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French Rule in Vietnam
During World War 2, the Japanese seized control of Vietnam in 1940. The Communist leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, returned home and assisted in the formation of the Vietminh, an organization whose mission was to free Vietnam from foreign occupation. When the Japanese were forced to leave Vietnam as a result of the Allied victory over Japan, Ho Chi Minh stood in the middle of a sizable crowd in the northern city of Hanoi and proclaimed Vietnam to be an independent country. -
France Battles the Vietminh
The US joined the war in Vietnam in 1950. President Truman sent France nearly $15 million in aid that year. The US contributed heavily to France's war over the following four years, spending close to $1 billion to depose a leader it had once backed. Ho Chi Minh received assistance from the US to fight the Japanese during World War II as a result of their alliance. But by 1950, the US had changed its perception of its former ally to that of a communist enemy. -
Geneva Accords
In order to negotiate a peace treaty with the Vietminh and South Vietnam's anticommunist nationalists, the nations of France, Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, China, Laos, and Cambodia met in Geneva, Switzerland from May through July 1954. Vietnam was momentarily divided along the 17th parallel by the Geneva Accords. The president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, a devoted anti-Communist, declined to run in the 1956 national election after learning of Ho Chi Minh's widespread support. -
Vietcong
By 1957, the Vietcong, a Communist opposition group in the South, had started attacking the Diem administration and killing thousands of South Vietnamese government officials. Despite the fact that the group's political wing would eventually adopt the name National Liberation Front (NLF), the US continued to refer to the combatants as Vietcong. -
United States Involvement
President Kennedy increased financial support for Diem's frail government and dispatched thousands of military advisers to assist in retraining South Vietnamese forces. 16,000 American military personnel had arrived in South Vietnam by the end of 1963. A military coup to overthrow Diem's government was supported by Kennedy and the U.S. on November 1, 1963. Diem was however murdered. Kennedy was also killed a few weeks later. Lyndon B. Johnson was now the owner of the White House. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
In 1964, a North Vietnamese patrol boat fired a torpedo at an American destroyer, the USS Maddox, which was patrolling in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson launched bombing attacks on North Vietnam in response to the alleged attack. He asked Congress for the authority to defend against any armed assault on the U.S. The Resolution was accepted and put into effect on August 7. Despite not being a formal declaration of war, it gave Johnson extensive military authority in Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson used his newly acquired authority in February 1965. Johnson launched "Operation Rolling Thunder," the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam, in retaliation for a Vietcong attack that claimed the lives of eight Americans. The first American combat troops entered South Vietnam in March of that year. By June, the Vietcong were being fought by more than 50,000 American soldiers. Americanization of the Vietnam War had occurred. -
Buildup of American Troops
By the end of 1965, the American government had dispatched more than 180,000 citizens to Vietnam. The American commander in South Vietnam, General William Westmoreland, insisted on more troops despite his dissatisfaction with the South Vietnamese Army's combat ability. The Johnson administration complied with Westmoreland's requests throughout the early years of the war, and by 1967, there were about 500,000 American troops in Vietnam. -
Nation Divided
By 1967, Americans found themselves divided into 2 groups. Group 1 were known as the Doves opposed the war. Their anti-war arguments were Vietnam was a civil war, South Vietnam government is as bad as communism, U.S. can’t police world, and war is immoral. 2nd group were known as the Hawks and they were Pro-war. 70% believed anti-war protests were “acts of disloyalty” and Americans were shocked to see protesters publicly criticize a war in which their fellow Americans were fighting and dying. -
Fighting in the Jungle
The Vietcong took advantage of hit-and-run and ambush strategies as well as a thorough understanding of the jungle terrain because they lacked the American forces' potent weapons. The Vietcong attacked American forces in both urban and rural areas by secretly entering and exiting the population, shattering the conventional idea of the front line. -
African Americans in Vietnam
African Americans made up a significant portion of ground combat units. Despite making up only about 10% of the American population at the time, blacks represented more than 20% of combat deaths during the early years of the war. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the "cruel irony" of black Americans dying for a nation that still regarded them as inferior people. Another element that contributed to low troop morale in Vietnam was the racism that pervaded many army units. -
Women in Vietnam
10,000 women served in Vietnam despite the U.S. military's ban on female combatants in the 1960s, the majority of them as army nurses. The American Red Cross and the United Services Organization (USO), which hosted and entertained the soldiers in Vietnam, received thousands of volunteer offers. Some men were at home when the army marched into Vietnam to battle communist insurgents, and many women were engaged in their own personal conflicts. -
Tunnels of the Vietcong
The Vietcong were able to evade airstrikes, launch surprise attacks, and quickly vanish thanks to their complex tunnel systems. Many guerrillas found shelter in the tunnels, which connected villages all over the nation. There were numerous land mines and traps scattered throughout the area. American troops planted land mines in the jungle because it was impossible to locate the exact location of the Vietcong. The Vietcong also decommissioned and recycled American mines. -
The Draft
At the age of 18, all men were required to register with their local draft boards. Unless exempted in the event of war, for instance on medical grounds, all registered men between the ages of 18 and 26 were called up for military service. Thousands of men tried to avoid the draft as American skepticism about the war grew. -
The Final Push
After being re-elected, President Nixon launched an extended bombing campaign against North Vietnam's two largest cities two days later. This incident was dubbed the "Christmas bombing." Over the course of 11 days, American aircraft dropped 100,000 bombs, pausing only on Christmas Day. Following calls for peace from the Chinese government, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. Congress, the United States signed an "Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" on January 27, 1973. -
Vietnam War Ended
On March 29, 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left for home. For America, the Vietnam War had ended. -
Fall of Saigon
However, the actual war went on. The North and South Vietnamese cease-fire agreement broke down following the U.S. withdrawal. The South was subjected to a full-scale invasion by the North Vietnamese in March 1975. The U.S. was contacted by the government of South Vietnam for assistance. America offered financial assistance but declined to send troops. Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was seized by North Vietnamese tanks on April 30, 1975. South Vietnam promptly gave up to North Vietnam. -
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Families welcomed their sons and daughters home, but the nation as a whole showed its Vietnam veterans a cold hand. There was no brass band, no triumphal floats, and no crowds of supporters. Instead, many veterans encountered hostility or indifference in a country still bitter from the war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was inaugurated by the American government in 1982 as a tribute to the men and women who served in that conflict.