What was the US Navy's small river patrol boat widely used in the Mekong Delta called?
Answer
Patrol Boat, River
80 The Vietnam War Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
This Vietnam War trivia hub covers the conflict’s military campaigns, political decisions, protests, media coverage, neighboring countries, and controversial events. Questions move from the Mekong Delta’s small river patrol boats to the Cambodian Campaign, Hamburger Hill, the Tet Offensive, the War Powers Resolution, and the My Lai Massacre. Together, they connect battlefield operations with the decisions and public debates that shaped the war.
The hub suits history students, documentary viewers, classroom review, veterans’ history discussions, and pub-quiz teams. It includes recognizable figures such as President Richard Nixon and Lieutenant William Calley, while also testing knowledge of journalists, anti-war demonstrations, military terminology, and the geography of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The mix supports both introductory and more advanced quizzes.
Which US president ordered the 1970 Cambodian Campaign during the Vietnam War?
Answer
Richard Nixon
Which 1969 battle is known as the Battle of Hamburger Hill?
Answer
Battle of Dong Ap Bia
Which CBS anchor said after the Tet Offensive that the Vietnam War was mired in stalemate?
Answer
Walter Cronkite
Which 1967 anti-war protest marched to a US military headquarters outside Washington, D.C.?
Answer
March on the Pentagon
Which 1973 US law sought to limit presidential power to commit troops without Congress?
Answer
War Powers Resolution
Which US Army officer was convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre?
Answer
William Calley
What program relocated South Vietnamese rural villagers into fortified settlements starting in 1962?
Answer
Strategic Hamlet Program
Which US Army division was responsible for the My Lai Massacre area in 1968?
Answer
Americal Division
Who was president of South Vietnam from 1967 until shortly before Saigon fell?
Answer
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Which US Air Force campaign sprayed herbicides over Vietnam from 1962 to 1971?
Answer
Operation Ranch Hand
Which US Navy operation tried to stop communist supplies reaching South Vietnam by sea?
Answer
Operation Market Time
What river marked much of the border between North and South Vietnam near the DMZ?
Answer
Bến Hải River
Which future US senator was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and held as a POW?
Answer
John McCain
What Hanoi prison was nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by American POWs?
Answer
Hỏa Lò Prison
Which US president was in office when Saigon fell on April 30, 1975?
Answer
Gerald Ford
What was the official name of South Vietnam?
Answer
Republic of Vietnam
Which amendment cut off US combat funding in Indochina after August 15, 1973?
Answer
Case-Church Amendment
Which Australian battle in August 1966 was fought in a rubber plantation near Long Tan?
Answer
Battle of Long Tan
Which South Korean division was nicknamed the Tiger Division in Vietnam?
Answer
Capital Mechanized Infantry Division
What 1967 operation targeted the Iron Triangle area near Saigon?
Answer
Operation Cedar Falls
What 1965 US Marine operation was the first major purely American offensive action of the war?
Answer
Operation Starlite
What 1967 US operation was the largest US airborne operation of the Vietnam War?
Answer
Operation Junction City
At which South Vietnamese air base did US Marines land in March 1965?
Answer
Da Nang Air Base
Which US president sent the first combat Marines to South Vietnam in 1965?
Answer
Lyndon B. Johnson
Which Buddhist monk self-immolated in Saigon on June 11, 1963?
Answer
Thich Quang Duc
Which South Vietnamese operation invaded Laos in 1971 with US air support?
Answer
Lam Son 719
What was the name of the final North Vietnamese campaign that captured Saigon in 1975?
Answer
Ho Chi Minh Campaign
What was the name of North Vietnam's major conventional offensive launched in 1972?
Answer
Easter Offensive
What was the name of the 1972 US bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong?
Answer
Operation Linebacker II
Which 1954 battle ended in a major French defeat in Vietnam?
Answer
Dien Bien Phu
What line temporarily divided Vietnam after the 1954 Geneva Conference?
Answer
17th parallel
Who was the longest-held US prisoner of war in Vietnam?
Answer
Floyd James Thompson
Which US general replaced William Westmoreland as commander in Vietnam in 1968?
Answer
Creighton Abrams
What was the name of the US operation to bomb the Ho Chi Minh Trail from 1968 to 1972?
Answer
Operation Commando Hunt
The Vietnam War trivia — quick answers
What are good Vietnam War trivia questions?
Good Vietnam War trivia questions cover major offensives, commanders, presidents, tactics, geography, protests, journalism, legislation, and civilian experiences. A balanced quiz can include the Tet Offensive, the Mekong Delta, the Cambodian Campaign, Hamburger Hill, the My Lai Massacre, the War Powers Resolution, and the anti-war movement in the United States.
How hard is Vietnam War trivia?
Vietnam War trivia is often moderately difficult because the conflict involved several countries, changing strategies, and overlapping political and military events. Basic questions may focus on presidents, dates, and famous battles. Harder questions ask about river patrol craft, journalists, legislation, neighboring countries, military units, or the precise consequences of major campaigns.
What was the US Navy’s river patrol boat called?
The US Navy’s small river patrol boat was the PBR, short for Patrol Boat, River. PBRs were used extensively in the Mekong Delta to patrol waterways, intercept supplies and personnel, support operations, and control river traffic. Their shallow draft and powerful water-jet propulsion made them suitable for the delta’s narrow, muddy channels.
Which law sought to limit presidential power to commit troops during the Vietnam era?
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 sought to limit the president’s ability to introduce US armed forces into hostilities without congressional involvement. It requires the president to consult Congress when possible and report deployments, while setting a generally applicable 60-day period—subject to limited exceptions—before forces must be withdrawn without authorization.
Who was convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre?
US Army Lieutenant William L. Calley Jr. was convicted by court-martial for the premeditated murder of civilians at My Lai in 1968. The massacre involved the killing of Vietnamese villagers by US soldiers. Calley was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but his sentence was later reduced, and he served house arrest before parole.