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Vietnamese forces occupy the French command post. French cease fire.
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South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president.
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John F. Kennedy wins the 1960 presidential election over Richard Nixon.
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President John F. Kennedy orders more help for the South Vietnamese government in its war against the Vietcong guerrillas. U.S. backing includes new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personnel.
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South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup.
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North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident).
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A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder).
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The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
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U.S. soldiers kill hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai.
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President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam.
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President Nixon announces that U.S. troops will attack enemy locations in Cambodia. This news sparks nationwide protests, especially on college campuses.
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he last U.S. troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
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North Vietnam launches a massive assault on South Vietnam.
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South Vietnam surrenders to the communists.
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Vietnam is unified as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
