Which policy aimed to remove U.S. troops and empower South Vietnamese forces to take over the fighting?

• A. Ceasefire
• B. Fall of Saigon
• C. Vietnamization
• D. Domino Theory

Answer: (C)

The main idea is shifting the fighting burden from U.S. troops to South Vietnamese forces, while gradually withdrawing American forces. This approach, known as Vietnamization, aimed to train and equip the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) so they could take over combat duties and defend the country with less direct U.S. ground involvement, all while maintaining some support from the United States. It emerged as casualties and opposition at home increased, with the goal of ending large-scale American combat roles without conceding defeat. The other terms don’t fit this idea: a ceasefire is simply stopping fighting, the Fall of Saigon is the event marking final collapse, and the Domino Theory is a rationale for intervention rather than a policy to remove troops and empower an ally.