I wouldn&#x27;t conflate the communists in Vietnam (USSR ally) with those in Cambodia (Chinese ally). Vietnam fought wars with both of the latter countries.<p>Winning battles doesn&#x27;t count for much if you don&#x27;t meet your strategic objectives (if you even have any). The same story has played out many times since then; the Soviets dominated the Afghans in every possible way, but accomplished nothing of note. Iraq now is much the same.