Why Couldn't the United States Bomb Its Way to Victory in Vietnam?

Even though the U.S. dropped more bombs in the Vietnam War, than in World War II, it didn’t result in victory. Some military officials believed this was because the U.S. gradually escalated the number of bombs they dropped rather than going all-out until the North Vietnamese surrendered. President Johnson limited bombing because he feared Chinese intervention, didn’t want Soviet involvement, was aware of domestic antiwar sentiment, and wanted to avoid international criticism. President Johnson also wanted to avoid bombing areas with a high civilian count, and focused on destroying North Vietnam’s industry and transportation. To counter this North Vietnamese used lots of manpower to transport goods and got replacement supplies from China and the Soviet Union. They also had less military needs as they had fewer soldiers and waged guerrilla warfare. In the end it seemed that the tactics used against industrialized nations, in World War II, weren’t as effect in Vietnam.

What were some crucial reasons the U.S.A. didn’t drop a nuke on North Vietnam?

Do you think not beginning Operation Rolling Thunder with an all-out massive bombing was a bad idea?