Question

Which of the following is not true about the Ho Chi Minh trail?
(A) It had branch lines extending into South Vietnam
(B) It was used to transport men and materials from North to South Vietnam
(C) It was used by the Vietnamese rebels and the US troops
(D) Had support bases and hospitals along the way

Answer 1

Hint: The Ho Chi Minh trail was named after Ho Chi Minh, the president of North Vietnam. It was after the North Vietnamese leadership decided to reunify South and North Vietnam, the trail was put into operation.

Complete answer: The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a route of military supplies operating from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam. Weapons, manpower, ammunition and other supplies from communist-led North Vietnam to their supporters in South Vietnam were sent through this route during the Vietnam War. Lao Dong, the Communist Party of Vietnam, in 1959 ordered the construction of a special trail to support the war it was promoting in South Vietnam.
It was a network of trails, roadways as well as footpaths. The network of trails and volume of traffic increased during the 1960s, it still took more than a month to travel from North to South Vietnam using the trail. The frequent and severe American bombing raids used to affect the traffic in the trail. Historians record that the trail is of nearly 12,000 miles length comprising five main roads, twenty-nine branch roads, and many bypasses and cutoffs.

Option (A): The Ho Chi Minh trail had branch lines stretching into the region of South Vietnam.
Option (B): The trail was used for transporting people and supplies from North Vietnam to South Vietnam.
Option (C): The trail was used by the North Vietnamese soldiers.
Option (D): The trail had support bases and hospitals along the way
The options (A), (B) and (D) are true regarding the Ho Chi Minh trail and thus the option (C) is false and it is the correct answer since the trail was not used by Vietnamese rebels and the US troops.

Note: It was on 14 December 1964, the U.S. Air Force made the first bombardment on the trail in Laos under Operation Barrel Roll. Several air and ground attacks were carried out against the Ho Chi Minh trail by the United States since the 1960s to 70s.