At the greatest level, what was the extent of the US combat power in Vietnam? Is the US better or worse off because they lost? Is Vietnam better or worse off because of the North?

The Vietnam War is not such an honorable and noble war for the US. It started as a war for independence, and then it turned into a conflict between the North and South Vietnam for the future direction of the country after the withdrawal of the French. However, the North was led by a nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, and the US viewed this conflict as communism versus the free world. It was similar to the Korean War, with a communist, Kim Il Sung, in the North and Syngman Rhee in the South. The US sent its troops to Vietnam to help the corrupted South Vietnam dictator against the Vietminh, and at the end, the US people started to question why they were in Vietnam in the first place. The US lost the war, and Vietnam fell into communism.

The Vietnam War was a big time, money and efforts consuming war to the US.

Propaganda leaflet urging the defection of NLF and...

English: From George L. MacGarrigle, The United St...

Scene of Viet Cong terrorist bombing in Saigon, Re...

First of all, from the escalation of war (1945) till the withdrawal of the US (1975), it lasted for thirty years. In these years, the government could have focused on building a 'Great Society' as LBJ's slogan had said than fighting in a country on the other side of the world with no great reason. Secondly, the US spent 346.7 billions in the currency of 1990 for the Vietnam War (1964-1972). It was more than the expenditure for WWI or the Korean War, which were 196.5 billions and 263.9 billions respectively in the currency of 1990 . It showed how much the US was willing to pay for this war and how much it cared. However if this money could be spent on aiding the other in-needed countries or helping the people in the US, maybe it would be better. Lastly, the US spent more efforts in...