Why did the Strategic Hamlet Program Fall?

<p>Over the period from 1961 to 1963 the Government of Vietnam Introduced the Strategic Hamlet Program which was designed to be the central part of a comprehensive plan to pacify South Vietnam. Pacification was to be achieved by isolating the rural population from the Viet Cong communist guerrillas. The aims of the Strategic Hamlet Program were expressed as security economic development social advancement and political participation. By instituting reforms the Government of Vietnam believed that it could win the allegiance of the people and thus defeat the Viet Cong. The Strategic Hamlet Program eventually failed because of inadequate planning and coordination inadequate resources and unrealistic timetable problems with siting and construction and inadequate and falsified evaluation procedures. In addition there was a lack of commitment to the program especially from President Diem. Another factor contributing to the failure of the program was the Impatience and Intolerance of the United States towards the government of President Diem. Above all the peasants who had been identified as the focus in the war against the Insurgents rejected the program because the promised reforms did not materialize amid the corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency associated with the implementation of the program.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>