Vietnam War

27 flashcards · History · by Marli Williams

  1. Vietminh

    Communist group in Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh

  2. Battle of Diem Bien Phu - 1954

    Vietminh defeated French - and took back Vietnam

  3. Why did the Vietminh defeat the French?

    They were familiar with the local area They had the support of the people They had more troops (50k vs 15k) They had support from Communist China and the USSR

  4. The Geneva Accords - 1954

    Vietnam was temporarily divided into North and South. - North Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh (Communist) - South Vietnam: Ngo Ding Diem

  5. Why did Vietnam stay divided despite the planned elections to unite Vietnam in 1956?

    Diem refused to hold elections in 1956 because he feared Ho Chi Minh would win.

  6. Vietcong

    Vietnamese communists who fought against Diem in the south in support of communism and were supported with troops and weapons by North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail

  7. How did Eisenhower want to protect South Vietnam from the communist North?

    He started a 'limited war' were he sent advisers to to train the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) - not fighting with them. He set up the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO): a group of countries who would work together to stop communism spreading. - 1954

  8. Why did Eisenhower get involved in the Vietnam War?

    Domino Theory Diem's weak government

  9. Domino Theory

    If Vietnam became communist other countries in Asia would follow - Eisenhower created the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to counter this in 1954

  10. Why was Diem's Government so weak and unpopular?

    He hunted and killed suspected communists in South Vietnam He discriminated against Vietnam's Buddhists He gave most government roles to family members and Catholics He was seen as a US puppet and by 1960 only had control of less than half of Vietnam

  11. How did Kennedy get more involved in the Vietnam War?

    He continued the 'limited war' approach by sending 16,000 more US advisers He focused on pacification – winning over local people so that they wouldn’t support communism He sent US Special Forces to train villagers to protect themselves from the VC He approved use of chemical spraying to kill crops and jungle areas where VC could be hiding He started the Strategic Hamlet Program 1962

  12. The Strategic Hamlet Program

    Strategic Hamlets were large villages guarded by the ARVN - this was to help people feel safe and protected and reduce recruitment rates of the VC. 5,000 were built by September 1962

  13. Why were Strategic Hamlets unpopular?

    Lots of villagers were forced to leave their homes Diem's Government did not provide enough food

  14. Why did the US allow Diem to be assassinated in 1963?

    He was harsh to Buddhists - His men killed Buddhists and raided their temples. In June 1963 a Buddhist monk burned himself in protest ARVN lost a battle despite having more troops and US air support The ARVN were seen as part of Diem’s corrupt government by villagers - villagers were distrustful of them

  15. The US knew that Diem’s unpopular, undemocratic government would never survive. In November 1963 Diem was assassinated in a coup by ARVN generals - the USA knew it was coming but deliberately didn’t warn him.

    Who was assassinated and who by?

  16. Why was President Johnson unable to set up a stable government in South Vietnam, and avoid full-blown war?

    Vietcong had become stronger So he had to send in more advisers (20,000 in Vietnam by 1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident Johnson was given permission to send in US troops

  17. How had the Vietcong become stronger by 1964?

    Local Support - Respected Villagers, Made local reforms, propaganda stressing that they were fighting poverty, corruption and the USA Foreign Aid - From USSR + China Good Organisation + Tactics South Vietnam Government was extremely weak

  18. Gulf of Tonkin Incident On 4th August 1964, two US Navy ships – the Maddox and C. Turner Joy – claimed they had been torpedoed by North Vietnamese boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. However, there were doubts over what actually happened. Conditions were stormy and some believed there had been no attack at all (although North Vietnamese boats had fired at the US two days earlier, on 2nd August). Ignoring the confusion, President Johnson retaliated by ordering US airstrikes on North Vietnam. On 7th Aug…

  19. Consequences of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.

    Gulf of Tonkin Resolution US spent $2 million a day on the war 184,300 US troops in Vietnam Both sides were committed to a war neither really wanted Many of Johnson’s advisers were convinced that the war could be won quickly.

  20. US Tactics

    Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-68) Search and destroy Chemical warfare – Operation Ranch Hand

  21. Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-68)

    A bomb campaign which targeted the Ho Chi Minh trail and industrial areas in North Vietnam. Bombs, Napalm and pineapple bombs were dropped.

  22. Key Mistakes in Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-68)

    The Ho Chi Minh Trail was constantly repaired, so supplies still got through to the South. Aid from China and the USSR was not targeted to avoid war with them. The destruction it caused turned the Vietnamese people against the USA. It killed thousands of civilians, which was bad for the USA’s image.

  23. Search and Destroy

    Units of US soldiers would search the jungle for VC camps and then order helicopters to bomb or spray them.

  24. Key Mistakes in Search and Destroy missions

    The US troops usually left the area once it had been ‘destroyed’. This allowed the VC to move straight back in. The bombing and chemical spraying harmed villagers and turned them against the US.

  25. Operation Cedar Falls (1967) The US and ARVN moved thousands of villagers to refugee camps and burned their villages, then declared the area a ‘free-fire zone’ – but many villagers didn’t understand this and returned to their homes in the firing line.

  26. Chemical warfare – Operation Ranch Hand

    US sprayed crops and jungles to ease the search for VC and cut off their food supply. Agent Blue was used to kill crops. Agent Orange was used to kill jungle forests. One plane could spray 300 acres in 4 minutes. The chemicals were very strong. They poisoned the soil and rivers, causing health issues and birth defects. Killing crops led to starvation. The spraying left long-term effects on the people & wildlife of Vietnam.

  27. Key Mistakes in Operation Ranch Hand

    Turned Vietnamese villagers against the US Created outrage back home