TheVietnam War(Vietnamese:Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as theSecond Indochina War, and known in Vietnam asResistance War Against America(Vietnamese:Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply theAmerican War, was a war that occurred inVietnam,Laos, andCambodiafrom 1 November 1955 to thefall of Saigonon 30 April 1975. It was the second of theIndochina Warsand was officially fought betweenNorth Vietnamand the government ofSouth Vietnam. The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies and the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States, Philippines and otheranti-communistalliesand the war is therefore considered aCold War-eraproxy war.