Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Ngo was born in Hanoi in 1931. Her father was a successful businessman who owned the largest glass factory in French Indochina. She later stated that she grew eager to learn English because of her desire to watch her favorite films such as Gone with the Wind without subtitles. Her family provided her with private lessons in English. In 1955, when she was 25 years old, she joined the Voice of Vietnam radio station and was chosen to read the English language newscast aimed at listeners in Asia’s English-speaking countries.<br/><br/>

During the Vietnam War, Ngo became notorious among US soldiers for her propaganda broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. Her scripts were written by the North Vietnamese Army and were intended to frighten and shame the soldiers into leaving their posts. She made three broadcasts a day, reading a list of newly killed or imprisoned Americans, and playing popular US anti-war songs in an effort to incite feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, attempting to persuade US GIs that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust and immoral.<br/><br/>

In 1975, after the war, Ngo moved to Saigon with her husband. She was offered a position on HCMC Television, but she chose to stay at home and take care of her husband, who had suffered a stroke. She died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 September 2016 at the age of 87.
Ngo was born in Hanoi in 1931. Her father was a successful businessman who owned the largest glass factory in French Indochina. She later stated that she grew eager to learn English because of her desire to watch her favorite films such as Gone with the Wind without subtitles. Her family provided her with private lessons in English. In 1955, when she was 25 years old, she joined the Voice of Vietnam radio station and was chosen to read the English language newscast aimed at listeners in Asia’s English-speaking countries.<br/><br/>

During the Vietnam War, Ngo became notorious among US soldiers for her propaganda broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. Her scripts were written by the North Vietnamese Army and were intended to frighten and shame the soldiers into leaving their posts. She made three broadcasts a day, reading a list of newly killed or imprisoned Americans, and playing popular US anti-war songs in an effort to incite feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, attempting to persuade US GIs that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust and immoral.<br/><br/>

In 1975, after the war, Ngo moved to Saigon with her husband. She was offered a position on HCMC Television, but she chose to stay at home and take care of her husband, who had suffered a stroke. She died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 September 2016 at the age of 87.
The innocuously named Studies and Observations Group (SOG) was a secret American military unit of elite troops best known for covert operations behind enemy lines such as surveillance, hit-and-run, search and rescue, sabotage, snatching prisoners, and setting booby traps. Its Psychological Operations Group was responsible for 'black' propaganda. The aim was to irritate Hanoi, persuade the authorities that security on the home front was being undermined, and divert resounces into searching out and countering the perceived threats.<br/><br/>

One of its projects was to 'set up' dissident groups in North Vietnam claiming to be truly patriotic but spreading dissent and rumours about the conduct of the war and, especially, the Country’s Chinese ally. One such group was the anti-Communist 'Sacred Sword of the Patriots League' (SSPL). These groups did not exist but by spreading paperwork to and from non-existent agents and officials, supported by phoney radio  transmissions, enemy counter-intelligence might be persuaded that they did.<br/><br/>

'Patriotic League' leaflets were planted by SOG personnel on North Vietnamese roads and trails where they would be found and handed in. They were also air-dropped, usually at night, by unmarked planes. They read as if written by North Vietnamese patriots whose aim was not to overthrow but to influence the Party and the Government, and to achieve true independence for Vietnam and not another period of colonial rule by the Chinese. In addition they claimed to echo the concerns of ordinary people.<br/><br/>

Two examples are the food shortages created as agricultural produce was diverted to buy arms for the war, and inadequate financial support for students.
The Second Indochina War, known in America as the Vietnam War, was a Cold War era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the U.S. and other anti-communist nations. The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and part of their wider strategy of containment.<br/><br/>

The North Vietnamese government viewed the war as a colonial war, fought initially against France, backed by the U.S., and later against South Vietnam, which it regarded as a U.S. puppet state. U.S. military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive.<br/><br/>

U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of the US-Vietnam War.
Operation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War. <br/><br/>

The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972, leading to several informal names such as 'The December Raids' and 'The Christmas Bombings'. It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II.<br/><br/>

Linebacker II was a resumption of the Operation Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October, with the emphasis of the new campaign shifted to attacks by B-52 Stratofortress bombers rather than tactical fighter aircraft. 1,600 civilians died in Hanoi and Haiphong in the raids.<br/><br/>

During operation Linebacker II a total of 741 B-52 sorties were dispatched to bomb North Vietnam. 15,237 tons of ordnance were dropped on 18 industrial and 14 military targets (including eight SAM sites) while fighter-bombers added another 5,000 tons of bombs to the tally. The US admitted to ten B-52s  shot down over the North and five others damaged and crashed in Laos or Thailand. North Vietnamese air defense forces claim that 34 B-52s and four F-111s were shot down during the campaign.
Northern Vietnam, the area centred on the Red River Delta with its capital at Hanoi, extends from the Chinese frontier in the north to the Ma River in Thanh Hoa Province to the south. In the west, the Truong Son or ‘Long Mountains’ and the Lao frontier form the border; while to the east lies Vinh Bac Bo, the ‘Northern Gulf’.<br/><br/>

In earlier times Europeans generally called northern Vietnam Tonkin, a term originating from a 17th century name for Hanoi derived from the Chinese Dong Kinh, or ‘Eastern Capital’. Even today, Vinh Bac Bo is known internationally as the Gulf of Tonkin.
The Politburo of the Central Committee Communist Party of Vietnam (Bộ Chính trị Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam), formerly the Standing Committee of the Central Committee, includes the top leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.<br/><br/>

