China, the USSR and Hanoi's balancing act

H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge how the Cold War played out in Korea, Vietnam and Cuba, and how each conflict changed the Cold War.

    Syllabus 9174, Paper 1, Theme I, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the manifestation of the Cold War conflict across different contexts over time, and its impact on the Cold War

Make a guess

China and the USSR were bitter rivals by the mid-1960s. How do you think this affected their help to North Vietnam?

  1. Both kept supplying it, competing for influence, and Hanoi played them off.
  2. They merged their aid into one joint command.
  3. They stopped helping, because they could not agree with each other.
Show the answer

Both kept supplying it, competing for influence, and Hanoi played them off.

China sent support troops and goods, the USSR sent advanced weapons. Each wanted to look like the better ally.

China and the USSR both supported North Vietnam while competing with each other, and Hanoi used their rivalry to its advantage.

China provided rifles, food and vehicles. From 1965 it also sent hundreds of thousands of support troops to North Vietnam to build railways and man anti-aircraft guns. This freed North Vietnamese troops to fight in the South.

The USSR became the main supplier of advanced weapons after 1965, including surface-to-air missiles, jets and tanks. Its greater wealth and technology made it more important as the war grew.

The Sino-Soviet split shaped this aid. Each power wanted to show it was the true leader of world communism. China accused the USSR of being too willing to negotiate with the USA, and at times obstructed Soviet supplies crossing its territory.

Hanoi skilfully balanced between them, accepting aid from both while keeping control of its own strategy. Neither superpower nor China could dictate North Vietnam's decisions, as the Tet Offensive and later negotiations showed.

Chinese support troops
Hundreds of thousands served in North Vietnam from 1965.
Soviet aid
Main supplier of missiles, jets and tanks after 1965.
Hanoi's strategy
Balanced between Moscow and Beijing.

Real examples to use

Kosygin in Hanoi, February 1965

The Soviet premier was in Hanoi when US raids began, and Moscow stepped up its military aid.

Soviet missiles, July 1965

A Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile shot down a US aircraft for the first time, on 24 July 1965.

Supplies through China

Soviet arms went by rail across China. The Sino-Soviet quarrel at times delayed them, which Hanoi had to manage.

Worked example: Assessing the role of the communist powers

An H1 essay asks how far the USSR and China shaped the war.

  1. Support: their aid allowed Hanoi to fight the USA for a decade.
  2. Deterrence: fear of Chinese intervention, as in Korea, kept the USA from invading the North.
  3. Limits: Hanoi set its own strategy and timing.
  4. Rivalry: the split increased aid but also caused friction.

Watch out for this

China and the USSR worked together closely to support North Vietnam.

They were rivals after the Sino-Soviet split. They both helped Hanoi, but competed for influence and sometimes obstructed each other.

Check your understanding

Why did fear of China limit American strategy in Vietnam?

  1. China had signed a mutual defence treaty with the USA in 1950.
  2. US leaders feared invading the North might bring China in, as in Korea.
  3. China controlled South Vietnam's army.
Show the answer

US leaders feared invading the North might bring China in, as in Korea.

Right. The Korean experience shaped American caution.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • Johnson explains why Americans are in Vietnam

    Paraphrase of President Lyndon Johnson's address at Johns Hopkins University, 7 April 1965.

  • McNamara recommends more troops

    Paraphrase of a memorandum from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to President Johnson, 20 July 1965.

  • The Geneva final declaration

    Paraphrase of paragraph 7 of the final declaration of the Geneva Conference on Indochina, 20 July 1954, as cabled by the US delegation.

  • Nixon appeals to the silent majority

    Paraphrase of President Richard Nixon's televised address to the nation on the war in Vietnam, 3 November 1969.

  • Eisenhower explains the stakes, 1954

    Extract from President Dwight Eisenhower's news conference of 7 April 1954, answering a question on the strategic importance of Indochina, a month before the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. A US government record in the public domain; text from the American Presidency Project.

  • a Defense official ranks American aims, March 1965

    Extract from "Action for South Vietnam", a paper prepared by John McNaughton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Washington, 10 March 1965, two days after the first US Marines landed at Da Nang. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume II, document 193. A US government document in the public domain.

  • the Secretary of State on American commitments, July 1965

    Extract from a paper by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Washington, 1 July 1965, written for the President's meeting on whether to send large numbers of combat troops. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume III, document 39. A US government document in the public domain.

  • the Under Secretary of State dissents, July 1965

    Extract from "A Compromise Solution for South Viet-Nam", a paper by Under Secretary of State George Ball for the same meeting, Washington, undated (circulated 1 July 1965). The President's security adviser predicted that Johnson would "listen hard to George Ball and then reject his proposal". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume III, document 40. A US government document in the public domain.

  • the Secretary of Defense explains the strategy, November 1965

    Extract from a draft memorandum from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to President Johnson, "Courses of Action in Vietnam", Washington, 3 November 1965. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume III, document 189. A US government document in the public domain.

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