Vietnam Flashcards

1
Q

What was the aim of the ICP?

A

To work towards independence from the French

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2
Q

When were the Viet Minh formed and by who?

A

During WW2 by the ICP

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3
Q

What was the role of the Viet Minh?

A

To resist Japanese occupation

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4
Q

Who supported the Viet Minh in 1941?

A

USA

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5
Q

When did the Viet Minh seize power from the Japanese and declare independence?

A

In September 1945

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6
Q

When did France attack the Viet Minh and where?

A

1946 at Haipong

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7
Q

What did the USSR and China recognise in 1950?

A

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam

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8
Q

When was the battle at Dien Bien Phu and what was the outcome?

A

1954, French lost

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9
Q

What conference happened as a result of the battle at Dien Bien Phu?

A

Geneva Conference

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10
Q

Along which parallel was Vietnam split into north and south?

A

The 17th

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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

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12
Q

What did the USSR propose in 1957 that the USA refused to?

A

A permanent split in Vietnam

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13
Q

What did Ho Chi Minh declare in March 1959?

A

Revolution to unite Vietnam as a communist state

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14
Q

By what year did US aid increase to south Vietnam and begin to train the AVRN?

A

1960

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15
Q

In what year was Diem overthrown and who replaced him?

A

1963

General Nguyen Khanh

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16
Q

What year was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

A

1964

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17
Q

By 1966, how many US troops were stationed in Vietnam and what tactic began?

A

500,000

Search and Destroy

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18
Q

What attack was launched by the North in January 1968?

A

The tet offensive

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19
Q

When was the Mai Lai Massacre?

A

March 1968

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20
Q

When did Ho Chi Minh die?

A

1969

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21
Q

What date was Nixon elected as president?

A

5th November 1968

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22
Q

What year were the peace talks in Paris finally successful as a ceasefire was signed?

A

March 1973

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23
Q

In what year did the North invade the South?

A

1975

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24
Q

When was Saigon renamed ‘Ho Chi Minh city’?

A

1976

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25
Q

By when was the war in Vietnam going badly for the French?

A

Middle of 1953

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26
Q

By 1953, how many French had died and how many were left in old Indochina?

A

74,000 killed

190,000 were still in old Indochina

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27
Q

What was the name of the general at Dien Bien Phu?

A

General Henri Navarre

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28
Q

Why was Dien Bien Phu, General Navarre’s chosen location?

A

To relieve the threat from Laos and tempt Viet Minh into open battle

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29
Q

Who was the leader of Viet Minh at DBP and how many troops did he train?

A

Giap

40,000

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30
Q

What did the Viet Minh take the French by?

A

Surprise

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31
Q

When was DBP successfully taken by the Viet Minh?

A

7th May 1954

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32
Q

How many French died in the battle at DBP?

A

90,000 (killed or missing)

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33
Q

How many were lost by the Viet Minh at DBP?

A

200,000

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34
Q

What did the ceasefire signed in Geneva mean for the French?

A

That they had to withdraw

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35
Q

When were national elections supposed to be held (according to the Geneva conference)?

A

1956

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36
Q

What did the Geneva conference forbid?

A

Foreign bases

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37
Q

How long was freedom of movement allowed for between north and south after the Geneva conference?

A

300 days

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38
Q

What idea was US involvement supporting?

A

Truman Doctrine

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39
Q

What did the south refuse to do in 1956?

A

Take part in elections

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40
Q

How many US advisors were in Vietnam by November 1963?

A

10,000 (they were training the AVRN)

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41
Q

Which event allowed Johnson to become directly involved in the Vietnam War?

A

The Gulf of Tonkin incident

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42
Q

Name the 5 main reasons for the overthrow of Diem

A
Lack of land reforms
Oppressive social control
Lack of religious tolerance 
International outcry
Withdrawal of US support
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43
Q

Why was land the main issue for Vietnam?

A

Because 85% lived in the countryside

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44
Q

What did Diem reverse (in terms of land)?

A

The Viet Minh redistribution of land which gave land to poor peasants

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45
Q

Who did Diem give land to?

A

Northern Catholic Refugees

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46
Q

What was Diem’s plan (in terms of the Viet Cong)?

A

To isolate them and to deny them supplies and recruits

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47
Q

What were strategic hamlets?

