The Vietnam War is one of the most talked about conflicts in history. Spanning almost twenty
years, the war was between North Vietnam and South Vietnam but became a global issue when
world powers began to show up. North Vietnam was supported by communist allies, the Soviet
Union and China. South Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, the Philippines,
Australia, and Thailand, which were staunchly against communism. The draft for the Vietnam War
in the United States created anger and division throughout the country. Whether you support the
war or not, one thing is certain: war is dirty…and we mean that literally. Hello and welcome back to
Nutty History. Today, we’re going to talk about what hygiene was like during the Vietnam War.
Vietnam is a beautiful country. People from all over the world flock to this southeast Asian
paradise. It is known for its stunning beaches, winding rivers, and magnificent jungles. While
the country does experience a monsoon season, if you don’t mind rain there isn’t really a
bad time to visit, since Vietnam experiences warm temperatures all year round. Humidity can get bad,
but who cares when you’re by the beach, right? For soldiers during the war, things were entirely
different. Much of the Vietnam War was fought in the jungle, which is an intensely inhospitable
environment. The forest covers almost 50% of the country, and the terrain is rough. Fighters faced
unimaginable temperatures, sometimes getting up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is bad when you’re
by the beach, but even worse when you’re in full military gear. Soldiers also had to endure painful
insect stings and bites that easily became infected. All of this took place in a moist
and humid environment that at the same time didn’t provide enough suitable drinking water.
And the water that was available? Well, that’s what caused a lot of the hygiene problems.
Even today, there are areas in Vietnam that don’t have access to safe drinking water,
so you can imagine what it was like back in the 50s, 60s and 70s. But move yourself into a rural
environment and the drinking situation got even more dire. Much of the water that soldiers had
access to during the war was contaminated, which led to many intestinal issues and illnesses.
Not only did the water make soldiers sick, but it also made it a lot harder for them to recover
from unrelated illnesses and injuries. Without access to clean water, nobody could probably
clean themselves or their cuts, which opened the door to a whole host of other issues. Soldiers
would use iodine tablets to purify water that they collected from streams or rainwater,
but it often didn’t do the trick and still resulted in illness. One of the longest lasting
impacts on health during the Vietnam War is the effects experienced from Agent Orange.
Agent Orange is an extremely toxic herbicide and defoliant chemical that was used as herbicidal
warfare by the United States and was sprayed across vast agricultural areas in Vietnam.
Millions of Vietnamese citizens have faced significant health problems because of the
chemical, including cancer and birth defects. Agriculture and species diversity was also
drastically impacted, and the country is still experiencing the negative effects of this chemical
warfare. Agent Orange is extraordinarily powerful, and once it was sprayed it seeped
into groundwater and water sources all over the country. This meant that citizens and soldiers
from both sides were exposed to it from drinking water that they thought was safe. Ironic that
the military tactic the U.S. used on their foe ended up negatively impacting themselves as well.
While it’s true that a few days without showering usually results in some rather aromatic body odor,
soldiers fighting in Vietnam had to deal with a lot worse than the smell of sweat. When someone
doesn’t have access to proper hygiene facilities it can greatly increase the risk of contracting
bacterial and viral infections, parasites, stomach issues, hepatitis, and much more.
And, as was already mentioned, lack of sanitation makes any pre-existing condition much worse.
Of course, this was not the experience for everyone. Some units were based in areas
that had fully functioning showers, toilets, and plenty of clean water.
However, as the war dragged on, the prevalence of jungle warfare grew, and most of the military
units in the jungle would spend weeks or even months at a time there. Interestingly,
for American soldiers, those who signed up for the war voluntarily were assigned positions
that had better access to hygiene facilities and daily comforts such as hot meals and even some
entertainment. It was the men who were drafted that often ended up on the front lines or were
stuck traipsing through the jungle for days on end without clean water or access to supplies.
Many of the soldiers in Vietnam spent a great deal of time on the move, and because of that
some pretty gross things happened to their feet. Sure, if you’re someone who hikes for a few days
you might be wondering what the issue is, but war is not like regular life. Soldiers at war could be
forced to travel on foot for days at a time, and Vietnam has some extremely challenging terrain.
Soldiers were moving across mountains and through environments, and none of them had
any fancy hiking gear. Many soldiers weren’t wearing appropriate footwear, and everyone
had to carry an enormous load of supplies on their back, putting even more strain on their feet. This
constant strain, plus the fact that many soldiers had a difficult time keeping their feet dry,
meant that many soldiers suffered from jungle rot and serious skin lesions and then would get
infected and could persist for ages. Nobody was able to receive adequate treatment in the jungle,
and often, even once treatment was available, a soldier wouldn’t have enough time to heal
properly before going back out to fight. Because of the horrifying conditions,
jungle rot didn’t just affect soldier’s feet. Men in the war had to deal with skin issues all
over their bodies, which would often smell, flake, and become very difficult to clean.
The loss of life during Vietnam was staggering, with the Vietnamese people suffering more losses
than anyone else. The brutality of war means that proper burial procedures are not always possible,
and many soldiers and civilians that lost their lives had to be hastily buried in shallow or
sometimes even mass graves. While there is no specific health risk associated with the handling
of dead bodies, the lack of proper sanitation procedures meant that many people in the Vietnam
War were exposed to rotting flesh and mutilated bodies. This exposure, while maybe not dangerous,
would certainly not contribute to a sterile environment. Without proper procedures taken,
bodies would smell and decay, which would make an already unpleasant environment even worse. On top
of the physical health implications, the emotional impact was great. Burying your loved ones and not
being able to grieve properly or even give them the decency of a funeral can stay with someone
for a lifetime. Being in such a fraught emotional state can make it difficult for someone to take
care of themselves properly, and in an environment where doing so is already difficult, it meant that
many soldiers and civilians were not able to care for themselves in the way they needed to.
Nowadays many people who have the privilege to do so shower every day. However,
during the Vietnam War, showering so frequently was not so common.
Even those who had access to a shower might only opt to shower once a week, so standards were very
different than they are today. If the Vietnam War was happening today, soldiers could opt to take
small cleaning wipes and sanitizer with them on their deployments to help keep themselves clean,
but those items were not readily available at the time, so often the only cleansing
agent soldiers had access to was water, which we now know was often contaminated.
Of course, even with additional cleaning supplies, war is still an incredibly messy business, and the
priority of soldiers is always more focused on staying alive rather than how clean they were.
Interestingly, one hygiene element that may have been well addressed during the Vietnam War was
dental hygiene. During WWII daily tooth brushing was mandated for American soldiers to protect
their dental health and promote overall good hygiene practices. While there is little data on
dental hygiene practices for Vietnamese soldiers and the other countries involved in the Vietnam
War, over the years it took place the world experienced a wave of dental hygiene awareness,
and, since tooth brushing instruments are fairly easy to pack, it’s likely that it was one of the
only elements of hygiene that was fairly easy to maintain, even during wartime. Most military
forces have specific dental requirements, so it was and continues to be an important aspect of
serving your country. While some militaries today might have high quality gear and good policies in
place, war is never hygienic. Even with the best gear, conditions like jungle rot can still happen,
and units might still find themselves stuck in locations without proper access to cleaning
facilities for days on end. It’s a dirty business, in more ways than one. Tell us in the comments
what questionable hygiene habits have you seen! And as always, thanks for watching Nutty History.