Vietnam War Flashcards

Vocabulary and Key Concepts from Vietnam War Lecture Notes

Ho Chi Minh

Leader of Communist North Vietnam.

Vietminh

A Vietnamese communist revolutionary political organization.

Geneva Accords

Divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel in 1954.

Containment Policy

U.S. policy to prevent the spread of communism.

Vietcong

South Vietnamese communist rebels who fought against the South Vietnamese government and were supplied by North Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded powers in Vietnam.

Escalation

Increasing military involvement in Vietnam.

Guerrilla Warfare

Fighting tactic used by the Vietcong involving ambushes and small unit tactics.

Saturation Bombing

Extensive aerial bombing to inflict heavy damage.

Napalm

A highly flammable jelly-like substance used in bombs.

Agent Orange

A chemical defoliant used to destroy jungle foliage, causing long-term health problems.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Supply route used by North Vietnam to transport supplies and troops to the Vietcong in South Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

A major North Vietnamese offensive in 1968 that shifted U.S. public opinion against the war.

Vietnamization

U.S. policy of gradually withdrawing troops and turning the war over to the South Vietnamese.

Kent State Massacre

Shooting of unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in 1970.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Led to increased U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Fall of Saigon

Symbolized the loss of South Vietnam to the communists.