1965 Civic Education Service Map of Southeast Asia During the Vietnam War

This is a 1965 Civil Education Service pictorial map of Southeast Asia highlighting regional social and political divisions during the Vietnam War.

A Closer Look

The map depicts from Burma and Thailand to the South China Sea and from China to the Gulf of Siam and the Ca Mau Peninsula. A product of the Cold War (1947 - 1991) and the Vietnam War (1955 - 1975), the ideological fight between communism and capitalism is immediately apparent, with communist countries shaded red and capitalist countries shaded green - 'the color of money', ironically. China and North Vietnam are red, while Laos is half red and half green, a vivid illustration of the fight between the Pathet Lao forces and anti-communist government-backed forces. Thailand, Burma, and South Vietnam are green, while Cambodia is a dull red, indicating its neutral but pro-communist stance. Icons along the South Vietnamese coast indicate American naval, helicopter, air bases, and troop concentrations. Text boxes provide context, highlighting, for example, the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Airmobile Division and locations of important battles. Other vignettes highlight the now famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, the supply route from North Vietnam through Laos into South Vietnam, areas of guerrilla activity, and the U.S. Seventh Fleet stationed over the Vietnamese Coast. Short biographies of important leaders, including Ho Chi Minh, Nguyen Cao Ky, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia, and Prince Souvanna Phouma of Laos are accompanied by portraits. A text box in the lower left provides context concerning America's escalating role and an assessment of the current state of affairs there.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the Civil Education Service in 1965. The OCLC catalogs this map at nine institutions: the University of Maine at Orono, Cornell University, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, the University of Chicago, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center, Auburn University, Utah State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of California, Riverside. It is rare on the private market.