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How did Ap Bac change American views on the Vietnam War?

It became something of a cause celebre that changed American views on the war. After Ap Bac, Americans increasingly lost hope that the Vietnamese armed forces could win their own war, lost faith in the ability of the Saigon government to pursue the war competently, and grudgingly began to conclude that American combat troops would be needed.

What happened after Ap Bac?

After Ap Bac, Americans increasingly lost hope that the Vietnamese armed forces could win their own war, lost faith in the ability of the Saigon government to pursue the war competently, and grudgingly began to conclude that American combat troops would be needed. This was one of the turning points in a long war.

Is there an enemy force in the Ap Bac area?

True, our division G2 had indicated that a sizeable enemy force was in the Ap Bac area. But experience had shown that at best this was an educated guess, one that all too often had proved false. In fact, if anything, the operation got off to an inauspicious start.

Why did Ap Bac affect Diem's government?

Despite the initial success of the Strategic Hamlet Program and the intensified military operations of 1962, the events at Ap Bac placed additional pressure on Diem's government because they showed it was not prepared to cope with the resurgence of the VC, particularly in the Mekong delta.