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Formation of the Viet Minh
The Viet Minh was a Communist front organization founded by Ho Chi Minh in 1941 to organize resistance against French colonial rule and occupying Japanese forces. -
Vietnam's Declaration of Independence
Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnamese National Independence. -
US Pledges $15M to Aid French
The United States sends $15 million dollars in military aid to the French for the war in Indochina. Included in the aid package is a military mission and military advisors. -
Geneva Accords
Diplomats from the United States, France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and Vietnam meet in Geneva, Switzerland to work out a peace agreement. Vietnam would be divided into North and South until nationwide elections are held in 1956. The United States does not accept the agreement. -
War Begins
Civil war begins in Vietnam when leader Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold reelections. Many supported Ho Chi Minh who was communist. the country is divided into two. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident & Resolution
President Johnson wanted to be more involved in the Vietnam conflict. North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress passed a resolution that gave President Johnson more authority to use American forces in Vietnam. -
War Protesters March on the Pentagon
50,000 protesters marched to the Pentagon in protest of US involvement in the Vietnam War. The Secret Service worried that President Johnson could be hurt. The President wished to talk calmly but the protesters refused to hear it. -
USS Pueblo
The USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence vessel, is engaged in a routine surveillance of the North Korean coast when it is intercepted by North Korean patrol boats. The Koreans open fire and capture all aboard the vessel. The American public is shocked by these events. -
North Vietnamese Launch TET Offensive
In a show of military might that catches the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas. From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat for the Communists, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory. The US military's assessment of the war is questioned. -
My Lai Massacre
On March 16, the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division entered the village of My Lai. "This is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and you've got it," said their superior officers. A short time later the killing began. They ended up killing 300 innocent people in My Lai. When news of the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the US political establishment, the military's chain of command, and an already divided American public. -
Nixon Elected President
Running on a platform of "law and order," Richard Nixon barely beats out Hubert Humphrey for the presidency. Nixon takes just 43.4 percent of the popular vote, compared to 42.7 percent for Humphrey. Third-party candidate George Wallace takes the remaining percentage of votes. -
Nixon Sends Troops to Cambodia
Civil war erupts in Cambodia between Communist and non-Communist forces. Nixon commands to destroy Communist bases using American forces. Congress and others feel he overstepped his authority. -
Kent State Incident
National Guardsmen open fire on a crowd of student antiwar protesters at Ohio's Kent State University, resulting in the death of four students and the wounding of eight others. Several of the protesters had been hurling rocks and empty tear gas canisters at the Guardsmen. -
Signing of the Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords was an agreement between the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and the United States to bring an end to the Vietnam War. -
The War Ends
Communist forces gained control of Saigon forcing South Vietnam to surrender. The war was finally over, but many of the Vietnamese who had supported the US attempted to flee to safety in America.
