Communist Southeast Asia

Communist Southeast Asia

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

Objectives

• Identify Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia on a blank map.

• Name two of the three countries that have occupied French Indochina.

• Describe the rule of the Khmer Rouge.

Terms and Places

Khmer Rouge was a communist group that took control of Cambodia in the 1970s.

The Mekong is a river that flows through Southeast Asia. Gulf of Tonkin is a protected inlet in north Vietnam and south China.

Angkor Wat is an ancient temple complex in Cambodia.

Communism is a theory of government in which the government owns and controls everything.

This way, a communist government takes care of you and makes sure you’re fed.

Vietnam

Laos

Cambodia

P a c i f i c O

c e a n

China

Indian Ocean

The Mekong River flows through all these Southeast Asian nations.

The Mekong River Delta, like most river deltas, is extremely fertile.

Laos

Cambodia

Vietnam

Vietnam

Mountains separate Vietnam from Laos and Cambodia.

Where should one expect that people will live in these countries? The population at the

Mekong River Delta, where land is fertile, is also high.

The Gulf of Tonkin, with its protected access to the sea, has a high population.

Laos, in mountainous terrain, has the lowest population.

These countries have a history of foreign occupation.

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were called French Indochina. This was a colony of France.

During World War II, French Indochina was ruled by the Japanese.

Vietnam

In the 1950s, the Soviet Union began to sponsor Communists in Vietnam.

The communists took over the northern half of Vietnam and the country was divided

for many years.

The United States supported the south against the

communist north.

Ho Chi Min, leader of communist North Vietnam

Vietnam

Cambodia

Laos

After the United States left, Communism spread to South

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

In the 1970s, they made everyone leave the cities and do hard labor in the countryside.

Then they murdered a quarter of the entire country – about two million people.

The communist government in Cambodia was called the Khmer Rouge.

They photographed them first.

The photos are now in a museum.

Vietnam

Laos

Cambodia

A famous ruin called Angkor Wat lies within the jungles of

Cambodia. It appears on their flag.

In Laos are these mysterious huge jars.

They may have held grain or water, or they may even have been used for burial purposes.

This film shows rural Laotian villages and the jars.

Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos are poorer than most other East

Asian nations.

What does this chart tell about Vietnam,

Cambodia, and Laos?

Life expectancy in Cambodia and Laos is less than most other East Asian nations.

Which nation is Vietnam?

A

B

CE

ED

F

F

GG

H H

H

H H

I

Myanmar

Thailand

Vietnam

Which nation is Laos?

Laos

Which nation is Cambodia?

Cam-bodia

Vietnam has coastline on what ocean?

Pacific

Atlantic

Indian

What separates Vietnam from its neighbors Laos and Cambodia?

A river valley

A desert

A mountain chain

A steppe

What is the Mekong?A protected gulf between Vietnam and China

A major river with a fertile delta for agriculture

A mountain chain dividing Vietnam from its neighbors

A communist government that killed two million people

What was the name of this area when it was a colony?

British Siam

French Indochina

American Samoa

Belgian Congo

What country sponsored the communist revolution in North Vietnam?

Great Britain

Soviet Union

United States

China

What country took over French Indochina and occupied them during World War II?

Japan

Soviet Union

United States

China

What happened when the United States pulled its support for South Vietnam?

Vietnam remained divided, the north communist and the south not.

Communism spread from the north to the south and into Laos and Cambodia.

Cambodia and Laos turned against Vietnam and overthrew its communist government.

In what country did the government murder two million of its own people

Vietnam

Laos

Cambodia

Thailand

Please read “Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.” World Studies: Asia and the Pacific. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. Pg. 126-7. And “Vietnam: A Nation Rebuilds.” World Studies: Asia and the Pacific. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. Pg. 230-235.

And “Vietnam: A Reunited Nation.” Asia and the Pacific: Teaching Resources. Prentice-Hall. 2003. Pg. 51.

"The Extended Family in Vietnam." World Studies Video Program. (DVD). Prentice-Hall. (3:10).