New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

North Vietnamese strengths in the Vietnam War

I can describe the strengths of North Vietnam and how these strengths helped them to win the war.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

North Vietnamese strengths in the Vietnam War

I can describe the strengths of North Vietnam and how these strengths helped them to win the war.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. North Vietnam had a great many strengths that enabled it to win the war.
  2. The North Vietnamese Army was highly experienced and fought to unify and liberate their country.
  3. North Vietnam received a great deal of support from sympathisers in the South.
  4. North Vietnam also received a great deal of support from the powerful communist countries of China and the USSR.

Keywords

  • Terrain - the features of an area of land, for example, its hills or forest, are known as the terrain of that area

  • Experience - experience refers to the development of knowledge or skills in a particular activity due to sustained involvement

  • Support - support means to provide assistance or encouragement in order to help someone succeed

Common misconception

The US lost the Vietnam War: the North had little agency or impact on events.

North Vietnam was a formidable fighting force who had fought several wars over many years. Their strength was a major reason why they won.

Show students examples of other proxy wars that occurred during the Cold War to help them understand that giving other countries weapons to fight instead of fighting themselves was a regular occurance.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their definitions.
Correct Answer:strategy,a plan for directing overall military operations and movements.

a plan for directing overall military operations and movements.

Correct Answer:tactics, actions employed by armed forces during contact with the enemy.

actions employed by armed forces during contact with the enemy.

Correct Answer:occupier,a member of a group that takes possession of a country by force.

a member of a group that takes possession of a country by force.

Q2.
The use of napalm and Agent Orange to remove the jungle vegetation and crops used by the Vietcong are both examples of which operation?
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Linebacker
Correct answer: Operation Ranch Hand
Q3.
How were the US troops portrayed in communist propaganda?
Correct answer: as unwelcome occupiers
as useful advisors
as welcome allies
Q4.
Which of the following statements explain why the US strategy and tactics failed?
Correct answer: Operation Rolling Thunder did relatively little damage to the North’s military
Correct answer: Chemical agents caused terrible injuries to civilians and destroyed crops
Correct answer: Communist propaganda emphasised Americans as occupiers to increase their support
Correct answer: US bombing in South Vietnam killed an estimated two million civilians
The US tried to win over the ‘hearts and minds’ of the South Vietnamese people
Q5.
500 unarmed villagers were murdered by US soldiers at the...
Correct Answer: My Lai Massacre, My Lai massacre
Q6.
The deliberate wounding or killing of commanding officers is known as...
Correct Answer: fragging, Fragging

6 Questions

Q1.
The keyword that refers to features of an area of land, for example, its hills or forest is the...
Correct Answer: terrain, Terrain
Q2.
Starting with the first, order the countries with which the North Vietnamese had fought since 1940.
1 - Japan
2 - France
3 - South Vietnam
4 - United States
Q3.
Which of the following statements explain why the North Vietnamese were so strong?
Correct answer: The North Vietnamese previously faced the military forces of Japan and France
Correct answer: They knew how to use jungle cover to hide 12 000 miles of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Correct answer: They were motivated by Ho Chi Minh's support of land reforms
They were the largest fighting force
Q4.
Which of the following statements describes the support of the South for North Vietnam?
Correct answer: Many Southern Vietnamese were active members of the Vietcong
Correct answer: Many Southern Vietnamese supported the Vietcong by feeding or hiding them
The Southern Vietnamese fought against the Vietcong
Q5.
Which of these communist countries provided the most economic and military support for North Vietnam?
Correct answer: China
Cuba
North Korea
Correct answer: USSR
Q6.
By the late 1960s, how much of the military and technical equipment supplied to North Vietnam came from the USSR?
Correct answer: more than three quarters
more than half
more than a quarter

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