1. 1954
   1965
2. 1970
   Congress never declared war on Vietnam.

The United States Congress never actually declared war on Vietnam. This is why you'll often hear the term "Vietnam Conflict" instead of war. Although it was never officially considered a war, it was just as costly (financially and in terms of human life) as any other war.

1. 1954
   1965
2. 1946
   1971

Although we didn't send troops until 1965, the United States did begin sending money, supplies and weapons to our allies who were assisting the South Vietnamese against communist forces from the north.

1. China
   France
2. England
   Japan

France was helping the South Vietnamese fight communism shortly after World War II. However, once the United States began helping, France pulled out shortly after the fall of Dien Bien Phu. Shown here, supporting troops fall back across the Mekong River after the fall of Dien Bien Phu.

1. Chairman Mao
   Lo Crech Inh
2. Ho Chi Minh
   Kim Jong Minh

Considered the leader of the communist party in Northern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh led the revolution against both the Japanese and the French throughout the middle of the 20th century.

1. VietFrance
   Micronesia
2. Francochina
   French Indochina

French Indochina was considered to be owned by France. However, it didn't take long for the French to realize that they made a terrible mistake in trying to assimilate the locals and change their ways of life. Shown here are members of the French 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company during the Indochina War.

1. To stop the spread of communism
   To eventually invade China
2. To learn about what Japan was really up to
   To get more involved in the spice trade

Coming hot off the heels of the red scares that were going on in the United States, it was clear that this topic could still be used as a justification to get the United States citizens to believe and accept nearly anything. However, several opposition groups began to fight back and spread information across the country.

1. 1945
   1965
2. 1975
   1955

By the time Kennedy was assassinated, there were over 10,000 military "advisors" in South Vietnam, helping with the defensive effort. Kennedy wanted to ensure that they could pull out and continue giving supplies to the region. Unfortunately, this didn't happen as Kennedy was killed and LBJ decided to escalate instead of following in Kennedy's footsteps.

1. Trepper Gulf Incident
   Indocina Incident
2. Tonkin Gulf Incident
   Ho Chi Minh Trail Incident

In the Gulf of Tonkin incident (or the Tonkin Gulf incident). It was stated that the Northern Vietnamese attacked a United States ship (the USS Maddox, shown here). This led Congress to accept sending troops into Vietnam. It was later reported the ship only received a single bullet hole.

1. South Korea and France
   Germany and Italy
2. Japan and China
   Australia and New Zealand

While South Korea sent more troops than any other country, France was nowhere to be found. Australia and New Zealand, however, sent troops and supplies to aid in the war effort. Shown here, personnel and aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force arrive in South Vietnam.

1. Jimmy Carter
   Gerald Ford
2. Richard Nixon
   Dwight D. Eisenhower

While Eisenhower first allowed for supplies and advisors to be sent to Vietnam, it was Lyndon B. Johnson who first sent ground troops. Nixon returned all of the troops, but the war didn't end for South Vietnam until Gerald Ford was president in 1975.

1. Indonesia
   Cambodia
2. Thailand
   Indochina

The Ho Chi Minh Trail ran through Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. It was used mainly for the Northern Vietnamese to move supplies, weapons and soldiers through the countries from 1959 to 1975.

1. 75,000
   110,000
2. 320,000
   250,000

Over the course of their time in the Vietnam War, South Korea sent approximately 50,000 troops per year. This spanned from 1964 to 1973. South Korean troops, shown here, helped the United States more than any other country.

1. $145 billion
   $42 billion
2. $1.7 trillion
   $168 billion

Wars are expensive. For a war that lasted over 20 years, this price point is around average. This cost included weapons, transportation and supplies for the troops that were on the ground. In today's dollars, that would be almost a trillion bucks.

1. Agent Orange
   Agent Brown
2. Agent Black
   Agent Yellow

Agent Orange wasn't your average herbicide. It could take down entire forests and crops throughout the jungle. This helped reduce cover for the North Vietnamese and aided US troops in finding the enemy. Unfortunately, it also caused a host of health issues for those exposed to it, including U.S. troops.

1. United States ground troops
   Communist guerrilla fighters
2. South Vietnamese officers
   Vietnamese air troops

Guerrilla warfare was nothing new by the time the Vietnam War came along. However, the Viet Cong did anything and everything that they had to do in order to win. The Viet Cong were also known as the National Liberation Front, and worked toward communist goals.

1. The Dret Defensive
   The Threat Offensive
2. The Tet Offensive
   The Cret Defensive

When it came to war strategy, the Northern Vietnamese didn't take planning lightly. The Tet Offensive included attacks that were coordinated on more than 100 cities and postings throughout South Vietnam.

1. 1975
   1982
2. 1991
   1969

While the war was in full swing, the leader of the communist party died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. He had been running North Vietnam for nearly 25 years as prime minister and president.

