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Answer 1

It is considered a war and a lot of men and some women lost their lives in that war. It was the U.S. government, not helped by some of society that turned their backs on the Vietnam Vets and tried to hide the fact that the U.S. had no business getting into the war in the first place and it was a blight in U.S. history. JFK and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated for wanting to "bring the boys home" among other reasons.

Answer 2

It is sometimes called a conflict because the US Congress didn't ever actually declare war. Instead the US President used his "constitutional discretion" calling it a "police action".

Answer 3

technically the United States has not officially declared war since 1941. This includes not only the conflict in Vietnam but also the one in Korea and subsequent conflicts fought in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Answer 4

Technically the government said we were there for containing communist spread into South Vietnam so they were trying to keep people from thinking we were being unnecessarily aggressive and also it appealed to the isolationists still in America.

Answer 5

The Vietnam War is like the M-551 Sheridan tank; the Sheridan is called a "light tank" by everyone...military and civilian alike. And it is a light tank. However, when it was designed in 1962, built in 1966, and fielded in Vietnam in 1969 (nearly 200 of them were destroyed there)...the US Army specifically instructed it's Armor Crewmen Trainees (AIT) at Fort Knox Kentucky; "Men...that is an Airborne Armored Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle, you will NOT call it a tank! Is that clear!?" Then pointing to the parked M-48A2C Patton tanks, "Those ARE TANKS!" "Questions?...didn't think so." Officially, the Sheridan is (was-it's long since retired now) an Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle..but we all call it a tank (a light tank to exact).

WW2 was the LAST declared war fought by the US. So some people prefer to call any war that's not declared to be a "conflict." Which might have been true prior to the atomic age (1945 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were A-Bombed). Since the Atomic Age (commencing in 1945) TOTAL wars which have been traditionally DECLARED Wars, can no longer be fought...without risking "Mutually Assured Destruction"...consequently, we had a COLD WAR (a military stand-off) from 1945 until 1990 when the USSR collapsed. In the age of Nuclear Weapons (Atomic Weapons) only LIMITED WARS can be fought...LIMITED to non-atomic weapons.

The Korean War and Vietnam War were LIMITED WARS...limited to only conventional non-NUCLEAR weapons only. The older historians will simply have to change with the times and accept the fact that declared total wars can no longer be fought; only LIMITED WARS-limited to non-nukes.

Finally, the term "conflict" HAS been used interchangeably with the word "war" when literature is written about WW1, WW2, the US Civil War, etc. So seemingly, that word too, is acceptable when used in the correct context.

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7y ago
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15y ago

Because it was a CIVIL War between North and South Vietnam and Congress did not believe we needed to declare war, so instead Kennedy sent troops to Vietnam without a declaration of war. Hope this helps whoever asked the question, cause I have a report on the war due tomorrow

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14y ago

You're looking for the term "declared" war. The US hasn't fought a declared war since WWII!

The reason the US can't fight any declared wars anymore is because of atomic weapons. A declared war implies USING THEM!

So.........we fight limited wars now. (Limited to conventional non-nuclear wars only; such as Vietnam).

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7y ago

The truth is that a War, according to the United States Constitution, requires a Declaration of War to be passed by Congress. Since no such Declaration ever came from Congress, the President's decision to engage "the enemy" in Vietnam is not a de jure war even though it is a de facto war. After Vietnam, the President's ability to engage in foreign conflicts without a Declaration of War was substantially limited.

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14y ago

Did someone say that because it wasn't a declared war? If they did, tell them that the US Civil War wasn't declared either.

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Q: Why was the Vietnam conflict not considered a war?
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Related questions

Which was never declared a war but rather was considered only a conflict?

Vietnam War


Why is the conflict in Iraq similar to the conflict in Vietnam?

The US is NOT at war with Iraq. The US was at war with North Vietnam.


What is a creative name for a Vietnam war project?

How about "Conflict and Combat: The Vietnam War"


Were there any conflicts during the Vietnam War?

Certainly. A war is determined explicitly by the presence of conflict. If there was not conflict in Vietnam, there would not have been a war.


When did the Vietnam war conflict come to an end?

The Vietnam War ended on April 30th, 1975.


Why didn't some people support the Vietnam war?

Critics of American involvement in the Vietnam conflict, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., considered it unjust and immoral.


What were the results of the Vietnam conflict?

The North won the war.


What turned a minor conflict into a war at Vietnam?

Drugs


How the Vietnam war conflict ended?

Northern victory.


Why was the Vietnam war considered a Civil War?

because it was north Vietnam against south Vietnam


If you never declare war why do you call it a war?

Very good question! War is defined as a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism, as well as a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between two states or nations. Technically, for the United States at least, a war is not considered a war unless it has been declared by congress. Hence, why we refer to the war in Vietnam as the "Vietnam Conflict". But regardless of congress officially declaring so or not, war is war.


Was it actually a war Vietnam war?

Dictionary:War- Armed conflict between two or more nations. Vietnam War: United States vs North Vietnam. It computes.