Vietnam Flashcards
1
Q
What was the aim of the ICP?
A
To work towards independence from the French
2
Q
When were the Viet Minh formed and by who?
A
During WW2 by the ICP
3
Q
What was the role of the Viet Minh?
A
To resist Japanese occupation
4
Q
Who supported the Viet Minh in 1941?
A
USA
5
Q
When did the Viet Minh seize power from the Japanese and declare independence?
A
In September 1945
6
Q
When did France attack the Viet Minh and where?
A
1946 at Haipong
7
Q
What did the USSR and China recognise in 1950?
A
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam
8
Q
When was the battle at Dien Bien Phu and what was the outcome?
A
1954, French lost
9
Q
What conference happened as a result of the battle at Dien Bien Phu?
A
Geneva Conference
10
Q
Along which parallel was Vietnam split into north and south?
A
The 17th
11
Q
Who were the leaders in both North and South at the time of the Geneva Conference?
A
North - Ho Chi Minh
South - Ngo Dinh Diem
12
Q
What did the USSR propose in 1957 that the USA refused to?
A
A permanent split in Vietnam
13
Q
What did Ho Chi Minh declare in March 1959?
A
Revolution to unite Vietnam as a communist state
14
Q
By what year did US aid increase to south Vietnam and begin to train the AVRN?
A
1960
15
Q
In what year was Diem overthrown and who replaced him?
A
1963
General Nguyen Khanh
16
Q
What year was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
A
1964
17
Q
By 1966, how many US troops were stationed in Vietnam and what tactic began?
A
500,000
Search and Destroy
18
Q
What attack was launched by the North in January 1968?
A
The tet offensive
19
Q
When was the Mai Lai Massacre?
A
March 1968
20
Q
When did Ho Chi Minh die?
A
1969
21
Q
What date was Nixon elected as president?
A
5th November 1968
22
Q
What year were the peace talks in Paris finally successful as a ceasefire was signed?
A
March 1973
23
Q
In what year did the North invade the South?
A
1975
24
Q
When was Saigon renamed ‘Ho Chi Minh city’?
A
1976
25
By when was the war in Vietnam going badly for the French?
Middle of 1953
26
By 1953, how many French had died and how many were left in old Indochina?
74,000 killed
| 190,000 were still in old Indochina
27
What was the name of the general at Dien Bien Phu?
General Henri Navarre
28
Why was Dien Bien Phu, General Navarre's chosen location?
To relieve the threat from Laos and tempt Viet Minh into open battle
29
Who was the leader of Viet Minh at DBP and how many troops did he train?
Giap
40,000
30
What did the Viet Minh take the French by?
Surprise
31
When was DBP successfully taken by the Viet Minh?
7th May 1954
32
How many French died in the battle at DBP?
90,000 (killed or missing)
33
How many were lost by the Viet Minh at DBP?
200,000
34
What did the ceasefire signed in Geneva mean for the French?
That they had to withdraw
35
When were national elections supposed to be held (according to the Geneva conference)?
1956
36
What did the Geneva conference forbid?
Foreign bases
37
How long was freedom of movement allowed for between north and south after the Geneva conference?
300 days
38
What idea was US involvement supporting?
Truman Doctrine
39
What did the south refuse to do in 1956?
Take part in elections
40
How many US advisors were in Vietnam by November 1963?
10,000 (they were training the AVRN)
41
Which event allowed Johnson to become directly involved in the Vietnam War?
The Gulf of Tonkin incident
42
Name the 5 main reasons for the overthrow of Diem
```
Lack of land reforms
Oppressive social control
Lack of religious tolerance
International outcry
Withdrawal of US support
```
43
Why was land the main issue for Vietnam?
Because 85% lived in the countryside
44
What did Diem reverse (in terms of land)?
The Viet Minh redistribution of land which gave land to poor peasants
45
Who did Diem give land to?
Northern Catholic Refugees
46
What was Diem's plan (in terms of the Viet Cong)?
