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As a result of more than eight years of these methods of warfare, it is estimated that more than two million Vietnamese were killed, three million wounded, and hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. It has been estimated that about twelve million Indochinese people became refugees. Between April 1975 and July 1982, approximately 1,218,000 were resettled in more than sixteen countries. About 500,000, the so-called boat people, tried to flee Vietnam by sea; according to rough estimates, ten to fifteen percent of these died, and those who survived the great hardships of their voyages were eventually faced with entry ceilings in the countries that agreed to accept them for resettlement.

In the Vietnam War, U.S. casualties rose to a total of 57,685 killed and about 153,303 wounded. At the time of the cease-fire agreement there were 587 U.S. military and civilian prisoners of war, all of whom were subsequently released. A current unofficial estimate puts the number of personnel still unaccounted for in the neighborhood of 2,500.

Less measurable but still significant costs were the social conflicts within the U.S. that were engendered by the war—the questioning of U. S. institutions by the American people and a sense of self-doubt.