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The Japanese diminish French rule in Indochina. Emperor Bao Dai comes into power in Vietnam creating the illusion of an independent Vietnamese state.
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Under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh revolts against Emperor Bao Dai, Japan's hand-selected ruler and twelve days later Ho Chi Minh surrenders to the Viet Minh.
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The Viet Minh make their first assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The battle will rage for over two months ending with the French surrendering to the Viet Minh.
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France and Ho Chi Minh sign the Geneva Accords, which then leads to the division of Vietnam. Vietnam is to be divided at the seventeenth parallel until elections can be held in 1956 to reunify the country. The South Vietnamese government and the United States refuse to sign the agreement.
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Two military advisors are killed by Viet Minh guerilla soldiers in a raid at Bien Hoa in South Vietnam. Guerilla soldiers were a small group of combatants such as armed civilians or irregulars using military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military.
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The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, also known as the National Liberation Front is formed, with it's military front the Viet Cong, staffed by Ex-Viet Minh guerilla soldiers from the South.
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(Unknown Date)
Viet Cong Guerilla fighters kill around 4,000 South Vietnamese officials -
An American serviceman is killed, marking the official beginning o the Vietnam War.
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U.S. Military is authorized to fire if they are fired upon.
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South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime, and then he orders the execution of Diem and his brother.
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A second assault occurs on the USS Maddox reportedly by North Vietnamese gunboats, though there wasn't much evidence. President Lyndon B. Johnson orders retaliatory strikes. The U.S. bombs North Vietnam for the first time.
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The first unit of North Vietnamese troops is sent to the South.
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The first U.S. combat units arrive in Vietnam.
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Peace talks are held in Paris. Representatives from the U.S., the South Vietnamese government, and the NLF are present.
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The North Vietnamese take Saigon; the war in Vietnam ends.