A

Moving villages from where they were accessible to the VC

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48
Q

Why were the strategic hamlets unpopular with the villagers?

A

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

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49
Q

What happened on 8th May 1963?

A

Civil Guards opened fire on Buddhists who were protesting against the new law that forbade the flying of Buddhist flag on Buddha’s birthday

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50
Q

What religion was the most prevalent in Vietnam?

A

Buddhism

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51
Q

What happened on the 11th June 1963?

A

Quang Duc, a 73 year old monk set himself on fire in protest of Diem’s treatment of the Buddhists

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52
Q

What did the US do as a result of Diem’s behaviour?

A

They froze their loans

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53
Q

What did the US threaten to do if Diem didn’t change?

A

Military withdrawal

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54
Q

What did the US encourage against Diem?

A

A coup

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55
Q

When was Diem killed?

A

1st November 1963

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56
Q

When were US forces helping the AVRN carry out raids on North Vietnamese radar stations?

A

End of July 1964

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57
Q

What was the Maddox doing with the AVRN boats?

A

Accompanying them and listening to the radio traffic signals

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58
Q

Where was the Maddox claiming itself to be and where were the communists claiming her to be?

A

That they were in international waters however the communists believed that she was in their waters

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59
Q

How many communist boats launched torpedoes and what was the result?

A

3, they all missed

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60
Q

Did anyone on board have visual sightings of the North Vietnamese?

A

No and no one heard gun shots either

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61
Q

How did the Maddox respond to the ‘attack’?

A

She fired back, sinking one of the boats and severely damaging the other two

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62
Q

How did Johnson label the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

A

As ‘a repeated attack of violence on US forces’

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63
Q

What did the Gulf of Tonkin incident result in congress doing?

A

They passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution

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64
Q

What did the Gulf of Tonkin resolution allow Johnson to do?

A

To become militarily involved in the Vietnam war

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65
Q

Who made up the Viet Cong?

A

Men and women from villages and some readily trained soldiers trained in guerrilla warfare

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66
Q

Give an example of one of the traps that the VC used to capture US soldiers

A

The spike trap pit

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67
Q

Who supplied the VC with weapons and name one hing that they supplied the VC with

A

The USSR

AK-47

68
Q

What food did the VC carry with them?

A

Only one ration of rice

69
Q

Who did the VC rely on for food and supplies?

A

Villagers

70
Q

Name the supply trail for the VC that ran through Cambodia and Laos

A

Ho Chi Minh trail

71
Q

How would the VC attack the AVRN and US troops?

A

They would ambush them (particularly at night)

72
Q

What didn’t the VC have that made them hard to spot?

A

A uniform

73
Q

Who helped to keep the VC hidden from the US troops?

A

Villagers

74
Q

What would the VC be doing by day and by night?

A

By day they would be working in the village and by night they would work as soldiers

75
Q

What did the VC use to keep them concealed and safe?

A

Underground tunnels

76
Q

When was operation rolling thunder launched?

A

7th February 1965

77
Q

What was operation rolling thunder?

A

The intense bombing of industrial and military targets in northern Vietnam

78
Q

Why did Operation Rolling Thunder fail?

A

Because Vietnam was a peasant society so many were left unaffected by the bombing

79
Q

How many aircraft were shot down by the communists during Operation Rolling Thunder?

A

14,000

80
Q

What was agent orange?

A

A highly toxic herbicide dropped on Vietnam to destroy the rainforest and reveal the Ho Chi Minh trail

81
Q

How many litres of agent orange were used in total?

A

82 million

82
Q

How many pounds of defoliants were used across the 30,000 missions?

A

100 million

83
Q

How many acres and people were affected by Americas use of herbicides?

A

4 million acres

1.3 million people

84
Q

What was the effect of Napalm on the jungle and on the people?

A

It destroyed the jungle and would burn through the skin down to the bone

85
Q

How many tonnes of Napalm were dropped between 1965-1973?

A

20,000

86
Q

What was ‘search and destroy’?

A

Helicopters would descend on a village and destroy any VC that were found

87
Q

What was the measure of success for Americans during search and destroy?

A

Body counts

88
Q

What was a zippo raid and how did it earn its nickname?

A

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
Q

Why was morale so low in Vietnam for the US troops and what was their only aim?

