It is a tragedy that the US State Department didn't follow up on the recommendations of the OSS in 1945, to support Ho Chi Minh, as they did with Tito. The disaster that befell Indochina during the next forty years, could have been avoided.
So true...the Vietnam War need never have been an "American War" at all.
What I also found very interesting is there seems to be no hatred towards Americans....but the French seem to be very much hated.
The Tour Guides (in quiet conversations over a Beer or three) would invariably talk about the harsh treatment of the Vietnamese by the French. So many of the Prisons where POW's were held were all originally French built for the incarceration of political prisoners during their time in power.