Was Americanization in the Vietnam war inevitable?

1...Arm and trust the locals. Fortify villages, giving the villagers weapons and radiOS so that they can defend themselves against intruders and call for help as needed. Resettle the refugees from the N. and arm them too. This was the British strategy in Malaya - and it worked.
2...Provide the S. Vietnamese government with enough military strength to finish the job quickly. Not pretty, but it can work. The French government in the Middle Ages had no more trouble from the Cathars after they went in mob-handed and destroyed their politico/religious structures.