A

Because no one understood what they were fighting for and just wanted to make it out alive

90
Q

How many US incidents of desertion were there?

A

Over 500,000 (although this figure includes individuals who deserted more than once)

91
Q

Of the 56,000 Americans who were killed, what percentage of them were aged 17-21?

A

60%

92
Q

What was fragging?

A

It was the blowing up of officers and making it look like an accident

93
Q

What was common among the GI’s (in terms of behaviour)

A

Drug addiction

94
Q

What was the thing that the GI’s struggle with the most while in Vietnam?

A

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
Q

What did the North launch on the 31st January 1968?

A

The tet offensive

96
Q

How many places were attacked by the VC in the tet offensive?

A

Over 100 places including Hue and Danang)

97
Q

In what city was the US embassy and what happened to it during the tet offensive?

A

Saigon, the embassy was captured

98
Q

How long did the offensive (tet) last for?

A

48 hours

99
Q

How many VC were killed in the tet offensive and how long did it take them to recover from this?

A

30,000

4 years

100
Q

What was the aim of the VC in the tet offensive?

A

To cause an uprising in the South

101
Q

Why were the US public so shocked by the tet offensive?

A

Because they didn’t understand how such a large attack could be launched if the VC were losing

102
Q

What did North Vietnam agree to after their defeat in the tet offensive?

A

Peace talks

103
Q

What did General Westmoreland request after the offensive?

A

200,000 more troops, he was denied the request

104
Q

What did Johnson announce as a result of the tet offensive?

A

That he wouldn’t be seeking re-election

105
Q

Where were the 48th VC battalion believed to be after the tet offensive?

A

In the village of Son My (which was split into Mai Lai 1, 2, 3 and 4)

106
Q

When were Charlie Company of 23rd infantry division ordered to eliminate the 48th battalion?

A

On the 16th March 1968

107
Q

What were the soldiers told (in regards to civilians) before they entered the village? (Mai Lai massacre)

A

That all the civilians would’ve left

108
Q

When did the first assault begin and who by?

A

At 8am, the first platoon led by 2nd lieutenant Calley began the assault

109
Q

Where did the first platoon begin the assault?

A

Mai Lai 4

110
Q

What happened to the houses? (Mai Lai Massacre)

A

They were burnt

111
Q

Of those who were killed at Mai Lai, what were the age ranges and genders?

A

It was elderly, women and children

112
Q

How were the women treated during Mai Lai?

A

They were gang raped

113
Q

Who witnessed the Mai Lai massacre and tried to get Calley to stop?

A

Helicopter Pilot, Hugh Thompson

114
Q

As well as trying to stop Calley, what else did Thompson do to help the people of Mai Lai?

A

He tried to rescue them

115
Q

How many people were estimated to have been killed at the Mai Lai Massacre?

A

Between 147 and 500

116
Q

What did the media coverage had to follow what?

A

An official line of policy

117
Q

What was created by the US army to ensure that certain information would be revealed?

A

MACV (military assistance common Vietnam)

118
Q

When did Time magazine praise the war?

A

In 1962

119
Q

In what year did John Waybe star in the film ‘The Green Berets’?

A

1968

120
Q

What was shown in ‘The Green Berets’ from the US and from the VC?

A

Humanitarian aid from the US and the brutality of the VC

121
Q

How long did it take information about the Mai Lai massacre to be released to the public?

A

18 months

122
Q

On the 5th August 1965, what did CBS evening news show a GI doing?

A

Setting fire to a villagers straw hut while they begged for mercy in a zippo raid

123
Q

Describe one famous image surrounding a napalm attack

A

It showed a young girl running naked after having her clothes being burnt off

124
Q

Describe a famous image of a monk that was also shown to the public?

A

Footage of monks setting themselves alight in the lotus position and dying in protest of the war

125
Q

What did the chief of the south Vietnamese police do that was captured by a film crew during the tet offensive?

A

Shot a VC captive at close range in the head

126
Q

What statement was put forward by Cronkite after the tet offensive which changed the opinion of many Americans about the war?

A

That they were in stalemate and that the war wasn’t winnable

127
Q

When was the Mai Lai massacre leaked to the public?

A

November 1969

128
Q

When were the first protests made against the war and by who?

A

1964 by students

129
Q

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?

