Vietnam War Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast

It’s the 250^th episode of Dorky Geeky Nerdy! We also broke 250,000 downloads in October, so it’s milestones all around. Thank you all so much for your support. For our second November episode, we’re continuing our wars of the 20^th century theme with Vietnam War Trivia.

As a Gen-Xer, I grew up with adults that fought in this war and heard so many first-hand tales of what it was like. If you served, thank you for your service. I know it was brutal.

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

As a Gen-Xer, I grew up with adults that fought in this war and heard so many first-hand tales of what it was like. If you served, thank you for your service. I know it was brutal.

With that said, let’s get this show started.

The Dorky Round

What president oversaw the bulk of the US’s involvement in Vietnam from 1963 through 1968?
a. Lyndon Johnson
Who was US President at the end of the Vietnam War?
a. Richard Nixon
What city’s fall marked the end of the US prescence in Vietnam?
a. The Fall of Saigon
What future US Senator spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam?
a. John McCain
VC was short for what armed group?
a. The Viet Cong
What European nation controlled much of Vietnam (and other countries in the region) from 1947 to 1954?
a. France. You’ll hear french words scattered thoughout the Vietnamese language.
What was the capital of North Vietnam?
a. Hanoi. It’s now the capital of Vietnam
Four US students were killed at a protest at what US school in 1970?
a. Kent State University
What fictional character fought alongside Bubba and Lt. Dan in Vietnam?
a. Forrest Gump
Robin Williams played Adrian Cronauer in what 1987 movie about a DJ during the war?
a. Good Morning, Vietnam

The Geeky Round

What incident, in August 1964, led to an escalation of hostilities between North Vietnam and the US?
a. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
What 1989 musical is set in Vietnam and is based on Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly?
a. Miss Saigon
What 1986 war film starred Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen?
a. Platoon
Speaking of Platoon, what Vietnam Vet wrote and directed the film?
a. Oliver Stone. He received several honors for his service including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
What US Presidential candidate, Senator, and Secretary of State served aboard the USS Gridley during the Vietnam War?
a. John Kerry
Operation Ranch Hand unleashed tons of what carcinagenic herbicide and defoliant all over Southeast Asia?
a. Agent Orange.
Who was the leader of the communist forces in Vietnam?
a. Hồ Chí Minh
US troops commited mass murder in what incident in March 1968?
a. The My Lai Massacre. Between 347 and 504 civillians were killed.
Named after the Lunar New Year, what North Vietnamese attack began in January 1968?
a. The Tet Offensive.
Who commanded the US forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968?
a. General William Westmoreland

The Nerdy Round

What three countries border Vietnam?
a. Cambodia, Laos, and China
In what year did US troops finally leave Vietnam?
a. Nineteen-Seventy-Five
What battle marked the end of French occupation in the region?
a. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
How many US Presidents oversaw US troops in Vietnam?
a. Four. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.
Following it’s fall, Saigon was renamed what?
a. Ho Chi Mihn City
What US newspaper released the Pentagon Papers in 1971?
a. The New York Times. It was a landmark moment for US attitudes towards the war and cemented the ability for US journalists to keep their sources confidential.
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the Vietnam War?
a. Leonid Brezhnev
What celebrity newlyweds had a Bed-In protest in 1969?
a. John Lennon and Yoko Ono
What treaty alliance was formed in 1954 to block communist expansion in Asia?
a. SEATO or the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. It was dissolved in 1977.
Peter Seeger penned and sang what popular protest song in 1966?
a. Bring ’em Home. He would later adapt the song to protest wars in the Middle East

Episode Conclusion

And we are done. How’d you do? I know I spent a lot of time studying this war in high school. I wonder if younger generations spend as much time on it or if it’s faded enough to just be “history”. Let me know on social media.

I’ll be back here next week with another thirty questions. Here’s a little hint:

What war began in the Middle East on August 2, 1990?

This will be our last 20^th Century War Trivia episode for the month. I promise we’ll have something fun to finish out November.

This was episode 250 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast.

The theme music was provided by Jason Shaw of Audionautix.com.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. Come find out what else I’m up to at TheVoicesInMyHead.com. Thanks for listening.