"Hearts and Minds" tells the Reasoning about the Vietnam War

Hearts and Minds, a documentary film on Vietnam, depicts the atrocities of the Vietnam War. The film portrays how Americans oppressed the rights of the Vietnamese people. The documentary confirms that there was no clear rationale or moral basis for the war, and that it dehumanized both sides in the conflict.
The movie demonstrates the contempt with which Americans viewed the Vietnamese. However, the United State's military could be viewed as barbaric. For instance, U.S. soldiers would use racist phrases such as “gooks” to refer to the Vietnamese. By dropping bombs of napalm and other deadly substances, the US brought about high casualties to mostly innocent civilians. This war became a quagmire because the Vietnamese fought for their freedom; they were highly motivated despite their lack of equipment and funds. The US, with the most modern military at the time, did not have the same drive or the capacity to stomach the high losses.
I found it interesting how Americans were brainwashed in the 1950s and 60s. People were over zealous. There was an inability to question US foreign policy. Speaking against the war was considered unpatriotic, even though the reasons for the United States military presence remained highly disputed. What started as a war against communism became a new form of imperialism. The war only supported a regime that did not bring about new liberties for the Vietnamese people, according to several testimonies of the Vietnamese.
Although the documentary shared some points of view of the Vietnamese, I feel it left out some key events. The film left out the images of the Buddhists who burned themselves to protest the brutality and the lack of freedom in the South. They also failed to present the perspective of warfare in North Vietnam. However, the movie effectively focused on the opinions of United States’ leaders from Truman to Nixon. It explained how United States foreign policy sought to undermine Ho Chi Minh when in fact the US allied with him before in World War 2 against the Japanese.
The war in Vietnam did not have a moral grounding. By supporting the South Vietnamese, the United States did not promote democracy but rather imperialism. Also, the United States’ government failed to disclose the atrocities in Vietnam at the present time. I find it striking that the Vietnam War spurred a backlash and a huge change in attitudes in the United States. Widespread social unrest transpired, and at least half a million people left the country to avoid being enlisted in the army.
Paradoxically, the Vietnam War created a new level of social conscience and questioning of foreign policy. Many young people not only questioned the war but also the values of American society. The late 1960s and early 1970s became a period of social change that instigated new debate, especially in the university campuses. After the Vietnam War, the US became much more wary about engaging in foreign conflict, and did not engage in a major combat until the Persian Gulf War.