A

Vietnam Day Committee, 30,000 attended, it was held in 1965

130
Q

What demonstration did students at the University of CA make with their draft cards?

A

They burnt them

131
Q

When did Norman Morrison set himself on fire and where did he do it?

A

November 1965 outside Robert McNamara’s office (the secretary of defence)

132
Q

When did 10,000 protestors March to the Lincoln memorial and how many arrests were there?

A

October 1967

There were 647 arrests

133
Q

Which iconic sporting champion refused the draft in 1966?

A

Muhammad Ali

134
Q

Who declared the war as immoral?

A

Martin Luther King

135
Q

Who planted bombs in offices in protest and when did they do it?

A

Sam Melville in 1969

136
Q

When was the Kent State University protest and what was the result?

A

4th May 1970, the National Guard shot 4 people dead

137
Q

In response to the events at the Kent State University protest, what happened?

A

100,000 demonstrators marched on Washington and more than 4 million wen on National Student Strike

138
Q

What happened to 30 reserve officers training corps buildings during the protest movements?

A

They were set on fire

139
Q

What were the Fulbright Hearings and when did they happen?

A

A series of 22 hearings for proposals to withdraw from the war in 1971

140
Q

What did William Fulbright openly do during the Fulbright Hearings?

A

Openly opposed American involvement and referred to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution as being ‘fraudulent’

141
Q

In 1971 what did veterans do in protest to the war?

A

They led an anti war March and threw away 700 medals

142
Q

When did peace talks initially begin and where?

A

In 1968 in Paris

143
Q

What did America want during the peace talks and what did the north Vietnamese want?

A

America - for the south to be free from communist influence

North V - for the south to be free from ‘foreign’ (American) influence

144
Q

What did Nixon order in 1970 to destroy the trail?

A

The invasion of Cambodia

145
Q

By 1970, how many US troops remained in Vietnam?

A

150,000 were left from a previous total of over 500,000

146
Q

Which operation was launched in April 1971?

A

Operation Linebacker

147
Q

Describe what Operation Linebacker was?

A

A massive air attack of B52 bombers

148
Q

What were the main targets of Operation Linebacker and what was its aim?

A

Roads, railways, ports, storage depots

The aim was to put pressure on the North Vietnamese to skew the peace talks seriously

149
Q

When was the 11 day bombing campaign and how many bombs were dropped over NV cities (operation linebacker)?

A

Christmas 1972

20,000 tonnes

150
Q

When were the Paris peace talks resumed?

A

January 1973

151
Q

On what date was a peace agreement finally reached?

A

23rd April 1973

152
Q

What did Nixon refer to the peace agreement as?

A

Peace with honour

153
Q

What did President Thieu (leader of the south) view the agreement as?

A

A betrayal

154
Q

Name 5 terms of the peace agreement

A
All forces to be returned
POWs returned
Missing in action accounted for
Soldiers to be reunited with families
Peaceful co-existence was desirable
155
Q

As a result of the peace agreement what did the NVA do?

A

They moved south

156
Q

How many south Vietnamese were killed as a result of the North invasion of the South?

A

180,000

157
Q

How many people tried to flee from the US embassy as a result of the invasion from the North?

A

More than 5,000

158
Q

What city did the NVA capture which meant the fall of south Vietnam?

A

Saigon

159
Q

Why were the embassy gates never opened for people the south Vietnamese who wished to leave?

A

Because the Americans forgot to play the signal on the Saigon radio ‘White Christmas’

160
Q

When did North Vietnam continue their offensive into the South after the US withdrew?

A

1975

161
Q

What did the NVA do in their attack which was against the 1973 agreement?

A

They attacked from Cambodia and Laos

162
Q

When had Saigon fallen by?

A

The end of April 1975

163
Q

What was Saigon renamed after being captured?

A

‘Ho Chi Minh City’

164
Q

How were the remaining US officials removed from Vietnam?

A

Airlifted by helicopter off the embassy roof

165
Q

Who else did the helicopters save from the embassy?

A

South Vietnamese who wished to leave the country

166
Q

What did the US stop sending to South Vietnam after the agreement in Paris?

A

Support (money and arms)

167
Q

In what year was the Indochinese communist party formed and who formed it?

A

1930 by Ho Chi Minh