Table of Contents
Was Laos bombed during the Vietnam War?
Regardless, by the end of the conflict in 1975, Laos emerged from nine years of war just as devastated as any of the other Asian participants in the Vietnam War….Operation Barrel Roll.
| Date | 14 December 1964 – 29 March 1973 |
|---|---|
| Location | Northeastern Laos |
| Result | Strategic US failure Failure to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail |
Why was Laos bombed in the Vietnam War?
The CIA saw bombing Laos as a less risky option to cut off the communist supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail before it could be used against American forces in Vietnam War.
Why did the US bomb Laos for 9 years?
The bombings were part of the U.S. Secret War in Laos to support the Royal Lao Government against the Pathet Lao and to interdict traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The bombings destroyed many villages and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lao civilians during the nine-year period.
How many bombs were dropped on Laos during Vietnam?
270 million bombs
The US dropped more than 270 million bombs on Laos during the Vietnam War. An estimated 30% of the bombs remain unexploded and are scattered across the country. Some villagers use those bombs as scrap metal to build their houses.
How many bombs did the US drop on Laos?
From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped 4 billion bombs on Laos. To this day, the country holds the dubious distinction of being the most heavily bombed neutral country in history.
What happened in Laos in 1975?
The North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao eventually emerged victorious in 1975, as part of the general communist victory in all of former French Indochina that year. A total of up to 300,000 people from Laos fled to neighbouring Thailand following the Pathet Lao takeover.
What happened to Laos after the Vietnam War?
Two years after the U.S. withdrawal from South Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos was overthrown by communist troops supported by the North Vietnamese Army. The Hmong people immediately became targets of retaliation and persecution.
How many bombs were dropped on Laos Why?
By our 25th anniversary in Laos in 2019, our almost 1,200-strong team of brave men and women had found and destroyed 250,000 bombs — and, two years later, on the morning of 8 August, they uncovered and disposed of bomb number 300,000.
What is the most heavily bombed country?
Laos
They dropped an estimated 2 million tons of ordnance during the conflict, making Laos, on a per-person basis, the most bombed nation in history.
How was Laos involved in the Vietnam War?
For almost nine years Laos was a battlefield in the armed conflict between neighbouring North Vietnam and the United States. During the war, US forces flew over 500,000 aerial bombing raids over Laos, which were said to aim at gaining control of the Trường Sơn Strategic Supply Route (also known as Ho Chi Minh trail).
Why did the US invade Laos?
The U.S. aim as the war went on basically became: use Laos as a charnel house, where most of the reason for the fight was to occupy North Vietnamese Army and to kill as many North Vietnamese as possible — the theory being that then, they could not be involved in the fight in Vietnam.
Did North Vietnam take over Laos?
North Vietnam supported the Pathet Lao to fight against the Kingdom of Laos between 1958–1959….North Vietnamese invasion of Laos.
| North Vietnamese invasion of the Kingdom of Laos | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom of Laos | North Vietnam Pathet Lao |
Are Laos and Vietnam allies?
Laos is Vietnam’s most trusted friend. The two communist states fought together against the United States during the Vietnam War. It would have been difficult for the Pathet Lao to come to power in 1975 without the support of Hanoi.
Did Laos allow the Ho Chi Minh trail?
Control over Laos allowed for the eventual construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that would serve as the main supply route for enhanced NLF (the National Liberation Front, the Vietcong) and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) activities in the Republic of Vietnam.
How did the Vietnam War affect Laos?
The conflict expanded into neighbouring countries like Laos and Cambodia, where North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong soldiers moved and operated. As a consequence, the Vietnam War had a profound impact on these countries, facilitating the rise of nationalist-communist groups there.