United States participation in the Vietnam War was a subject of much controversy among the American public. While many Americans supported the United States involvement in the War, agreeing with the Government that American assistance was needed in order to stop the spread of Communism in East Asia, other people felt that it was wrong for the U. S. to involve itself in another country's internal matters. Throughout the history of America no other event was more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported and misremembered by the American people. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic. By 1969 the country was bitterly divided over the American presence in Vietnam.
             In Vietnamese Americans by Montero, Vietnam is described as a small nation in Southeast Asia, located on what is termed the Indochina Peninsula. While Vietnam has adopted many of the cultural characteristics of the larger nations of India and China, it nevertheless had maintained a culture distinctly its own throughout many centuries of outside influence and, at times, domination. Vietnam was originally a heterogeneous mixture of varying racial and cultural types. The diverse groups of which her population is composed have succeeded in training through the years their own variations of language, religion, and customs. This rich mixture has created a cultural pattern unique to the nation of Vietnam ( p. 11).
             When the Chinese Empire finally united under the Han dynasty in 111B.C. Vietnam was captured and colonized. China ruled Vietnam for 1,000 years. During that time the Vietnamese adopted Chinese clothing, customs, and forms of government. Yet the Chinese failed to drastically change the people of this tiny nation, who exhibited remarkable ethnic durability, and influence their language and unique culture. The long prehistory of Vietnam had given them a sense of their own identity. Despite their location at the edge of t...