Reasons For Vietnamisation Failure

Question 1

What happened after N. Vietnam took Saigon?

Answer 1

Vietnam became a communist government

Question 2

Why did US troops no longer fight to win?

Answer 2

They were going home

Question 3

How is US troops not fighting to win hypocritical?

Answer 3

They criticised ARVN for avoiding battles with VC

Question 4

How much did fragging rise?

Answer 4

To 209 in 1970

Question 5

How much of the US army were heroin addicts?

Answer 5

35,000

Question 6

What was good and bad about ARVN?

Answer 6

Effective and provided own officers
Not enough soldiers despite conscription, 150,500 deserted army in 1971

Question 7

The US supplied training and equipment but over time how did this change?

Answer 7

Congress started restricting funding

Question 8

Why was training often hurried?

Answer 8

Due to the need for South Vietnamese officers

Question 9

How many officers has less than a year’s experience in 1971?

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

What was the problem with the manuals for US equipment?

Answer 10

Often in English which many ARVN couldn’t read

Question 11

Hat did the departure of US troops set off?

Answer 11

An economic crisis and 300,000 S. Vietnamese lost their jobs

Question 12

How did the government in Saigon fall politically?

Answer 12

. Members competed for power rather than running country
. Government was corrupt and lacked support from S. Vietnamese
. Many S. Vietnamese hated the government as it was seen as a puppet to the US.

Question 13

How did the government in Saigon fall militarily?

Answer 13

ARVN couldn’t hold out against North Vietnamese, despite efforts to increase its size and efficiency

Question 14

What was under increased pressure from June 1972?

Answer 14

Trying to make peace between North Vietnam and USA

Question 15

Who refused to sign the peace agreement of October 1972?

Answer 15

South Vietnam as they felr increasingly left out of negotiations and felt abandoned by USA

Question 16

What did Nixon do?

Answer 16

Brought in huge amounts of military equipment and supplies, and promised continued support for South Vietnam

Question 17

Who signed the Paris Agreement (27 January 1973)?

Answer 17

USA, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government

Question 18

What did the Paris peace agreements do?

Answer 18

Set up a ceasefire and a timetable for peaceful reunification of Vietnam
Very few believed it would do anything other than provide a ceasfire while US withdrew troops

Question 19

What did the South Vietnamese government refuse to do for the months after the Paris Agreement?

Answer 19

Refused to negotiate with the communists

Question 20

How did Vietnam finally become a united, communist country?

Answer 20

March 1975, North Vietnamese army swept through South Vietnam
Congress refused to provide more aid south
Last Americans in Saigon left in a way that was anything but ‘honourable’
When Saigon fell, Vietnam became a united, communist country

Question 21

Why were ARVN officers reluctant to lead troops into battle?

Answer 21

They didn’t want to admit struggling in combat

Question 22

What was the problem with corruption in ARVN?

Answer 22

Made it hard to know about troop numbers (some officers lied about numbers)
Military supplies were sometimes stolen and sold off