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Once Vietnam declares independence from France, neither France nor the U.S. does not pay any attention to this claim. President Harry S. Truman helps France with military equipment to fight the Viet Minh.
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The Geneva Accords end the French Indochina War.
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Vietnam signs the Geneva Accords and divides into two countries at the 17th parallel, the communists in the north and U.S.-supported south.
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The North Vietnamese launch a massive surprise attack during the festival of the Vietnamese New Year, called Tet. The attack hits 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. Both sides suffer heavy casualties, but the offensive demonstrates that the war will not end soon or easily. American public opinion against the war increases and the U.S. begins to reduce the number of troops in Vietnam. Finally!
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National Guard are sent into a group of demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. The shots killed four students and wounded nine others. Anti-war demonstrations and riots occur on hundreds of other campuses throughout the month of May.
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Under orders from President Nixon, U.S. and South Vietnamese ground troops, in an effort to stop the North Vietnamese supply routes through Laos into South Vietnam. This action is done without consent of Congress and causes more anti-war protests in the U.S.
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A cease-fire is arranged after peace talks.
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The last American ground troops leave. Fighting begins again between North and South Vietnam, but the U.S. does not come back.
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South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops move in.
