Vietnamese
People from Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia.
| Term | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Orange | Agent Orange was a defoliant used in Vietnam. | |
| Betty | Refers to the "Bouncing Betty" land mines used in the Vietnam War. | |
| Charlie | Originated during the Vietnam War (1960-1974) from "Viet Cong," shortened to "V.C.," which in the military phonetic alphabet is "Victor Charlie," giving "Charlie." | |
| Ddang Kong | Korean term meaning "peanut" or "ground bean," used derogatorily against Vietnamese people. | |
| Dink | Used against Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian people. Originated with US military personnel during the Vietnam War. Also an acronym for Dual Income No Kids. | |
| Duck | Based on the noises made by Vietnamese people speaking in their native tongue, which supposedly all sounds like "duk-duk-duk." Also in reference to how old women walk. | |
| Gook | Highly offensive slur used against Asian people, particularly Vietnamese, Korean, and Filipino people. Widely used by US military personnel during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Exact origin disputed. | |
| Gookaniese | Their language is "Gookaniese." | |
| Gookie Monster | Sounds like "Cookie Monster" from "Sesame Street." | |
| Gulper | Sounds like their gulping when they speak English. | |
| Ho-chi | Short for Ho Chi Minh, the North Vietnamese leader. | |
| McGook | Soldiers called them this, referring to McDonald's (slaughtered meat). | |
| Mister Charles | Used during the Vietnam War, referring to the VC or "Victor Charlie." | |
| Mung | Used against Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian people. Possibly derived from the mung bean, widely grown in Asia. | |
| Nammer | Derived from Vietnam being called "Nam." | |
| Napalm | Napalm was used during the Vietnam war. | |
| Tunnel Digger | They used to dig foxholes and tunnels in Vietnam to kill American soldiers. | |
| Tunnel Rat | They used to dig interconnected series of tunnels through which they would live. | |
| Uncle Ben's Boys | From the Vietnam War, referring to Vietnamese soldiers, due to the large number of rice paddies. | |
| Victor Charlie | From the Vietnam War. U.S. military radio code breakdown for "Viet Cong." | |
| Viet Cong | Refers to the Viet Cong, the communist guerrilla force in the Vietnam War. | |
| Vink | Adaptation of "chink" for Vietnamese. | |
| Youn | Used by Cambodians. The Youn were a tribe of Vietnamese descent that lived along the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. Cambodians did not trust them. |