Question

Why was the strategic hamlet program unsuccessful?

Answer 1

The Strategic Hamlet Program was a failure, alienating more rural Vietnamese than it helped and contributing to the growth in influence of the Viet Cong. After President Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown in a coup in November 1963, the program was cancelled.

Answer 2

There was anger toward the program by South Vietnamese peasants, who were forcibly displaced from their lands.  The security provided by the hamlets was inadequate and actually provided  targets for the Viet Cong.