To isolate them and to deny them supplies and recruits
47
What were strategic hamlets?
Moving villages from where they were accessible to the VC
48
Why were the strategic hamlets unpopular with the villagers?
Because many didn't want to leave their land as it was passed through generations, also they didn't want to leave the graves of loved ones behind
49
What happened on 8th May 1963?
Civil Guards opened fire on Buddhists who were protesting against the new law that forbade the flying of Buddhist flag on Buddha's birthday
50
What religion was the most prevalent in Vietnam?
Buddhism
51
What happened on the 11th June 1963?
Quang Duc, a 73 year old monk set himself on fire in protest of Diem's treatment of the Buddhists
52
What did the US do as a result of Diem's behaviour?
They froze their loans
53
What did the US threaten to do if Diem didn't change?
Military withdrawal
54
What did the US encourage against Diem?
A coup
55
When was Diem killed?
1st November 1963
56
When were US forces helping the AVRN carry out raids on North Vietnamese radar stations?
End of July 1964
57
What was the Maddox doing with the AVRN boats?
Accompanying them and listening to the radio traffic signals
58
Where was the Maddox claiming itself to be and where were the communists claiming her to be?
That they were in international waters however the communists believed that she was in their waters
59
How many communist boats launched torpedoes and what was the result?
3, they all missed
60
Did anyone on board have visual sightings of the North Vietnamese?
No and no one heard gun shots either
61
How did the Maddox respond to the 'attack'?
She fired back, sinking one of the boats and severely damaging the other two
62
How did Johnson label the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
As 'a repeated attack of violence on US forces'
63
What did the Gulf of Tonkin incident result in congress doing?
They passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution
64
What did the Gulf of Tonkin resolution allow Johnson to do?
To become militarily involved in the Vietnam war
65
Who made up the Viet Cong?
Men and women from villages and some readily trained soldiers trained in guerrilla warfare
66
Give an example of one of the traps that the VC used to capture US soldiers
The spike trap pit
67
Who supplied the VC with weapons and name one hing that they supplied the VC with
The USSR
| AK-47
68
What food did the VC carry with them?
Only one ration of rice
69
Who did the VC rely on for food and supplies?
Villagers
70
Name the supply trail for the VC that ran through Cambodia and Laos
Ho Chi Minh trail
71
How would the VC attack the AVRN and US troops?
They would ambush them (particularly at night)
72
What didn't the VC have that made them hard to spot?
A uniform
73
Who helped to keep the VC hidden from the US troops?
Villagers
74
What would the VC be doing by day and by night?
By day they would be working in the village and by night they would work as soldiers
75
What did the VC use to keep them concealed and safe?
Underground tunnels
76
When was operation rolling thunder launched?
7th February 1965
77
What was operation rolling thunder?
The intense bombing of industrial and military targets in northern Vietnam
78
Why did Operation Rolling Thunder fail?
Because Vietnam was a peasant society so many were left unaffected by the bombing
79
How many aircraft were shot down by the communists during Operation Rolling Thunder?
14,000
80
What was agent orange?
A highly toxic herbicide dropped on Vietnam to destroy the rainforest and reveal the Ho Chi Minh trail
81
How many litres of agent orange were used in total?
82 million
82
How many pounds of defoliants were used across the 30,000 missions?
100 million
83
How many acres and people were affected by Americas use of herbicides?
4 million acres
| 1.3 million people
84
What was the effect of Napalm on the jungle and on the people?
It destroyed the jungle and would burn through the skin down to the bone
85
How many tonnes of Napalm were dropped between 1965-1973?
20,000
86
What was 'search and destroy'?
Helicopters would descend on a village and destroy any VC that were found
87
What was the measure of success for Americans during search and destroy?
Body counts
88
What was a zippo raid and how did it earn its nickname?
