Glossary

| A - L | M - Z |Abbreviations List |

Montagnards
The native people of the Indochina highlands, divide into 30 tribes. They retained a culture ethnically distinct from the vietnamese majority. The Montagnards were generally viewed by ethnic vietnamese as uncivilized and faced discriminatory treatment. These people often allied themselves with the United States.

My Lai Massacre:
Led by Lt. William Calley on Mar. 16, 1968. Calley and his troops entered the Village of My Lai (4) and unreasonably massacred about 500 villagers (none were young and middle aged men). More detail on The My Lai Massacre Click Here

Napalm:
Jelly-like gasoline enclosed in bombs dropped by an airplane. It sticks to whatever it lands on and burns for a long time.

Pacification:
The effort of a government to extend its control into insurgent areas. Typically these efforts include providing food, medical aid, and political reforms, but emphasize physical security. Saigon and US officials tried to provide security, political and economic stability to South Vietnamese villagers by different programs.

Paris Peace Accords:
Negotiations in 1973 between the PRG, DRV, RVN, and United States that ended the Vietnam War.
More detail on Paris Peace Accords Click Here

Pentagon Paper:
A secret Report and Collection of memos that describe the history of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Tet Offensive:
The Tet Offensive was launched on January 30, 1968, or Tet's Eve. It was a military campaign and also the turning point of the Vietnam War. South Vietnam was attacked by Communist forces, namely the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the North Vietnamese Peoples' Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as they wished to start an unrising. Even though the United States forces and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) were able to recapture the cities, the Tet Offensive showed to the American public that the war may go on indefinitely.
More detail on Tet Offensive Click Here

Thang Phong:
Village that Bob Kerrey and his squad entered on February 25, 1969, which resulted in a massacre.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution:
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a resolution approved by the United States Congress on August 7, 1964. This authorized President Lyndon Johnson to take all necessary actions to prevent further aggression in Southeast Asia. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed after North Vietnamese torpedo boats had allegedly attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964. Following this incident, President Lyndon Johnson began immediate air attacks on North Vietnam. He also asked Congress to give him complete military control. Presidents Johnson and Nixon used this resolution to justify their military actions proceeded in Southeast Asia. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was later repealed by Congress in 1970.
More detail on the Tonkin Gulf Resolution Click Here

Tunnel Rats:
Us military personnel whose job is to crawl through enemy tunnels in search of the vietcongs.

Viet Cong:
The Viet Cong was a Communist armed forces that waged a guerrilla campaign against the South Vietnamese regime and the United States from the 1960s to the 1970s. They were named Viet Cong as an American abbreviation for "Vietnamese Communists." They were fully supported by the North Vietnamese Communists named the Viet Minh.

VietMinh:
The Vietminh, or League for the independence of Vietnam, was a nationalist organization that was created during World War II. It was an underground army established by Ho Chi Minh fighting against foreign occupation by using guerrilla warfare. the Vietminh de-emphasized the communist social revolution to attract broadest possible coalitions.
More detail on the Vietminh Click Here

Vietnamization:
The name given to President Richard Nixon's policy of gradually returning the primary responsibility for conducting the war to the South Vietnamese. as US troops withdrew, South Vietnamese forces were increased in size and recieved additional training and equipment. Southern forces focused on both offensive operation and defensive measures taken to protest villages.

Wise Men:
Informal advisers to Lyndon B Johnson who reaffirmed Johnson's policy