Vietnam War Quiz

French Indochina

area of southeast Asia controlled by France during Imperialism. Includes Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam

First Indochina War

the war between the Viet Minh and the French from 1946 to 1954. End result was division of North and South Vietnam at Geneva Conference.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

military engagement in French colonial Vietnam in which French forces were defeated by Viet Minh loyal to Ho Chi Minh. French ends their colonial involvement in Indochina, paving the way for America's entry.

military adviser

a noncombat specialist who trains and equips another nation's soldiers

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

the southern Vietnamese soldiers with whom U.S. troops fought against communism and forces in the North during the Vietnam War

Viet Minh

members of the Vietnamese movement led by Ho Chi Minh against foreign occupation, first against the Japanese during World War II and then against the French occupation

domino theory

a theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Geneva Accords

the 1954 agreement between France and the Viet Minh to split Vietnam along the 17th parallel and to schedule national elections in 1956 to reunify Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem

American ally and President of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover. He was killed in a coup in 1963.

Viet Cong

communist insurgents (rebels) in South Vietnam

escalate

increase, as in to increase military involvement

North Vietnamese Army (NVA)

the army of communist North Vietnam, which supported the Viet Cong in South Vietnam with troops and supplies

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 Congressional resolution authorizing President Lyndon Johnson broad powers to expand the U.S. role in Vietnam