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.
Worked example: Assessing the role of the communist powers
An H1 essay asks how far the USSR and China shaped the war.
- Support: their aid allowed Hanoi to fight the USA for a decade.
- Deterrence: fear of Chinese intervention, as in Korea, kept the USA from invading the North.
- Limits: Hanoi set its own strategy and timing.
- 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?
- US leaders feared invading the North might bring China into the war, as in Korea.
- China had a mutual defence treaty with the USA.
- China controlled South Vietnam.