Vietnam War

Cold War Significance
The Vietnam War was a Cold War conflict showing U.S. efforts to contain communism, fearing its spread throughout Asia.

French
Colonial rulers of Vietnam before WWII; sought to reassert control post-WWII, leading to the First Indochina War.

French Indochina
Colonial territory including Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia under French control.

Dien Bien Phu
1954 battle where Vietminh defeated the French, ending French rule in Indochina.

Vietminh
Communist-led group under Ho Chi Minh that fought for Vietnamese independence from France.

Ho Chi Minh
Leader of North Vietnam, founder of the Vietminh, and a symbol of Vietnamese nationalism.

Domino Theory
Belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow.

Geneva 1954
Conference where Vietnam was temporarily divided at the 17th parallel; elections were planned but never held.

1956 Elections
Intended to reunify Vietnam but were canceled, contributing to the outbreak of war.

Buddhist Monks
Protested Ngo Dinh Diem's anti-Buddhist policies; famous for self-immolations.

Lyndon Johnson
U.S. President who escalated American involvement in Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Ngo Dinh Diem
Leader of South Vietnam; backed by the U.S. but unpopular due to oppressive policies; assassinated in 1963.

Gulf of Tonkin
Incident in 1964 where U.S. ships were allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese forces.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gave LBJ broad powers to escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam without a formal war declaration.

Pleiku
U.S. base attacked by Vietcong in 1965, prompting the start of Operation Rolling Thunder.

Rolling Thunder
Sustained bombing campaign over North Vietnam to weaken enemy support and morale.

Monk Protests
Dramatic acts of protest by Buddhist monks against Diem’s regime, notably self-immolation.

Vietcong Tactics
Guerrilla warfare including ambushes, booby traps, and blending in with civilians.

Hearts and Minds
U.S. strategy to win support from the South Vietnamese population and counter Vietcong influence.

Ho Chi Minh Trail
Network of paths used by North Vietnam to supply the Vietcong in the South.

Da Nang
Site where the first U.S. combat troops landed in 1965.

Vietcong
South Vietnamese communist insurgents who fought against U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

Search and Destroy
U.S. military tactic to find and eliminate Vietcong forces, often resulting in civilian casualties.

Tet Offensive
Major 1968 Vietcong and North Vietnamese attack that shocked Americans and turned public opinion.

Walter Cronkite
Influential news anchor who said the war would end in stalemate, swaying public opinion.

My Lai Massacre
1968 killing of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers; sparked outrage.

Hue
City captured temporarily by Vietcong during Tet; site of intense fighting and civilian deaths.

Robert McNamara
Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ; architect of U.S. Vietnam policy, later resigned.

Clark Clifford
Succeeded McNamara as Secretary of Defense; became skeptical of the war.

General Westmoreland
Top U.S. general in Vietnam; promoted troop increases and the body count strategy.

Hawks and Doves
Hawks supported the war; Doves opposed it and called for withdrawal.

Robert F. Kennedy
Anti-war Democratic presidential candidate; assassinated in 1968.

Hubert Humphrey
LBJ’s VP; Democratic nominee in 1968 who supported the war, causing division in the party.

George Wallace
Segregationist third-party candidate in 1968 who gained support from discontented voters.

Vietnamization
Nixon’s policy to gradually withdraw U.S. troops and shift combat to South Vietnamese forces.

Teach-ins
College-based discussions and protests against the Vietnam War.

SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
Major anti-war student organization in the 1960s.

Silent Majority
Term Nixon used to describe Americans who supported the war but didn’t protest publicly.

U.S. Soldiers
Often drafted; many faced harsh conditions, unclear goals, and public backlash upon return.

The Draft
Compulsory military service during the war, disproportionately affecting minorities and the poor.

Deferment
Legal ways to postpone or avoid the draft, often via college enrollment or medical excuses.

Ways to Oppose the Draft
Included fleeing to Canada, burning draft cards, or declaring conscientious objection.

Kent State
1970 shooting of student protesters by National Guard; 4 killed.

Jackson State
Another protest where 2 students were killed; less media coverage than Kent State.

Richard Nixon
President who promised to end the war with "peace with honor" and implemented Vietnamization.

Peace with Honor
Nixon’s goal of ending the war without seeming to surrender.

Cambodia and Laos
Secret U.S. bombings and incursions aimed at cutting off the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Agent Orange
Herbicide used to destroy jungle cover; caused health problems in soldiers and civilians.

Paris Peace Talks
Negotiations to end the war; began in 1968, finalized in 1973.

Henry Kissinger
Nixon’s National Security Advisor who negotiated the Paris Peace Accords.

Le Duc Tho
North Vietnamese negotiator who worked with Kissinger during the peace talks.

“Pentagon Papers”
Secret documents leaked in 1971 showing the U.S. government had misled the public about the war.

Secret Peace Talks
Private negotiations between the U.S. and North Vietnam outside public view.

Christmas Bombings
Heavy U.S. bombing of North Vietnam in December 1972 to pressure peace agreement.

Easter Offensive
Large 1972 North Vietnamese attack repelled by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

Fall of Saigon
April 1975; marked the end of the Vietnam War and the unification of Vietnam under communism.

Maya Ying Lin
Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.