End of the Vietnam War

Question 1

When did Nixon become President?

Answer 1

1969

Question 2

What did Nixon promise the US public?

Answer 2

‘Honourable Peace’

Question 3

When did peace talks begin?

Answer 3

January 1969

Question 4

When did the US bombing raids on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia begin?

Answer 4

March 1969

Question 5

What were the 4 strategies that Nixon had for ‘Honourable Peace’?

Answer 5

Vietnamisation
Pressure
Negotiation
Bombing

Question 6

Who negotiated with North Vietnam?

Answer 6

Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s National Security Adviser, hoping to bring about a ceasefire

Question 7

How did Nixon use pressure as a strategy to get ‘Honourable Peace’?

Answer 7

He pressurised South Vietnam’s leaders to work on a deal with North Vietnam. He asked China and the USSR to pressurise North Vietnam into making a deal

Question 8

How did Nixon use bombing as a strategy to get ‘Honourable Peace’?

Answer 8

He increased bombing of North Vietnam and supply routes in Laos and Cambodia in the hope that it would force the communists to look for peace

Question 9

By what date had 25,000 US soldiers been withdrawn from Vietnam?

Answer 9

June 1969, with 60,000 US troops having been withdrawn by the end of the year

Question 10

What happened in August 1969?

Answer 10

Talks between the USA and North Vietnam began - kept in secret in the hope that discussions would be more open and honest

Question 11

When did final public peace talks take place?

Answer 11

December 1969

Question 12

When did secret peace talks resume?

Answer 12

February 1970

Question 13

What happened in April 1970?

Answer 13

US troops invade Cambodia. Nixon announces that 150,000 more soldiers are needed, which causes huge protest in the US

Question 14

When did US troops attack North Vietnamese troops in Laos?

Answer 14

February 1971

Question 15

When did Nixon announce that secret peace talks were taking place, in the hope of ‘peace with honour’?

Answer 15

January 1972

Question 16

When did Nixon visit China to improve relations?

Answer 16

February 1972

Question 17

What happened in March 1972?

Answer 17

North Vietnam attacks South Vietnam. The US bombs the Hanoi and Haiphong areas of North Vietnam in retaliation

Question 18

When did Nixon visit the USSR, in hope to improve relations?

Answer 18

May 1972

Question 19

What happened in October 1972?

Answer 19

North Vietnam proposes an ‘in place’ ceasefire - they will stop fighting if their troops can remain in any territory in South Vietnam that they occupy.
It is also agreed that South and North Vietnam will hold free elections
Nixon agrees to support the ceasefire and promises $1 Billion worth of military aid for South Vietnam

Question 20

When was the Paris Peace Accord agreed and signed?

Answer 20

27th January 1973

Question 21

When did the last of the US forces leave Vietnam?

Answer 21

March 1973

Question 22

When did Nixon resign, due to the Watergate Scandal?

Answer 22

August 1974, as a result, the financial aid promised to South Vietnam never happened

Question 23

What happened in December 1974?

Answer 23

North Vietnamese forces attack towns in South Vietnam. Over the next year, many cities, military bases and provinces are attacked and occupied

Question 24

When did Saigon fall into communist hands?

Answer 24

April 1975. It is renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Once again, Vietnam is a unified, communist country