Senior members of the 2nd Politburo (1951-1960) included Hồ Chí Minh (Chairman of CPV, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam); Trường Chinh (General Secretary to October 1956); Võ Nguyên Giáp and Phạm Văn Đồng, seen here in relaxed mood.
In 1958, the People's Republic of China, having taken over mainland China and having left the Republic of China with control over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and some outlying islands, issued a declaration of a 12 nautical mile limit territorial waters that encompassed the Spratly Islands. North Vietnam's prime minister, Phạm Văn Đồng, sent a formal note to recognize these claims, and stated that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) respects the decision on the 12 nautical mile limit territorial waters.
Flying under radar control with a B-66 Destroyer, Air Force F-105 Thunderchief pilots bomb a military target through low clouds over the southern panhandle of North Vietnam.  June 14, 1966.  Public Domain image by Lt. Col. Cecil J. Poss, USAF.
Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 – 3 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1946–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).<br/><br/>

He formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War until his death. Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu.<br/><br/>

He lost political power inside North Vietnam in the late 1950s, but remained as the highly visible figurehead president until his death.<br/><br/>

Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911-2013) was a principal commander in two wars: the First Indochina War (1946–1954) and the Second Indochina War (1960–1975). He participated in the following historically significant battles: Lạng Sơn (1950); Hòa Bình (1951–1952); Điện Biên Phủ (1954); the Tết Offensive (1968); the Easter Offensive (1972); and the final Hồ Chí Minh Campaign (1975).<br/><br/>

He was also a journalist, an interior minister in President Hồ Chí Minh’s Việt Minh government, the military commander of the Việt Minh, the commander of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), and defense minister. He also served as Politburo member of the Lao Động Party.
Catholics escaping communist territory in the dead of night smile as they pull alongside French landing craft that will take them south.  Public domain photograph 1954 (United States Information Agency).
Operation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War. <br/><br/>

The operation was conducted from 18–29 December 1972, leading to several informal names such as 'The December Raids' and 'The Christmas Bombings'. It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II.<br/><br/>

Linebacker II was a resumption of the Operation Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October, with the emphasis of the new campaign shifted to attacks by B-52 Stratofortress bombers rather than tactical fighter aircraft. 1,600 civilians died in Hanoi and Haiphong in the raids.<br/><br/>

During operation Linebacker II a total of 741 B-52 sorties were dispatched to bomb North Vietnam. 15,237 tons of ordnance were dropped on 18 industrial and 14 military targets (including eight SAM sites) while fighter-bombers added another 5,000 tons of bombs to the tally. The US admitted to ten B-52s  shot down over the North and five others damaged and crashed in Laos or Thailand. North Vietnamese air defense forces claim that 34 B-52s and four F-111s were shot down during the campaign.
Cambodia: Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 to 2004, with Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister of North Vietnam from 1955 through 1976, and was Prime Minister of reunified Vietnam from 1976 until he retired in 1987.
Operation Linebacker was the title of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 aerial interdiction campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War.<br/><br/>

Its purpose was to halt or slow the transportation of supplies and materials for the Nguyen Hue Offensive (known in the West as the Easter Offensive), an invasion of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), by forces of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), that had been launched on 30 March. Linebacker was the first continuous bombing effort conducted against North Vietnam since the bombing halt instituted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in November 1968.
Operation Linebacker was the title of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 aerial interdiction campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War. Its purpose was to halt or slow the transportation of supplies and materials for the Nguyen Hue Offensive (known in the West as the Easter Offensive), an invasion of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), by forces of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), that had been launched on 30 March. Linebacker was the first continuous bombing effort conducted against North Vietnam since the bombing halt instituted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in November 1968.
Pham Van Dong (March 1, 1906—April 29, 2000) was a Vietnamese nationalist and communist. He served as Prime Minister of North Vietnam from 1955 through 1976, and was Prime Minister of reunified Vietnam from 1976 until he retired in 1987.
The Second Indochina War, known in America as the Vietnam War, was a Cold War era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the U.S. and other anti-communist nations. The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and part of their wider strategy of containment.<br/><br/>

The North Vietnamese government viewed the war as a colonial war, fought initially against France, backed by the U.S., and later against South Vietnam, which it regarded as a U.S. puppet state. U.S. military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive.<br/><br/>

U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of the US-Vietnam War.
Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 – 3 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1946–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War until his death. Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He lost political power inside North Vietnam in the late 1950s, but remained as the highly visible figurehead president until his death.
Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 – 3 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1946–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War until his death. Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He lost political power inside North Vietnam in the late 1950s, but remained as the highly visible figurehead president until his death.
North Vietnam, also called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976. Following the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was partitioned at the 17th parallel. The DRV became the government of North Vietnam while the State of Vietnam retained control in the South. The Geneva Accords provided that nationwide elections would be held in 1956. Although France and the Vietminh had agreed to this provision, it was rejected by the State of Vietnam government. During the Vietnam War (1955–1975), North Vietnam fought against the military of the Republic of Vietnam government and its anti-communist allies. The two states were merged in 1976 as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The Second Indochina War, known in America as the Vietnam War, was a Cold War era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the U.S. and other anti-communist nations. The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and part of their wider strategy of containment.<br/><br/>

The North Vietnamese government viewed the war as a colonial war, fought initially against France, backed by the U.S., and later against South Vietnam, which it regarded as a U.S. puppet state. U.S. military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive.<br/><br/>

U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of the US-Vietnam War.