After The War

There is a common misconception that Vietnam Veterans were treated poorly upon returning home. We’ve all heard the stories of protesters greeting them at the airport to throw garbage or spit on the veterans as they went to greet their families. While this seems way too outrageous to be real, rest assured, it isn’t. However, this wasn’t the case for the overwhelming majority. Some veterans simply stopped mentioning the war, as there was very little reaction to the veterans returning home, making it no different than any other military deployment.

Those who were greeted with a large reaction typically did not find a negative one. In fact, 87 percent of all Americans hold these veterans in high esteem, and many Veterans went on to live successful lives despite the misconception that many resented them. At least 85 percent of all of these veterans successfully transitioned back to civilian life, and are both less likely to be unemployed and have an 18 percent higher personal income compared to non-veterans. They’re also less likely to be imprisoned. In fact, only around .5 percent of all Vietnam veterans have served jail time.

3Cloud Seeding

When we think of the fighting itself, sabotage isn’t our first thought. However, this was something that the United States Army used to its advantage. One of the biggest ways they hoped to sabotage the NVA was through the practice of cloud seeding. The cloud seeding was first practiced in Project Popeye, where over 50 of these experiments took place, and the project had an 82 percent success rate. The cloud seeding would cause additional heavy rains and would effectively stop military movement in the affected areas.

It was also intended to flood specific areas, damage crops, and, in some areas, drastically change the weather. This was also seen as an alternative to bombing, as both would have the same effect on military movement, as the rain would simply make certain roads unusable. However, this project tended to kill fewer people, so it was used in place of bombings.

2The United States Was Not Alone

When we hear of the Vietnam War, we mainly hear of American involvement. While the United States had the highest number of soldiers in Vietnam, troops had backup from South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. South Korea alone sent 312,853 soldiers to Vietnam between September 1963 and April 1975.

South Korea was also among the deadliest of these “backup” forces, killing 41,000 North Vietnamese soldiers and causing 5,000 civilian casualties. Only 4,687 South Koreans were killed during the war, with estimates of more than 5,000 wounded. The South Koreans had an overall kill ratio of 11 to 1. While South Korea sent the most troops, second only to the US, a large amount of troops came from other countries, such as the 60,000 military personnel from Australia, or the 3,000 from New Zealand during the conflict. It’s too bad the United States keeps hogging the spotlight.

1The Death Card

It’s likely we’ve all seen the ace of spades in the context of the Vietnam War. While Hollywood has taught us a thing or two about how these cards were used, many of us have no idea as to the true story behind this famous symbol. The ace of spades was left on dead Viet Cong soldiers as a warning. The Vietnamese are very superstitious people, and when American troops found out that they were scared of the card, it became widespread.

The only flaw was that it had little to no effect on the Vietnamese. In fact, this psychological warfare was only seen as a campaign by the soldiers: There were no headquarters, intelligence, or Psychological Operation experts behind this campaign. It was actually three lieutenants that asked for the first “Bicycle Secret Weapons,” while none of them had any psychological operation authority. The cards only spread in popularity due to their use as calling cards, which made fellow soldiers want them. So, while it was said that the cards would cause other Viet Cong soldiers to leave, the fear was more likely linked to fear of nearby Americans than of the cards themselves.

Most Westerners think of Vietnam as a place of war and conflict, and for much of its history, that’s not far off. Still, the modern country has a deep cultural history and is a fascinating place.

This list aims to highlight some of the more interesting facts about the country, focusing on its history and the people who live there.

These ten facts don’t cover everything you should know about Vietnam, but it’s a great place to start learning about this amazing country.

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10 It’s Not Actually Called “Vietnam”

The country’s official name in English is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, but that’s not necessarily correct. The country’s name is actually “Viet Nam,” and it is only recognized as a single word in predominantly English-speaking countries. Both the Vietnamese government and the UN recognize “Viet Nam” as the country’s proper name.

The name dates back to the 16th century, when it was first recorded in a poem. Of course, the country was populated long before then. Around the 2nd century BC, the area we now call Vietnam was called Nam Viet, which translates into Southern Viet.

Over the centuries, the area was governed by various dynastic kingdoms that included parts of southern China and northern Vietnam under more than a dozen different names. The lands ruled by these kingdoms changed as time passed, and by 1802, the Nguyen dynasty consisted of southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The country was finally called Viet Nam between 1804 and 1839, but it changed to Dai Nam and then Dông Pháp before finally switching to the modern Viet Nam in 1945. At that time, the imperial government adopted the name that remains today.

