Vietnam War casualties

The Vietnam War (1955–1975) caused around two to four million Vietnamese deaths (both military and civilians from each source). For foreign armies, the United States suffered the highest with 58,281 deaths (47,434 died in combat) and 303,644 wounded (150,341 of which were wounded heavily or disabled). South Korea had 4,407 to 5,099 deaths, 10,962–17,060 wounded and 4 missing in actions. China had 1,446 deaths,[1] Australia had 521 deaths and 3,129 wounded, New Zealand had 38 deaths and 187 wounded, Thailand had 351 deaths, the Soviet Union had 16 military advisors died, North Korea had 14 pilots died[2] and the Philippines with 9 deaths and 64 wounded.

Communist groups

North Vietnam and Viet Cong

  • 849,018 deaths (around one-thirds died by non-combat causes like sickness, accidents, exhaustion, etc.)[3]
  • Around 550,000 - 600,000 WIA.[4]

Note: Number of soldiers died in the war included in combat and non-combat deaths. Also, not only did communist soldiers fight in the war but also others (guerilla warfare). In 2013, Vietnam had around 781,021 veterans across the country.[4]

North Korea

  • 14 pilots died.
  • 2 advisors wounded.

China

  • 1,446 deaths (mostly from sickness, accidents or bombed by US aircrafts).

Soviet Union

  • 16 military advisors died (from sickness or accidents; no combat deaths records).

Anti-communist groups

United States

US soldiers waiting helicopters for their fellow soldiers' corpses after a battle.
  • 58,281 deaths and other death causes (47,434 non-combat deaths).[5]
  • 303,644 WIA (150,341 of which were injured heavily or disabled).[6]
  • 1,584 – 1,948 MIA.[7][8]
Country Branches Service Death Wounded Missing in action
United States Archived 2021-03-10 at the Wayback MachineArmy4,940,00038,21896,802
Marine Corps794,00014,84051,392
Navy1,842,0002,5654,178
Air Force1,740,0002,5871,021
Total8,744,00058,209153,3031,948
Country Deaths per year Numbers of deaths
United States 1956–1964401
19651,863
19666,143
196711,153
196816,592
196911,616
19706,081
19712,357
1972641
1973168
1974-19981,333

The United States had a total of over 362,000 casualties in the war, slightly lower than their casualties in the Pacific War (409,000 US casualties)[9] due to the harsh of the Pacific War. However, the fatality rates of the US in this war were often lower than other wars (for example, in World War II and the Korean War. In average, if each 3 US soldiers wounded then a soldier died but in Vietnam it's 6 wounded and 1 dead; which meant it decreased the death rate by a half compared to other wars.)

Each US deaths cause:[10]

  • 51% numbers of deaths and 16% numbers of wounded were from various types of guns like AK-47, SKS, etc.
  • 36% numbers of deaths and 65% numbers of wounded were from debris of artillery pieces, grenades, etc.
  • 11% numbers of deaths and 15% numbers of wounded were from various types of traps and landmines.
  • 2% numbers of wounded were from other traps.
  • 2% numbers of deaths and 2% numbers of wounded were from other materials.

Other than that, American soldiers also faced some severe losses (both physically and mentally), it was named the Vietnam syndrome in the United States to describe that.

First and last casualties of the United States

  • Civilian:
  • Quân sự:
    • 12–15 May 1975 – 41 soldiers died and 41 others injured in the Mayaguez incident in the Khmer Rouge.

Prisoners of war (POW)

  • First POW:
    • 26 December 1961 – George F. Fryett was the first prisoner to be captured and released in June 1962.
  • Last POW:
    • 27 January 1973 - Phillip A. Kientzler was the last prisoner to be captured and released on 27 March 1973.
  • Longest serving POW:
    • 8 years, 355 days – Floyd James Thompson was captured on 26 March 1964 and released on 16 March 1973. Only missing 10 days to fully serving 9 years as POW, he was the longest serving prisoner in the entire war and also the longest prisoner of war in US history.

South Vietnam

Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (RVNAF):

  • Around 310,000 KIA or MIA.[11]
  • Around 1,170,000 wounded.

The death numbers of 220,357 were cited by Lewy from archives of the U.S. Department of Defense from 1965 to 1974. Plus the death toll from 1974 to 1975 and the previous number combined was around 300,000. Historian R.J. Rummel estimated the highest death toll can be 313,000.[11]

According to Jeffrey J. Clarke's detailed estimates, from 1960 to 1974, the RVNAF had 254,256 soldiers died.[12] Plus the death toll in the years 1956–1959 and 1975, the South Vietnamese deaths were estimated to be around 310,000.

