One positive outcome of the Vietnam War: enough time was bought in which to shore up Thailand in the face of its Communist insurgency, and that country plus Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, all of which also faced Communist insurgencies, did not fall to Communism. This is not merely theoretical: All of those people lived and live today at a level of prosperity and social cohesion not to be seen in (post-)Communist countries. The legacy of Communism still plagues the people of Vietnam to this day, for instance. You may not see it on your holiday, but if you penetrate the society you will begin to see the nastiness.

The foregoing was a factor in winning the Cold War.

I think we tend to forget that.