Vietnam War: USA vs. Viet Cong Strategies and Turning Points

Vocabulary flashcards covering key US and Vietcong strategies, operations, weapons, and key events during the Vietnam War.

Domino theory

The belief held by President Eisenhower in 1959 that if one Southeast Asian nation became communist, others like Thailand and Cambodia would follow in quick succession like falling dominoes.

Strategic hamlet programme

A villagisation policy introduced by President Kennedy between 1961 and 1963 that forcibly relocated civilians into fortified villages to separate them from the Vietcongs.

Gulf Of Tonkin resolution

A measure passed by the US Congress in August 1964 giving President Johnson the power to escalate the war, leading to the deployment of 500,000 troops after allegations that Vietcongs fired at US warships.

Operation rolling thunder

A 1965 US Air Force bombing campaign targeting cities and infrastructure in North Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand that killed over 52,000 people.

Operation ranch hand

A US military campaign that introduced Agent Orange to defoliate forests and vegetation to expose Vietcong weapon-transport trails from China through North Vietnam.

Agent Orange

An exfoliant chemical deployed to destroy forests and vegetation, exposing supply trails used by the Vietcongs.

Agent Blue

A chemical introduced by the US military that destroyed Vietnamese crops and polluted water supplies to make food and water scarce.

Napal

A petrol-containing, jelly-like substance deployed by the US military that adhered to victims' bodies and caused severe pain.

Guerilla tactics

Combat methods used by the Vietcongs involving hit-and-run surprise attacks, lack of uniforms to blend in with civilians, booby traps, and extensive underground tunnel networks.

TET offensive

A surprise New Year's Day attack launched by the Vietcongs and the North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam and US bases during a ceasefire, marking a major turning point in the war.

My Lai massacre

A March 1968 search-and-destroy raid by US troops in My Lai village that resulted in the torture and killing of nearly 500 innocent civilians, including women, children, and elders.

Vietnamisation

A policy introduced by President Nixon in the early 1970s aimed at withdrawing US troops from the war without it appearing as a defeat for the United States.

WHAM

An initiative under President Nixon aimed at 'winning the hearts' of the Vietnamese people.