The NVA ("Hard Hats") had modern equipment, excellent training and heavy weaponry, like 120mm mortars, 122mm artillery/rockets and occasionally, tanks. You never ran into platoons of NVA - just battalions. If you thought you were taking on a platoon, you were wrong. By the time we (the US) were landing in Danang, the NVA had two divisions at minimum in South Vietnam - but of course, nobody outside of Vietnam knew that, since the press was telling everyone that the northerners weren't there.
They should have asked us.
I do understand that there was a major faction of the "antiwar" movement that were simply against losing their lives or the lives of their loved ones in that war - but they were mistaken. The pro-enemy faction controlled the narrative and overall the movements ended up helping the enemy and hindering us.
One part was "accidental" treason and the other very direct and intentional treason - and that last part rose to control our country now.
Thanks for the descriptions!
Yes, the worst of them are running the country now; they learned a lot from Ho Chi Minh about how to suppress people.