9 Chain Restaurants Tend To Fail Because Of The Popularity Of Street Foods

The First McDonald’s opened in Vietnam in 2014, and the people were excited about it. The first month saw incredibly long lines, and more than 400,000 customers served, but it didn’t last.

It seemed as if McD’s would add another country to its long list of locations it dominated, but its popularity waned rather quickly. There are just under two-dozen locations remaining in Vietnam, but there should be so many more in a country of 100 million people. Unfortunately, Vietnam didn’t embrace the so-called “fast food” because it didn’t compare to what was already available.

Vietnam is known for having some of the best street food in the world, and it’s not something people have to wait for. You can walk down just about any street and get hot, delicious, and nutritious food that is far superior to what McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants have to offer, and it arrives made-to-order and in less time.

Competition was everywhere, so the fast-food king failed to establish a hold and expand. It didn’t help that the menu didn’t honor the local cuisine, making the restaurant more of an out-of-place oddity than anything else.

8 If You Love Coffee, Cashews, & Black Pepper, Thank Vietnam

Every country in the world has something to offer, and for Vietnam, also known as the “Queen of the Cashew,” it’s… well, it’s cashews. Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews, which amount to an average of 1.2 million tons every year.

That’s around 55% of the world’s cashew production, but it’s not the only product Vietnam exports. Another major export from the country is black pepper, which is primarily produced in Phu Quoc. Around 248,000 metric tons of Vietnamese black pepper were exported from the country in 2019-2020, and the nation continues to grow this industry.

Another surprising crop that comes out of Vietnam is coffee. While South America is the biggest producer and exporter of coffee beans, the #2 position is in Asia. Vietnam is the second-highest producer of coffee beans in the world after Brazil.

On average, Vietnam produces around 1.542 metric tons of coffee. It’s one of the most popular drinks in the country and costs around $0.50 in most places. Approximately 40% of the world’s Robusta coffee beans come from Vietnam, where it sits as the country’s second-largest export next to rice.

7 Vietnam Favors “Kick Volleyball” Over Most Sports

Vietnam doesn’t have a national sport, per-say, but that doesn’t mean one, in particular, isn’t popular. Most people in Vietnam enjoy playing Sepak Takraw, which is commonly referred to as “Kick Volleyball.”

The sport is popular in Southeast Asia, but it has been exported to other parts of the world, including Canada and the United States. The game is played with a rattan ball, and similarly to football (soccer), players can only hit it with their feet, knees, and head. The court is divided by a net that stretches 20 feet (6.1 meters) and stands 5 feet (1.55 meters) high.

The game’s origin isn’t fully understood, though it may have begun in Thailand in the 18th century. It is incredibly popular in Vietnam, which often wins in international competitions. Unfortunately, the sport has yet to make it to the Olympics.

Annual competitions dominate the SEA Games, a biennial multi-sport competition that includes Sepak Takraw, among many other sports. Vietnam is set to host the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, marking the second time the nation has had that honor since 2003.

6 Snake Wine Is Insanely Popular

One of the most popular alcoholic beverages in Vietnam is snake wine, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. The drink is made in one of two ways. A whole venomous snake is submerged in alcohol, where it remains for months until saturated. The other method involves draining a live snake of its blood and bile, which is drained into rice wine or grain alcohol.

Snake wine didn’t originate in Vietnam, having first been recorded in China as far back as the Western Zhou dynasty in 771 BC. Eventually, it moved south into Vietnam, where it grew to become incredibly popular.

It is believed that venomous snakes possess medicinal properties, making snake wine something of a folk remedy. It’s commonly used as an aphrodisiac, or to boost virility, but you’ll probably have to travel to Vietnam to give it a try, as it’s illegal to export.

There are some risks to drinking snake wine, which is especially true when venomous snakes are used. Indirect envenomation can mess with your vascular system, so drink this stuff at your own risk. That said, it’s regularly consumed throughout Vietnam, so severe coagulopathy can happen but is relatively rare.

5 Motorcycles Are The Preferred Mode Of Travel

If you’ve watched any movie of the Vietnam War, or the Resistance War Against America, as it’s called in Vietnam, you doubtless saw a ton of people on motorcycles. The reason for this is simple: motorbikes are the number one form of transportation in the country.

There are an estimated 45 million registered motorbikes in Vietnam, making it the dominant form of transportation over cars, trucks, bicycles, and everything else. More than three million new bikes are sold every year on average, and the vast majority of them come from Honda, which holds around 76% of the market share.

