How close was the United States to defeating the North Vietnamese during the war?

by TKInstinct

I read somewhere that the the Northern forces were near collapse by the time we exited Vietnam? How true was this? Were we unaware of their manpower at the time, or did we leave anyway due to public pressure?

Bernardito

You might be interested in this thread from a while back. If you have any additional or more specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them!