1. Richard Nixon
   Gerald Ford
2. John F. Kennedy
   Henry Kissinger

While people like to bash Nixon's presidency, he actually did a lot to make changes for America. As early as 1970, he worked toward removing US troops from Vietnam and ending the war.

1. Kissinger's attempt to stay in the war
   Nixon's policy to remove American troops from the war
2. Kennedy's release of US ground troops
   LBJ's attempt to stay in the war

Although it may not have been a perfect removal of US forces, Vietnamization was a plan to reduce the combat role of the United States. In order to do that, there had to be markers in place to ensure the South Vietnamese could stand on their own.

1. 1976
   1970
2. 1973
   1962

The United States pulled out of Vietnam in 1973, having assumed the South Vietnamese had all of the tools and funding they'd need to succeed. However, just two short years later, North Vietnam invaded and took over the south, ending the conflict in defeat.

1. The Communist Revolution
   The Revolutionary War
2. The Vietnamese Revolution
   The American War

Although American troops were sent to help the South Vietnamese, from the perspective of the north and the communist party, it was clear that they were just trying to take back what the French had stolen from them in the 1800s: their land and culture.

1. Ngo Dinh Diem
   Robert McNamara
2. Ho Chi Minh
   Richard Nixon

Ngo Dinh Diem was the South Vietnamese president. He was deposed by a coup that the U.S. knew about, but did nothing to stop. The coup began on Nov. 1, and by the next day, Ngo Dinh Diem had been captured and executed.

1. The capital city of North Vietnam
   The capital city of South Vietnam
2. North Vietnam's general
   South Vietnam's largest river

The capital city of Saigon was often protected by US troops. However, after they were removed, it took two years for the North Vietnamese to take it over, in a capture known as the Liberation, or Fall, of Saigon. It is now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Shown here, Vietnamese civilians gather to be airlifted out prior to the capture of Saigon.

1. German invasions during World War II
   Chinese invasions during the Korean War
2. Japanese invasions during World War II
   In response to French hostilites

While the Indochinese Communist Party (or ICP) was formed as early as 1930, it wasn't until 1941 when Japan attacked that the Viet Minh was created. This guerrilla force was meant to fight against both France and Japan ... and anyone who threatened the communist organization. Shown here is the Viet Minh flag.

1. 1955
   1964
2. 1960
   1954

1954 was a big year for the Vietnam War. A two-month battle on Dien Bien Phu led to the French pulling out of the country completely, and a Geneva conference declared that the country was now two different countries.

1. Rubber
   Nylon
2. Coffee
   Aluminum

A major world power heading in to help out a small country in the middle of the Pacific might seem like a big brother trying to be protective, but not necessarily a reason to get an entire country into war. However, a large supply of rubber may have given a little incentive for the US.

1. Cambodia
   Thailand
2. South Vietnam
   North Vietnam

Cambodia was supposed to be a neutral zone during the war. However, that didn't last long. It was actually a part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and there are still live landmines in the country.

1. 300,000
   250,000
2. 1.1 million
   No one knows for sure

Although many of the numbers seen on the television screen during the war were made up and given to the press, the actual numbers were released by Vietnam in 1995. They claimed that 1.1 million troops were killed during the fighting (not including the South Vietnamese deaths).

1. 1956
   1954
2. 1950
   1946

Just after WWII ended, Japan left Vietnam and left a power vacuum in the country. When France tried to reclaim power, the Viet Minh attacked and Ho Chi Minh declared his independence.

1. The US should help any foreign lands threatened by communism.
   The US should get involved in wars if there are trade benefits.
2. The US should never get involved in foreign wars.
   The US should protect French land, no matter what.

After WWII ended, the Soviet Union began trying to "export" communism around the world. This system was antithetical to the way the United States and most other industrialized nations ran things.

1. China and Germany
   Soviet Union and The People's Republic of China
2. Britain and Soviet Union
   Italy and France

The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China were both major world powers that supported communist efforts around the globe. Both of these powers delivered financial and military aid to the communist uprising, beginning in 1950. Shown here are Soviet anti-air instructors and North Vietnamese crewmen, taken in the spring of 1965.

1. Give far too much power to the Soviet Union
   Show China that communism works
2. Create a domino effect of communism in Southeast Asia
   Create a butterfly effect on history

In order to gain support for his giving money to foreign countries for war, Eisenhower supported the Truman Doctrine and pushed the fact that communism could spread like a disease if it wasn't opposed.

1. 1965
   1966
2. 1973
   1956

As early as 1956, the first US death was recorded in the war. Air Force Technical Sgt. Richard B. Fitzgibbon was the first of many Americans to die in the conflict.

1. Le Duan
   Saigon
2. Mi Chon
   Mao Depan

His official title in 1960 became general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. With a title like that, you know this guy was one of the most important men in the war.

1. Navy Seals
   Green Berets
2. Morton Generals
   Mission Men

Secret stealth missions were not uncommon throughout the Vietnam War. The Green Berets were some of the most highly regarded special operations soldiers we had. In 1961, JFK sent 400 into the country to complete missions.