It was the raiding and burning down villages of the VC (although often it was innocent people who lost their homes) and it was nicknamed a zippo raid after the zippo lighters that they used
89
Why was morale so low in Vietnam for the US troops and what was their only aim?
Because no one understood what they were fighting for and just wanted to make it out alive
90
How many US incidents of desertion were there?
Over 500,000 (although this figure includes individuals who deserted more than once)
91
Of the 56,000 Americans who were killed, what percentage of them were aged 17-21?
60%
92
What was fragging?
It was the blowing up of officers and making it look like an accident
93
What was common among the GI's (in terms of behaviour)
Drug addiction
94
What was the thing that the GI's struggle with the most while in Vietnam?
The climate as for many they had never been to another country before so it was quite a shock to be in such hot conditions
95
What did the North launch on the 31st January 1968?
The tet offensive
96
How many places were attacked by the VC in the tet offensive?
Over 100 places including Hue and Danang)
97
In what city was the US embassy and what happened to it during the tet offensive?
Saigon, the embassy was captured
98
How long did the offensive (tet) last for?
48 hours
99
How many VC were killed in the tet offensive and how long did it take them to recover from this?
30,000
4 years
100
What was the aim of the VC in the tet offensive?
To cause an uprising in the South
101
Why were the US public so shocked by the tet offensive?
Because they didn't understand how such a large attack could be launched if the VC were losing
102
What did North Vietnam agree to after their defeat in the tet offensive?
Peace talks
103
What did General Westmoreland request after the offensive?
200,000 more troops, he was denied the request
104
What did Johnson announce as a result of the tet offensive?
That he wouldn't be seeking re-election
105
Where were the 48th VC battalion believed to be after the tet offensive?
In the village of Son My (which was split into Mai Lai 1, 2, 3 and 4)
106
When were Charlie Company of 23rd infantry division ordered to eliminate the 48th battalion?
On the 16th March 1968
107
What were the soldiers told (in regards to civilians) before they entered the village? (Mai Lai massacre)
That all the civilians would've left
108
When did the first assault begin and who by?
At 8am, the first platoon led by 2nd lieutenant Calley began the assault
109
Where did the first platoon begin the assault?
Mai Lai 4
110
What happened to the houses? (Mai Lai Massacre)
They were burnt
111
Of those who were killed at Mai Lai, what were the age ranges and genders?
It was elderly, women and children
112
How were the women treated during Mai Lai?
They were gang raped
113
Who witnessed the Mai Lai massacre and tried to get Calley to stop?
Helicopter Pilot, Hugh Thompson
114
As well as trying to stop Calley, what else did Thompson do to help the people of Mai Lai?
He tried to rescue them
115
How many people were estimated to have been killed at the Mai Lai Massacre?
Between 147 and 500
116
What did the media coverage had to follow what?
An official line of policy
117
What was created by the US army to ensure that certain information would be revealed?
MACV (military assistance common Vietnam)
118
When did Time magazine praise the war?
In 1962
119
In what year did John Waybe star in the film 'The Green Berets'?
1968
120
What was shown in 'The Green Berets' from the US and from the VC?
Humanitarian aid from the US and the brutality of the VC
121
How long did it take information about the Mai Lai massacre to be released to the public?
18 months
122
On the 5th August 1965, what did CBS evening news show a GI doing?
Setting fire to a villagers straw hut while they begged for mercy in a zippo raid
123
Describe one famous image surrounding a napalm attack
It showed a young girl running naked after having her clothes being burnt off
124
Describe a famous image of a monk that was also shown to the public?
Footage of monks setting themselves alight in the lotus position and dying in protest of the war
125
What did the chief of the south Vietnamese police do that was captured by a film crew during the tet offensive?
Shot a VC captive at close range in the head
126
What statement was put forward by Cronkite after the tet offensive which changed the opinion of many Americans about the war?
That they were in stalemate and that the war wasn't winnable
127
When was the Mai Lai massacre leaked to the public?
November 1969
128
When were the first protests made against the war and by who?
