After-effects
The war ended after 1975, a lot of conflicts stayed. The North Vietnamese and the Vietcong were celebrating while the US-friends tried to escape. They had to because the North Vietnamese didn't bear the political dissidents; they feared a new arising. That's why the South Vietnamese were sent to camps where the North Vietnamese tried to change their mind. They were afraid of this, they did not have other choice than the flight. The richer ones had already gone at the beginning of 1975, most of them settled down in the USA. A few years later the northern government allowed them to emigrate.
The North Vietnamese people were a little bit disappointed. They sacrificed everything, but South got into a better situation. South was liberated and had better economy as well than Ha Noi. Though the people of the north had better chances while the South Vietnamese had to fight for a job, the life was easier in Saigon. Sai Gon was renamed to Ho Chi Minh town, but the capital was the smaller Ha Noi to show who won the war. The country suffered for the action of the primitive chemical weapons. There were several babies deformed, but it isn't typical any more.
The most important effect of the North's win was that the US and the non-Communist countries imposed several economical sanctions on Vietnam. Consequently, the economy couldn't develop so fast because of the narrowing of the market, since Vietnam had good relationship only with the Soviet Union and with China. With the second one it didn't lasted a long time as well. Until the fall of Communism, till the '90s, lived the embargo against Vietnam. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Vietnam had to find new market again. Though the economy was making good progress during this decade, Vietnam is still one of the poorest country in the world, where people sell their own kidney for some money indeed.
In the USA the war did not have so serious economical effects. Though the American administration spent more than 100 billion dollar, the moral loss was the more significant. The war ruined families, a lot of young people died. The trust in the politicians wavered. After Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter became the president, a Democrat at last. He tried to repair what the war brought to ruin. He wanted to recontact Vietnam diplomatically, but he couldn't because the Soviet influence was too strong.
The war didn't reach its aim. Vietnam did not fall under American influence. The USA lost this battle of the Cold War.