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 Hanoi's 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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