Vietnam Flashcards
What was Vietnam called during the 18th century?
French Indochina
Why did France want Vietnam in the Empire?
Vietnam had large reserves of raw materials that France could sell around the world
What was the battle of Dien Bien Phu?
When VietMinh troops surrounded a small French air base in the spring of 1954. Destroying their runways and attacking them.
France surrendered by 7th May 1954 as the US and UK wouldn’t help. They had begun to run out of food, water and medical supplies
What was the Geneva agreement?
Britain, China, the USSR, and Vietnam agreed to split Vietnam down the 17th parallel
Who led the opposing sides of Vietnam?
North - Ho Chi Minh, communist
South - Ngo Dinh Diem, capitalist
How did Ngo Dinh Diem keep control of South Vietnam?
By using violence and nepotism
What kind of leader was Ngo Dinh Diem?
- Introduced taxes
- Imprisoned and often murdered people who opposed him
- Forced peasants off their land
- Gave key government positions to his friends and families.
What was the National Liberation Front?
An organisation brought together by Ho Chi Minh.
They wanted to get rid of Catholic power, wanted land given back to the peasants and encouraged to fight the ARVN.
What happened to Ngo Dinh Diem?
President Kennedy decided to withdraw protection. When a coup against Diem took place on 1st November 1963, Diem and his brother were both shot dead.
The people of Saigon cheered when they heard the news
Who were supporters of the Vietcong?
It was made up of over a dozen different political and religious groups
How did the Vietcong fight?
They used Guerilla Tactics -
they would go out in small, well-armed groups, ambush the ARVN and then retreat back into the jungle
Who were the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)?
They were set up by the government to investigate people they thought were communist spies or sympathisers
What was the McCarran Act?
- It limited employment opportunities for communists.
- It insisted that all communist organisations become registered
- And that their members were investigated by HUAC
Why did the US government create the Marshall Plan?
It was to stop the spread of communism throughout Europe.
What was the ‘Domino Theory’?
Eisenhower believed that if Vietnam fell to communism, so would its neighbouring countries like a row of dominoes.
(Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, and possibly India)
What is McCarthyism?
Senator Joseph McCarthy made the allegation that he had a list of over 200 communist names.
- Being accused by him was enough to be sacked.
- When he accused 45 army officers, he lost the government’s support
What was S.E.A.T.O and what was their aim?
- The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation invited South Vietnam the join.
- It included Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan and Britain.
- They aimed at working together to stop communism in Southeast Asia.
- September 1954
What was the ‘Strategic Hamlet Programme’?
This forced peasants from Vietcong controlled areas to live in small well-defended villages in areas loyal to Diem.
When was Diem overthrown and assassinated?
November 1963
What was ‘Operation Plan 34A’?
It involved sending South Vietnamese mercenaries into North Vietnam and US destroyer naval ships into their waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.
What is the ‘Gulf of Tonkin Resolution’ and when was it approved?
On 7th August 1964, the President was given the power to take any military measure he thought was necessary to defend freedom in Southeast Asia.
What was the Ho Chi Minh trail?
It was a series of paths, tracks, and roads. A supply route to keep the South Vietcong Supplied with weapons, food and soldiers.
It was an advanced network of over 15,000 kilometres.
What was the Vietcong ‘Punji trap’?
It was sharpened bamboo stakes that were hidden in shallow pits covered with leaves.
What was ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’?
It was designed to destroy roads, railways, Vietcong bases and the Ho Chi Minh Trail through saturation bombing.
What was the ‘Hearts and Minds’ tactics?
The USA spent money and materials to help ordinary South Vietnamese people.
This included - improving roads, building schools and establishing health clinics.
What were the effects of ‘Agent Orange’?
It destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests and crops.
Exposure to this caused cancers, birth defects to both Vietnamese peasants and US forces.
What was ‘Napalm’?
- An incendiary weapon containing petrol, chemicals and phosphorous that burned skin right to the burn.
- Destroyed most of the countryside, killing and wounding thousands of civilians.
- It turned the world against the US for using such inhumane weapons.
What were the ‘Search-and-Destroy’ tactics?
To use helicopters to land in Vietcong controlled areas and kill the enemy before they had time to escape.
