"It's not as if this region was being invaded, the future 'threat' of that was the excuse used to invade a foreign country"
North Vietnam INVADED South Vietnam. !! find any evidence to back your statement ?? bet you can not, because you are wrong. I'm keen to see this evidence ?????
How did the Americans INVADE a foreign country when the entire US army group remained in South Vietnam ??
It was the North Vietnamese who INVADED Laos & Cambodia to supply the VC via the Ho Chi Minh trail. If the local villagers refused to help the NVA would shoot them.
