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Vietnamese politics during the 20th century can trace its roots to the 19th century, and it could be argued earlier than that. However, the war can trace its roots to French colonialism.  Known as French Indochina, Vietnam was abandoned by the French in order to rebuild France after WWII. This political vaccum left Vietnam vulunerable to outside aggression. A perfect spot for the cold war tensions between The Soviet Union and The United States to boil.

One could also argue that the decision to intervene in Vietnam was an indirect result of a backlash against the non-interventionist policy the USA had during the early years of WWII.