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Trump claims he would have bombed Ho Chi Minh City to win Vietnam War

Al Mayadeen – November 2, 2026

US President Donald Trump has claimed he could have won the Vietnam War in a week, criticizing his predecessors’ military strategy and suggesting that Washington should have intensified its bombing campaign against North Vietnam, as the US war on Iran enters its ninth month.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Trump called previous US leaders “stupid” and criticized the prolonged use of Agent Orange to clear forest cover during the Vietnam War.

He argued that instead of spending “years, and years, and years” dropping the chemical defoliant on forests, the US should have bombed Ho Chi Minh City and other locations to secure victory.

However, Trump’s proposed strategy overlooked a fundamental geographical and historical distinction: Ho Chi Minh City was known as Saigon during the Vietnam War and served as the capital of US-backed South Vietnam, not North Vietnam.

Trump’s remarks came as his administration continued its war against Iran, which began in February 2026 and has entered its ninth month. The president has repeatedly threatened further military action against Tehran, including warning on Sunday that Washington would eventually have to give Iran “the hammer.”

During the Vietnam War, the US military used Agent Orange and other herbicides under Operation Ranch Hand, which ran from 1962 to 1971. The program aimed to strip dense jungle vegetation that provided cover for Vietnamese forces while exposing supply routes and destroying crops used to sustain resistance forces.

The US sprayed nearly 19 million gallons of herbicides across Vietnam during the operation, including approximately 11.2 million gallons of Agent Orange, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The chemical’s toxic legacy continues to affect exposed populations and their descendants, as children born in the area to this day suffer from disabilities and birth defects.

Trump’s reference to Ho Chi Minh City also overlooks the city’s position during the war. Then known as Saigon, it was the capital of South Vietnam, which Washington supported militarily and politically. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City following the fall of Saigon in April 1975.

North Vietnam’s capital was Hanoi, which was among the targets of extensive US bombing operations. Washington launched Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965, a sustained aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnamese targets that continued until November 1968. US forces also struck Hanoi and Haiphong during subsequent phases of the bombing campaign.

November 2, 2026 - Posted by | Militarism, Timeless or most popular, War Crimes |

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