Laos was a contested area by the US and USSR, with military backing and advisors in country. Both the US and USSR wanted to avoid a full scale confrontation in Laos, so through a negotiated settlement they withdrew their forces, the exception was the N. Vietnamese forces, they stayed in country. so the covert effort was ramped up by the CIA, with covert military ops as well.
It would seem that the US and USSR wanted to keep this on the down low, but the USSR had a trump card, the NVA who strengthened their forces in Laos.
The US would eventually cease their Military (air) and covert ops in Laos and their allies in Laos fled to Thailand. Laos would fall to the communists in 1975.
On a much the same vein, Cambodia, which was neutral during the war was another hot bed of covert ops and US backing. It too fell to the communists eventually and then the twist, the Khmer turned on the NVA who occupied their country.
So it wasn't the Chinese that the US was worried about. China did supply advisors, arms and some reconstruction units to N. Vietnam early in the war, but remember there was a rift between the USSR and China in the late 60s and China was preparing for war with the USSR after relations between the countries soured over the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and they were never really worried about a split Vietnam ever, so they withdrew all support because N. Vietnam would not sever ties with the USSR, at their request.
It would seem that the US and USSR wanted to keep this on the down low, but the USSR had a trump card, the NVA who strengthened their forces in Laos.
The US would eventually cease their Military (air) and covert ops in Laos and their allies in Laos fled to Thailand. Laos would fall to the communists in 1975.
On a much the same vein, Cambodia, which was neutral during the war was another hot bed of covert ops and US backing. It too fell to the communists eventually and then the twist, the Khmer turned on the NVA who occupied their country.
So it wasn't the Chinese that the US was worried about. China did supply advisors, arms and some reconstruction units to N. Vietnam early in the war, but remember there was a rift between the USSR and China in the late 60s and China was preparing for war with the USSR after relations between the countries soured over the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and they were never really worried about a split Vietnam ever, so they withdrew all support because N. Vietnam would not sever ties with the USSR, at their request.
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