Vietnam War Background Review Flashcards
What three countries have controlled Vietnam before 1954?
China, Japan, France
Who was the American puppet leader in South Vietnam following the countries’ division in 1954?
Ngo Dinh Diem
What was the name of the American special forces in Vietnam?
Green Berets
Who was the Communist head of North Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
What was the dividing line between North and South Vietnam?
17th parallel/DMZ
What communist superpower borders Vietnam and provided the Communists with military aid?
China
What is the name of the South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters who aided the Communists?
Vietcong
What did SEATO stand for?
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
What was SEATO?
Tied US to defense of South Vietnam to protect it from Communism
What was the Domino Theory?
A theory about the spread of Communism in Asia that we need to stop all the dominoes from falling in Asia to Communism.
What is MAAG?
advisory group that we used with our allies that we fought for in the Cold War. It was established under Truman and we sent in advisors.
What did MAAG stand for?
Military Assistance Advisory Group
What did MACV stand for?
Military Assistance Command in Vietnam
Who founded MACV?
JFK
What was MACV?
We began sending in Green Berets, taking on an act of fighting role.
What did NLF stand for?
National Liberation Front
Who created the NLF?
Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh
What was the NLF?
Divided and created the Vietminh and Vietcong, which made Vietnam part civil and part world.
What was the theory of the Buddhist BBQ?
Diem’s sister-in-law referenced suicides and burning of Buddhists, protesting Diem’s government and to draw attention to the situation.
What was the Strategic Hamlet Program?
US program for counter-guerrilla warfare, we separated friendlies from the enemies, but the program was flawed.
What did ARVN stand for?
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
What was the ARVN?
South Vietnam’s army; it was helped by American military aid and advisors, they were our allies in the war.
What were MIGs?
Soviet fighter planes that the Soviets sent to Vietnam to help beat us in the air control battle.
What was Saigon?
capital of South Vietnam
What is Saigon called now?
Ho Chi Minh City
What is Hanoi?
capital of North Vietnam
What are B-52s?
American mass bomber planes, used for carpet bombings
What is the Mekong Delta?
Delta south of Saigon, the region where the Mekong River empties into the South China Sea. It was far from the DMZ and never controlled.
What was the Coup d’etat?
They removed Diem from power. The Big Minh killed him, which was our operation to remove him from power.
What is the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
A supply line that started in China and went around the DMZ and through neutral nations. It was a way the Vietminh could get supplies and men over the line without a direct crossing.
What were two reasons why the US got involved in Vietnam?
- To stop Communism from spreading, contain it.
2. Arrogance-we are the superpower undefeated nation and nobody has heard of Vietnam, so we felt we could easily win.
Why was Diem unsuccessful at creating peace and stability in South Vietnam between 1954-1963?
He was really a dictator and too aggressive and forceful of his beliefs. He disrespected his people’s beliefs, was never connected positively to his people, and never progressed towards Democracy.
Why was arrogance a reason we lost the Vietnam War?
We did not know enough about Vietnam, we underestimated what they would bring, and their guerrilla warfare strategy worked to beat us.
