Conflict and Tension in Asia: Escalation in Vietnam Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering the end of French colonial rule, US involvement, and military strategies during the Vietnam War.

Indochina

The name for the region, including Vietnam, when it was ruled by France before the Second World War.

Viet Minh

A strong anti-Japanese resistance movement emerged during the Second World War under the leadership of Communist Ho Chi Minh.

September 2, 1945

The date when the Viet Minh declared Vietnamese Independence after entering the city of Hanoi.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

A major defeat for the French on 7th May 1954, resulting in 3,000 troops killed and 8,000 wounded.

The Geneva Agreement 1954

Accords where France agreed to withdraw troops, Laos and Cambodia became independent, and Vietnam was divided along the 17th Parallel.

17th Parallel

The line dividing North Vietnam (Communist) and South Vietnam (non-Communist) with a demilitarised zone.

President Diem

The non-Communist leader of South Vietnam whose rule was harsh, corrupt, and persecuted the Buddhist majority.

Vietcong (NLF)

The National Liberation Front, funded by Ho Chi Minh, which began a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Diem's government in 1957.

Domino Theory

The belief held by President Eisenhower and J.F. Dulles that if Vietnam fell to Communism, neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand would also fall.

SEATO

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation, joined by South Vietnam in September 1954, aimed at stopping the spread of Communism.

Military 'advisers'

The 16,000 personnel sent by President Kennedy in 1961 to help organise and train the South Vietnamese army (ARVN).

ARVN

The South Vietnamese army supported and trained by the United States.

Strategic Hamlets Program

A program moving peasant villages to government-controlled areas to cut off Viet Cong influence and support, such as food and intelligence.

USS Maddox

A US Navy ship attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin, leading to increased US involvement.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Approved on 7 August 1964, it gave the President the power to take any military measure necessary to defend freedom in Southeast Asia.

Winning hearts and minds

A strategy involving pouring money into South Vietnam for farming improvements, schools, and clinics to encourage rejection of Communism.

Search and destroy

Tactics involving helicopter-borne surprise attacks on villages; if Vietcong presence was found, the village was destroyed as a warning.

Rolling Thunder

A famous mass bombing operation by the USAF targeting Vietcong bases in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Muhammad Ali

The heavyweight boxing champion who spoke out against the war and was sentenced to prison for refusing to fight when called up.

Tet Offensive

A coordinated attack on 31st January 1968 by 84,000 North Vietnamese and Vietcong troops on US bases and over 100 towns in South Vietnam.