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The Viet Minh launches its first assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The battle will rage for over two months.
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The French surrender to the Viet Minh.
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France and Ho Chi Minh sign the Geneva Accords, in which Vietnam is to be divided at the seventeenth parallel until elections can be held in 1956 to reunify the country.
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With U.S. encouragement, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime.
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President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States.
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Assault teams and artillery attack American bases all over South Vietnam, killing 1,140 Americans. At the same time, South Vietnamese towns and cities are also hit. The heaviest fighting is around Saigon, but fights rage all over South Vietnam.
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President Nixon meets with South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu on Midway Island in the Pacific, and announces that 25,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn immediately.
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South Vietnamese troops attack into Cambodia, pushing toward Vietcong bases. Two days later, a U.S. force of 30,000 -- including three U.S. divisions -- mount a second attack. Operations in Cambodia last for 60 days, and uncover vast North Vietnamese jungle supply depots.
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Three South Vietnamese divisions drive into Laos to attack two major enemy bases. Unfortunately, they were walking into a North Vietnamese trap.
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Only 133,000 U.S. servicemen remain in South Vietnam. Two thirds of America's troops have gone in two years.
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President Nixon orders massive bombing of North Vietnam in response to a major attack.
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The last U.S. ground troops leave Vietnam. Thousands of airmen, advisors, and support personnel remain.
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Nixon defeats Democratic candidate Senator George McGovern in the presidential election.
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Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement.
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The Vietnam War is officially over for the United States.