From 1965 to 1972, around 840,000 RVNAF soldiers deserted. In mid April to December 1974, 176,000 soldiers deserted.[13] The amount of deserted soldiers did not count in the casualty numbers.

South Korea

The Philippines

Thailand

  • 351 deaths.[14]
  • 1,358 wounded.

Australia

Around 502 died in which:

  • 426 died in combat.
  • 76 died in non-combat causes (accidents or sickness).

New Zealand

  • 55 deaths (including 2 civilians).
  • 212 wounded.[14]

Taiwan

Cambodia

  • 70,000 civilian deaths.

Kingdom of Laos

  • Around 30,000 Royal soldier deaths.
  • Around 50,000 civilian deaths.

Civilian casualties

  • Around 900,000 to 4,000,000 civilian died, the Vietnamese government estimated these numbers on 3 April 1995, 2 million North Vietnamese and 2 million South Vietnamese deaths around between the years 1954–1975. The North's losses can be contributed by the United States' destructive bombing campaigns in the Vietnam War.
  • Around 3,000,000 people were affected by Agent Orange.
  • Recent Vietnam's official casualty numbers were published, including:
    – Nearly 2 million civilian deaths.
    – More than 2 million civilians having disabilities for the rest of their lives.
    – Around 2 million (including soldiers) were affected by chemical and biological attacks.

References

  1. ↑ "China's involvement in the Vietnam War". Cambridge University.
  2. ↑ "Khu tưởng niệm 14 phi công Triều Tiên hy sinh ở Việt Nam". VnExpress (in Vietnamese).
  3. ↑ "Chuyên đề 4 CÔNG TÁC TÌM KIẾM, QUY TẬP HÀI CỐT LIỆT SĨ TỪ NAY ĐẾN NĂM 2020 VÀ NHỮNG NĂM TIẾP THEO,".
  4. 1 2 "65 năm sáng ngời đạo lý "Uống nước nhớ nguồn"" (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  5. ↑ Statistical information about casualties of the Vietnam Conflict, US National Archives
  6. ↑ "Bill Abbott, Names On The Wall: A Closer Look At Those Who Died In Vietnam, HistoryNet.com". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  7. ↑ The Vietnam-Era Prisoner-of-War/Missing-in-Action Database, Vietnam-Era Unaccounted for Statistical Report, CURRENT AS OF: 7 November 2001, Library of Congress
  8. ↑ "Vietnam-era unaccounted for statistical report" (PDF). 1 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum". Pearl Harbor Tours. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  10. ↑ "Leaders and Intelligence". Google Books. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  11. 1 2 http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF
  12. ↑ Clarke, Jeffrey J. (1988), United States Army in Vietnam: Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965–1973, Washington, D.C: Center of Military History, United States Army, p. 275
  13. ↑ "Gale". Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 ["KOREA military army official statistics, 28 August 2005 (in Korean)[[Category:Articles with Korean-language sources (ko)]]" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-27. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) KOREA military army official statistics, 28 August 2005 (in Korean)]
  15. 1 2 3 Tucker, Spencer, ed. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1998. tr 64
  16. 1 2 3 yhchoi65 (2008-07-02). "[책갈피 속의 오늘]1965년 전투병 베트남 파병 의결". www.donga.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. 1 2 3 "Chapter VI: The Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  18. ↑ Larsen, Stanley (1975). Vietnam Studies Allied Participation in Vietnam (PDF). Department of the Army. ISBN 978-1-5176-2724-9.
  19. ↑ "Asian Allies in Vietnam" (PDF). Embassy of South Vietnam. March 1970. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "America Wasn't the Only Foreign Power in the Vietnam War". Military History Now. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "Vietnam Reds Said to Hold 17 From Taiwan as Spies". The New York Times. 1964.

Read more

  • Edward Doyle, Samuel Lipsman, et al, Setting the Stage. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1981.
U.S.—57,605. South Vietnamese military—220,357. Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand—not listed. DRV and NLF deaths—444,000. Combined DRV and RVN civilian deaths—587,000.
  • Harry G. Summers, The Vietnam War Almanac. Novato CA: Presidio Press, 1985.
U.S. killed in action, died of wounds, died of other causes, missing and declared dead—57,690. South Vietnamese military killed—243,748. Republic of Korea killed—4,407. Australia and New Zealand (combined)—469. Thailand—351. The Vietnam People's Army and NLF (combined)—666,000. North Vietnamese civilian fatalities—65,000. South Vietnamese civilian dead—300,000.
  • Marc Leepson, ed, Webster's New World Dictionary of the Vietnam War. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
U.S. killed in action, etc.—58,159. South Vietnamese military—224,000. Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand—not listed. DRV military—not listed. DRV civilians—65,000. South Vietnamese civilians—300,000.
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