The Vietnam War was fought between the communist-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), which was supported by US troops. The war lasted from 1959 to 1975 and ended in victory for the North Vietnamese, with the fall of Saigon followed by the unification of Vietnam under a communist government.
During the 15-year war, over 1.5 million people were killed and as many as 2 million civilians fled and sought asylum in other countries. In the late 1970s many of these, like Andrew's parents, escaped as 'boat people', packed into crudely-made vessels. Up to half of these people drowned when their overloaded boats foundered at sea.
For more detailed information, see Find out more.
Watch Channel 4 Education programmes for free on your PC with Channel 4's on demand service 4oD.
Citizenship, PSHE and careers for 14-19s from 4Learning. Packed with interactive games and activities.
Index of Notes to support Channel 4 Learning programmes.
Full listings of Channel 4 Learning programmes for the week ahead.
