The Ultimate Vietnam War Quiz

By: Scott Nordlund
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Ultimate Vietnam War Quiz
Image: Youtube

About This Quiz

The Vietnam War was one of the most violent conflicts the United States ever participated in. It took place in three countries - Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos - and lasted twenty years of difficult jungle fighting, resulting in the American withdrawal in 1975. While neither side claimed defeat, it is hard to gauge a victory with the loss of over 58,000 American soldiers. Do you consider yourself a Vietnam buff? Do you know the battles, the leaders and their soldiers? Can you navigate the Mekong Delta or fight your way in and out of foxholes? 

The twenty-year war had countless battles and skirmishes, but can you identify the event that started the war? Or if that event actually happened? We call the war "The Vietnam War," but what did the Vietnamese call it? You might be surprised. You might be familiar with the fact that Vietnam was one of the first conflicts that saw the regular use of SEAL teams one and two, but do you know what their kill ratio was?

These are only a few of the questions you'll come across in this quiz. Do you think you're up for the challenge, soldier? Most people aren't, but you aren't most people, are you?

Who was the US general in charge of the operation?
Westmoreland
Nixon
Roosevalt
Thigpen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Westmoreland oversaw the conflict, and did not fair well at home or via the media

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What was the famous incident that sparked the war?
Checkpoint Charlie
Gulf of Oman Incident
Mexican Telgram
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was when a Vietcong boat shot upon a US Navy Vessel

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What recently deceased boxer refused to be drafted?
Muhammad Ali
Joe Fraser
Mike Tyson
John Jackson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ali famously refused to be drafted into service, and spent time in jail due to it.

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What was the last battle of the conflict?
Battle of Saigon
Battle of Tonkin
Battle of Midway
Battle of Ho Chi Minh
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With a loss at Saigon, US forces officially pulled out of the Vietnam Conflict for good.

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What was the name of the main supply trail used by Vietcong forces?
The supply line
Moscow-Beijing Road
Vietcong Highway
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stretching 1000 km, this trail supplied forces throughout the war.

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Vietnamese forces were nicknamed what by the Americans?
Jimmy
Americans
Chinese
Charlie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vietcong forces were called Charlie by American troops.

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The Vietnam War allowed what on the front lines?
Media
Woman
Black Men
Tanks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Media were allowed on the front lines to broadcast the horrors of war and bring them to living rooms across the country every night.

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Where did one of the largest war crime ever committed by US forces take place?
Saigon
Ho Chi Minh CIty
My Lai
Linh Ching
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

My Lai saw US forces murder approximately 500 unarmed civilians in 1968.

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When did the Vietnam War end?
1963
1965
1970
1975
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

1975 saw the end of the war, with the fall of Saigon.

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Officially what was the Vietnam War called in the US?
Vietnam Conflict
Vietnam War
Vietnam Skirmish
Cold War
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There was no declaration of war on the Vietnam government, and thus was referred to the Vietnam Conflict by the government.

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At what university were shots fired into a crowd by National Guard members?
Penn State
Ohio State
George Mason
Kent State
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1970, Kent State saw violence erupt during a peaceful protest with shots fires by member of the National Guard

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What did the US air force use to fix rotors on helicopters?
WD-40
Duct Tape
Crazy Glue
Towels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Duct Tape was used to quickly fix rotor blades in the field and get a chopper up and running.

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What Vietcong offensive changed the course of the war in 1968?
Tet
Ho Chi Minh
Saigon
Power Eagle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Tet Offensive saw 36 cities attacked, and public opinion sway against the US on the home front.

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What country was the former colonial power that oversaw Vietnam?
France
Great Britain
Belgium
Spain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The French were active in the region until the mid 1950's where things started to turn hostile towards them.

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The leader of the Vietcong was...
Ho Chi Minh
Chong Ming
Ho Chi Long
Long Li
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ho Chi Minh was a true leader, with compassion fro his troops and the drive to take on and defeat the largest military in the world.

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The Vietnam War was known as what to the Vietnamese people?
The American War
The Vietnam War
The War to End All Wars
World War III
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vietcong, and later the Vietnamese government still refer to this war as The American War.

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What was the first hollywood film based in the Vietnam War?
The dirty dozen
The Green Barets
Full Metal Jacket
Platoon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Green Barets was a pro war film that starred John Wayne

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US forces invaded what country in 1970?
Laos
Thailand
China
Cambodia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cambodia was invaded to destroy supply centers, further driving the American public against Johnston.

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What children's toy was used for radio communication by American troops?
Mr. Potato Head
Elmo
Hot Wheels
Slinky
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Slinkys were used to increase radio efficiency in the field

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What US ship pushed $10 million worth of aircraft into the sea to allow a cesna full of evacuees to land on its deck?
USS Roosevalt
USS Alaska
USS Midway
USS Pearl Harbour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

USS Midway made room for a cesna to land at the end of the war.

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Name the two NATO nations that famously refused to send troops along with the US.
Canada and UK
Canada and France
France and Uk
UK and Belgium
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Canada and the UK did not send troops, but did offer humanitarian aid.

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When did the Vietnam War begin?
1950
1954
1963
1970
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Northern soldiers began attacks on Southern forces as of 1954.

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Which further conflict did Vietnam partake?
Cold War
World War II
Korean War
War of Attrition
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Vietnam War was an extension of the Cold War into the Asian Pacific theater.

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What other superpower was active in the Vietnam War, in providing the Vietcong armaments and equipment?
China
Japan
Germany
USSR
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The USSR supplied the Vietcong army throughout the war.

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In what year did the US begin ground operations in Vietnam?
1963
1965
1968
1970
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

3500 Marines were sent to provide security for US Air Force bases in 1965.

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What was included in the Nixon Doctorine?
Troop reduction
Increased Troops
Increased Bombing
Nuclear Warfare options
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Nixon Doctrine saw a troop reduction start in the summer of 1969.

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According to declassified documents, did the Gulf of Tonkin incident​ happen?
Yes, it was accurate
No, it was made up by the US government
Yes, but it was glorified for the Americans
Yes, but it was glorfied by the Vietcong
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2005, it was released that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was made up, and was a direct lie to the American people to allow for the government to enter into war in Vietnam.

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What did the USA enlist during the Vietnam War that lead to massive civil unrest at home?
Mandatory training
Rations
Draft
Mandatory Community Service
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The draft was initiated by the US government.

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What song became the anti war anthem?
The Fish Cheer
These boots aint made for walking
Thunderstruck
Back in Black
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This infamous song became the unofficial anti-war anthem as the war dragged on.

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What did Vietnam sign in 1954 to divide the country in half?
Treaty of Paris
Geneva Accords
Treaty of Saigon
Berlin Accords
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Signed in 1954, the Geneva Accords saw the North and South of Vietnam be divided into the Democratic South, and Communist North.

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Due to the draft, how many Americans fled the country as draft dodgers?
50,000
100,000
125,000
250,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Over 125,000 Americans fled the country to escape the draft

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What was the name of the chemical agent that US military forces used on Vietcong forces?
Napalm
incendiary bombs
Agent Orange
Agent Blue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Napalm was utilized on the battlefield causing mass damage across the population.

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What was the kill ratio of US Navy Seal Team 1 and 2?
10:1
100:1
200:1
500:1
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

200:1 the highest ration of any war for active Seal teams.

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How many days of conflict did the average soldier experience?
40
100
240
300
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

240 days, the most days of combat for any modern conflict the US has experienced.

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To what country did the draft dodgers mainly escape to?
Canada
Mexico
England
Germany
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The vast majority of draft dodgers found their new home in the Great White North, otherwise known as Canada.

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