Of course, there are many different types of motorbikes in the country, and they range in price from tens of millions of dong ($430) to more than a billion dong ($43,000). The bikes are so common, more than 79% of the population use them daily for commuting. The global average outside of Vietnam is just 10%, making bikes incredibly important in the country.

Vietnam ranks fourth in the total number of motorbikes, but in 2017, the government announced it would ban all of them in Hanoi by 2030. This is being done to favor public transportation projects.

4 You Can Find The World’s Largest Known Cave Passage In Vietnam

You’ve probably seen pictures of it online without knowing what it was. Hang Son Doòng is one of the largest natural caves in the world, and as of 2009, it was determined to be the largest known cave passage, by volume. Its name translates to “cave of the mountain river.”

The cave was first discovered in 1991, but it wasn’t officially surveyed until 2009 when cavers from the British Cave Research Association went inside. They found a truly massive cave system but were stopped a couple of miles in by a large wall. Eventually, this was traversed, leading to more discoveries about the cave.

It contains some of the tallest known stalagmites in the world with some reaching as high as 230 feet (70 meters). The cave’s volume was measured to be 1.36×10⁹ cubic feet (3.84×10⁷ cubic meters), Making it the largest cave passage, by volume, known anywhere in the world.

The caves stretch for 3.1 miles (5 km) and reach as high as 660 feet (200 meters) in some places. The cave’s width is 490 feet (150 meters), which has led many to indicate that a Boeing 747 could comfortably fly through the passage without clipping its wings.

3 The National Flag Holds Great Meaning To The People Of Vietnam

The national flag of Vietnam features a five-pointed star on a red field. The flag holds a great deal of meaning and national pride and was officially adopted in 1940. The current version is slightly modified and came into service in 1955.

The five-pointed star represents the five main classes in Vietnamese society: workers, peasants, soldiers, intellectuals, and businessmen. The red field represents the blood lost during years of conflict in the nation’s history. The Vietnam War may have been the most recent, but it was only one in a long list of conflicts.

During that war, the flag of the State of Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam featured three horizontal red bars centered on a yellow field. When the war came to an end, so too did the flag. In 1976, that flag was abandoned, as the country was unified under a single government.

The modern flag’s red field symbolizes bloodshed but also struggle and the success of the revolution. It is a symbol of pride and national history and can be found on T-shirts, baked foods, at festivals, and just about anywhere flags are commonly flown.

2 If You Leave Vietnam Without Trying A Bánh Mì Sandwich, You Failed

Street food is a big deal throughout Asia, and while you can get a bowl of pho and tons of other dishes in Vietnam, you can’t leave the country without trying a Bánh mì sandwich. Think of a submarine sandwich, but with intensely savory fillings you can eat any time of day.

A typical Bánh mì combines local meats and vegetables, including a type of pork sausage with cilantro, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cucumber, and French condiments. These can include chilis, and mayonnaise, or any kind of pâté. It’s all stuffed into a baguette or roll that is slit down the side and can be eaten as a snack or a meal.

The cuisine originated around the mid-19th century when Vietnam was part of French Indochina. The infusion of French cuisine into local Vietnamese delicacies created the perfect balance. Anthony Bourdain described it as “a symphony in a sandwich.”

When the Vietnam War came to an end in 1975, the Bánh mì spread outside the nation and became popular worldwide. While you can find it in many Vietnamese restaurants, you need to try it should you ever visit the country.

1 The Art Of Water Puppetry Is Unique And Beautiful

One of the more fascinating traditions found in Vietnam is water puppetry. The art form began sometime in the 11th century in the villages of the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. Puppetry in Asian cultures is pretty widespread, but the inclusion of water makes Vietnamese water puppetry genuinely unique.

The puppets are crafted out of wood, which is then lacquered. Instead of dangling strings like a marionette, the performances take place in a large waist-deep pool. The puppeteers are typically hidden behind a screen and use a large bamboo rod to support and control the puppets as they dance atop the water.

The shows are typically accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese orchestra, which includes vocals, wooden bells, cymbals, drums, horns, gongs, bamboo flutes, and a type of monochord.

There are often chèo singers who perform a type of Vietnamese opera. Everything is coordinated and beautifully colored. It’s truly unique, and most performances favor Vietnamese folklore heavily, including various legends and national history. It is most often performed during festivals, where it is often one of the primary attractions and means of celebration.

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