vietnam war

french indo-china

what the French called the conquered nations of Vietnam,Cambodia and Laos.

viet minh

Communist-dominated Nationalist Movement. Ruled Vietnam when Japanese rule ended. Leader was Ho Chi Minh.

Bao Dai

emperor of Vietnam who headed the Republic of Vietnam, formed by the French combat the communist Viet Minh.

N.L.F

national fornt liberation

Gulf of Tonkin (August 1964)

Incident in 1964 that President Johnson used to justify increased U.S involvement in Vietnam.

D.M.Z

Demilitarized Zone;

5 miles buffer zone that separated north and south vietnam.

Charlie (V.C)

nickname for Viet Cong.

17th Parallel

Line of latitude that separated North and South Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Nhu

Brother of Ngo Dinh Diem, influential in his government, and responsible for controlling drug and gambling syndicates in Saigon; killed in a coup.His wife, Madame Nhu, was the First Lady of South Vietnam and a fervent anti-Buddhist.

Huey’s (L.Z)

Helicopters used in the Vietnam War.

NVA(North Vietnamese Army)

Communist combat troops sent to fight in the south from North Vietnam.

M-16 / M-60 / AK 47

automatic rifles

F-4 Phantom/B-52

The F-4 Phantom II and B-52 Stratofortress were iconic, interconnected U.S. airpower pillars during the Vietnam War (e.g., Operation Linebacker II) and the Gulf War

Symbols of the War

Hawks: Pro-war

Doves:Anti-war

SAMs (surface air misslies)

A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a guided weapon designed for launch from land or sea to destroy aircraft, drones, or other missiles.

General William Westmoreland

The commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam.

Le Duan

The primary leader of the North Vietnamese Communist Party after Ho Chi Minh's death in 1969.

Annam

the name given by the Chinese to modern-day Vietnam meaning "peaceful" or pacified south.

NSC-68

National Securtiy Council memo #68 US "strive for victory" in cold war, pressed for offensive and a gross increase ($37 bil) in defense spending, determined US foreign policy for the next 20-30 yrs

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam Army)

Tunnel Rats

US soldiers who cleared out VC tunnels

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A network of paths used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam

Capital of North Vietnam

Hanoi

Capital of South Vietnam

Saigon now known as Ho Chi Minh

Agent Orange

a toxic leaf-killing chemical sprayed by U.S. planes in Vietnam to expose Vietcong hideouts

Richard Nixon

1968 and 1972; Republican; advocated 'Vietnamization,' bombed Cambodia/Laos, created a 'credibility gap.' Paris Peace Accords ended direct US involvement; took US off the gold standard, established the EPA, presided over the first moon landing, SALT I, detente with the Soviet Union; resigned due to Watergate scandal.

Tet

Vietnamese New Year

Tet Offensive (January 1968)

A major Communist attack on 44 South Vietnamese cities, leading to a shift in U.S. perception of the war as unwinnable

Fragging

Purposely but its so called “accidental”  kill commanding officer out in the field instead of being sent out on dangerous missions

not widespread but had notable incidents.

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)

Series of bombing campaign that start in March 1965. Largely trying to cut off the Ho Chi Ming Trail, but was extremely difficult.

Tens of thousands of American troops are being sent to Vietnam. At the peak, there are 536,000 troops in Vietnam.

My Lai Massacre (1968)

Raid on a tiny village on My Lai. The US military got roughly 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, and they executed them (man, woman, children, elderly). 

1969, news broke out. Outraged American civilians back home. Turned public opinion against the US military. Term BABY KILLER.

US soldiers committed war crimes against the Vietnamese

Search and destroy Missions

aggressive military tactics famously used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. The primary objective was to locate enemy troops (such as the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army), bring them to battle, destroy their forces and supplies, and then withdraw

SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

major organization of anti-military in the 90’s.Protest in the war, anti US military by the draft 1965 .

Silent Majority

Term used by President Nixon to describe Americans who opposed the counterculture

Binh Xuyen

The Vietnamese mafia, headquartered in a Chinese-dominated Saigon suburb of Cholon. The Binh Xuyen influenced politics in southern Vietnam under the corrupt French-backed government.

Nixon Doctrine (1969)

Redefined the role of America as that of a helpful partner rather than a military protector

Kent State University

Black eye in the US. An Ohio university where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970, wounding nine and killing four ( national guardsman snapped)

1969 (Woodstock)

Music Festival, 1969. Sub: Mr Holly attended this festival. 1969: 1st man to the moon (USA)

Laos

Southeast Asia

Cambodia

Nixon widened the Vietnam War by moving troops into this country to try and remove enemy camps.

26th Amendment Voting Age

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

Rober McNamara

Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson that proposed and supported escalation.

Henry Kissenger

Secretary of State under Nixon who designed plan for U.S. pullout of Vietnam

Vietnamization

President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces.

LBJ (President Lyndon B. Johnson)

Vise President to JFK,1963-1969, quit being president- war was too much

Napalm

Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks during the Vietnam War.

Domino Theory

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

Dien Bien Phu

The place that the final battle took place that forced the French out of Vietnam

Can Lao

The name of Ngo Dinh Nhu's secret political organization

Walter Cronkite

A newscaster who was known for his objectivity and trustworthiness, who said that the war in Vietnam would end in stalemate. Johnson knew that if even Cronkite didn't support him, nobody in Middle America supported him.

Vietnam Peace Accords

The Vietnam War was officially ended by the Paris Peace Accords, signed on January 27, 1973. This agreement established a cease-fire, the withdrawal of all U.S. troops, the release of prisoners of war, and the removal of U.S. military bases

Fall of South Vietnam

fell to communist north on April 30,1975 - American troops were evacuated- America "lost" the war and lost a lot of respect

Chao

hello in vietnamese

Air America

A CIA front which conducted covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Hanoi Hilton

Nickname for most well-known POW camp in North Vietnam; prisoners were treated brutally and tortured

Bob Hope

Actor/Comedian who entertained U.S. troops at war

Geneva Conference (1954)

Ended French involvement in Vietnam. Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel: the North became communist, and the South stayed independent. Vietnam also had both Buddhists and Catholics because the French brought Catholicism during colonization.