Viet Nam Pop Quiz
1. Why did the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc,
burn himself to death in Saigon?
A. To protest the American-Viet Nam war.
B. To protest Buddhists' treatment by the
Communists in North Viet Nam.
C. To protest Buddhists' treatment by the
South Vietnamese government.
2. Which of the following is true of Ho Chi
Minh?
A. He once worked as a steelworker in Shanghai.
B. He once worked as a pastry chef in Boston.
C. He once worked as a physician in Hanoi.
3. Ho's address in 1941 proclaiming the creation
of the new nation of Viet Nam began with
which words?
A. "All people are created equal; they
are endowed with certain unalienable rights;
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness."
B. "From each according to his means,
to each according to his needs."
C. "Nothing is more precious than independence
and freedom."
4. The reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge in
Cambodia ended when:
A. The U.S. withdrew from Viet Nam.
B. Viet Nam invaded Cambodia.
C. Pol Pot died.
5. In 1963, who controlled most villages in
South Viet Nam?
A. U. S. troops.
B. The Viet Cong.
C. The Saigon Government.
6. Who said, in regard to the Buddhist self-immolations,
"if the Buddhists want to have another
barbeque, I will be glad to supply the gasoline"?
A. Ho Chi Minh.
B. Madame Nhu.
C. General Vo Nguyen Giap.
7. According to a recent survey of executives,
which Asian country poses the least threat
to tourists from terrorism?
A. Japan.
B. Singapore.
C. Viet Nam.
8. At China Beach, of TV series fame, what would
you find today?
A. The remains of the U.S. field hospital.
B. An area of bomb craters and scorched earth.
C.End-to-end luxury resorts.
9. The Cu Chi tunnels, dug entirely by hand,
extend how far?
A. More than 125 miles.
B. More than 45 miles.
C. More than 8 miles.
10. Who said, in regard to the U.S.-Viet Nam
war, "we were wrong, terribly wrong"?
A. Former South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh
Diem.
B. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert
S. McNamara.
C. American folk singer Joan Baez.
11. Which of the following will NOT offend your
Vietnamese host?
A. Not finishing all the food you are served.
B. Patting him affectionately on the head.
C. Sitting with the soles of your feet pointing
toward him.
12. Vietnamese pop music star Phuong Thao, is:
A. Vietnamese-Chinese.
B. Vietnamese-American.
C. Vietnamese-French.
13. A special culinary treat you can find in
Hanoi is:
A. Coffee made from beans eaten and then
excreted by a weasel.
B. Tea made from the cocoons of silkworms.
C. Eggs which have been buried in local cemeteries
for over ten years.
Answers (don't peek)
1:C (He and other monks after him were protesting
the Catholic Diem regime's persecution of
Vietnamese Buddhists.) 2:B (In 1912 and 1913,
Ho lived in the U.S.: first New York, then
Boston, where he worked in the kitchen of
the Parker House Hotel. He later worked under
the great chef Escoffier in London.) 3:A
(Ho Chi Minh was a great admirer of the U.S.
and its democracy. He wrote letters to presidents
Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy -- they ignored
him completely.) 4:B (in 1979) 5:B (The "strategic
hamlet" program, designed to isolate
South Viet Nam peasants from the influence
of the Viet Cong, succeeded only in so alienating
the inhabitants that they became willing
Viet Cong supporters-- more than half of
the hamlets were infiltrated or destroyed
by the Viet Cong.) 6:B (Madame Nhu was South
Viet Nam President Diem's sister-in-law;
since he was unmarried, she became the virtual
"first lady." Madame Nhu was herself
a convert from Buddhism to Catholicism.)
7:C; 8:C; 9:A; 10:B; 11:A (Not finishing
all the food you are served shows that the
host was generous in serving his guest. But
do finish all the rice: it represents the
sweat of the farmer.) 12:B; 13:A (Cà Phê
Chon ["Weasel Coffee"] can be purchased
in various strengths from merchants on Hang
Buom Street in the old quarter. Enzymes in
the digestive tract of the weasel [actually
a civet] cause the beans to produce a thick,
rich, chocolatey brew.)
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