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Nationalism in Vietnam
In the beginning of the 1900s, nationalism became really powerful in Vietnam. A lot of political parties wanted to fight for independence or for a reform of French colonial rule. -
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was one of the leaders of the nationalist movement. After staying some years in Europe, China and the Soviet Union, he went back to Southeast Asia. There he helped found the Communist Indochinese Communist Party and he also fought for independence. -
America aids the French
When the fight between France and Vietnam started to escalate, France appealed to the United States for help. It was a hard decision for America, because they opposed colonialism. However they didn't want Vietnam to be Communist. -
Vietnam against France
When Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence, France didn't wanted to lose its former colony. So France send troops to Vietnam and drove the Vietminh into hiding.
But the Vietminh fought back. -
The turning point in the fight
It occurred in the mountain town of Dien Bien Phu. France planned to cut the Vietminh's supplies line and force them into open battle. After that, a huge Vietminh force surrounded Dien Bien Phu and bombarded the town. The French forces fell to Vietminh. It convinced the French to make peace and withdraw from Indochina. -
Geneva Accords
The negotiations to the end of the conflict were held in Geneva, Switzerland. It provided a temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. The US became the principal protector of the new government in South Vietnam. -
The Communists guerrilla
The communist began an armed struggle to reunify the nation. They organized a new guerrilla army of South Vietnamese Communists, which became known as Vietcong. The US sent hundreds of military advisers to train South Vietnam's army, but the Vietcong continued to grow more powerful. -
The overthrow of Diem
Diem made himself more unpopular by discriminating against Buddhism, he banned the traditional religious flags for the Buddha's birthday. It caused lots of protests. In August , the US ambassador found out that several Vietnamese generals were thinking about overthrowing Diem. When the US expressed sympathy for the cause, the generals launched a military coup. They executed Diem soon after. -
Kennedy's assassination
Only three weeks after Diem died, Kennedy was assassinated. So Johnson became president, and had to deal with the problems in Vietnam. Johnson also wanted to keep the country from falling to communism. -
Gulf of Tonkin
In 1964 Johnson announced that North Vietnam had attacked two US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. So Johnson asked Congress for the authority to defend American forces. Congress agreed so the Gulf of Tonkin resolution was passed. It gave the president the authority to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the US forces.