If the U.S. invades North Vietnam, does China militarily intervene?

[Remitonov]

if China DID intervene, you'd wonder whether the NVA redeploys north to stop them. Seriously.

I'd think they'd have no choice but to accept whatever terms China issues to them, given that however bad they are, it'll still keep the US at the DMZ. If they resisted, then it's already game over.

 

[CaliGuy]

if China DID intervene, you'd wonder whether the NVA redeploys north to stop them. Seriously.

TBH, I suspect that the North Vietnamese would reluctantly tolerate the Chinese presence in Vietnam in this TL in order to fight the greater evil--specifically the Americans. However, if China refuses to leave North Vietnam after the end of the war, then perhaps North Vietnam can turn its guns on China.

 

[CaliGuy]

From what I remember from talking to people who had some knowledge of the possible Chinese reaction it was believed that the Chinese would not react to a US invasion of North Vietnam because unlike the Korean war the threat to the Industrial hart of China was much less.

Did China have little industry in the south?

 

[M. Adolphe Thiers]

Did China have little industry in the south?

Not sure, but Manchuria has always been a major industrial center. Actually, I think their infrastructure was actually underdeveloped along the Vietnamese border which is another issue that Pentagon war planners didn't appreciate.

As previously stated, no invasion happened because of US paranoia of Korea 2.0, but in hindsight depending on when we're talking here, China's internal problems would have most likely gotten in the way of intervention. Especially during the Cultural Revolution.

 

[chris N]

Vietnam had a historic dislike of the Chinese. It was a well known fact that the PRC would take some of the military equipment that the USSR was shipping to North Vietnam by rail. It was by this means that the Peoples Liberation Army was able to make improvements to its weapons. While the PLA did send "advisors" into Vietnam it is extremely doubtful that the North Vietnamese Government would welcome any volunteers. Remember Vietnam and China fought a border War after the Vietnamese War when China sought to teach them a lesson.

 

[marathag]

China alone didn't have a nuclear stockpile in the same universe as the US in the 60s, and probably wouldn't initiate an exchange without Soviet assurance, which would be difficult to come by.

In 1965, they had 5 devices, and would be dropped from copies of the Tu-4 Bull, a copy of the B-29A

USA had 32195 in 1965, USSR 6128