1964 by students
129
What was the name of the student group which held a 36 hour 'teach-in' against the war in the university of CA, when did it happen and how many attended it?
Vietnam Day Committee, 30,000 attended, it was held in 1965
130
What demonstration did students at the University of CA make with their draft cards?
They burnt them
131
When did Norman Morrison set himself on fire and where did he do it?
November 1965 outside Robert McNamara's office (the secretary of defence)
132
When did 10,000 protestors March to the Lincoln memorial and how many arrests were there?
October 1967
| There were 647 arrests
133
Which iconic sporting champion refused the draft in 1966?
Muhammad Ali
134
Who declared the war as immoral?
Martin Luther King
135
Who planted bombs in offices in protest and when did they do it?
Sam Melville in 1969
136
When was the Kent State University protest and what was the result?
4th May 1970, the National Guard shot 4 people dead
137
In response to the events at the Kent State University protest, what happened?
100,000 demonstrators marched on Washington and more than 4 million wen on National Student Strike
138
What happened to 30 reserve officers training corps buildings during the protest movements?
They were set on fire
139
What were the Fulbright Hearings and when did they happen?
A series of 22 hearings for proposals to withdraw from the war in 1971
140
What did William Fulbright openly do during the Fulbright Hearings?
Openly opposed American involvement and referred to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution as being 'fraudulent'
141
In 1971 what did veterans do in protest to the war?
They led an anti war March and threw away 700 medals
142
When did peace talks initially begin and where?
In 1968 in Paris
143
What did America want during the peace talks and what did the north Vietnamese want?
America - for the south to be free from communist influence
| North V - for the south to be free from 'foreign' (American) influence
144
What did Nixon order in 1970 to destroy the trail?
The invasion of Cambodia
145
By 1970, how many US troops remained in Vietnam?
150,000 were left from a previous total of over 500,000
146
Which operation was launched in April 1971?
Operation Linebacker
147
Describe what Operation Linebacker was?
A massive air attack of B52 bombers
148
What were the main targets of Operation Linebacker and what was its aim?
Roads, railways, ports, storage depots
The aim was to put pressure on the North Vietnamese to skew the peace talks seriously
149
When was the 11 day bombing campaign and how many bombs were dropped over NV cities (operation linebacker)?
Christmas 1972
20,000 tonnes
150
When were the Paris peace talks resumed?
January 1973
151
On what date was a peace agreement finally reached?
23rd April 1973
152
What did Nixon refer to the peace agreement as?
Peace with honour
153
What did President Thieu (leader of the south) view the agreement as?
A betrayal
154
Name 5 terms of the peace agreement
```
All forces to be returned
POWs returned
Missing in action accounted for
Soldiers to be reunited with families
Peaceful co-existence was desirable
```
155
As a result of the peace agreement what did the NVA do?
They moved south
156
How many south Vietnamese were killed as a result of the North invasion of the South?
180,000
157
How many people tried to flee from the US embassy as a result of the invasion from the North?
More than 5,000
158
What city did the NVA capture which meant the fall of south Vietnam?
Saigon
159
Why were the embassy gates never opened for people the south Vietnamese who wished to leave?
Because the Americans forgot to play the signal on the Saigon radio 'White Christmas'
160
When did North Vietnam continue their offensive into the South after the US withdrew?
1975
161
What did the NVA do in their attack which was against the 1973 agreement?
They attacked from Cambodia and Laos
162
When had Saigon fallen by?
The end of April 1975
163
What was Saigon renamed after being captured?
'Ho Chi Minh City'
164
How were the remaining US officials removed from Vietnam?
Airlifted by helicopter off the embassy roof
165
Who else did the helicopters save from the embassy?
South Vietnamese who wished to leave the country
166
What did the US stop sending to South Vietnam after the agreement in Paris?
Support (money and arms)
167
In what year was the Indochinese communist party formed and who formed it?
1930 by Ho Chi Minh
