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French Defeated at Dien Bien Phu
In the Northwest parts of Vietnem Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh and his men defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu, a French stronghold besieged by the Vietnamese communists for 57 days. -
Geneve Agreement
The Geneva conference was held in order to solve the problems of the Korean peninsula. This conference resulted in Vietnam being divided into the 17th parallel. -
Diem Rejects Geneva Agreement
Diem rejects the Geneva agreement and instead becomes the president of South Vietnam. -
French Leave
The French troops pull out of Vietnam. The last soldier left on April 28, 1956. -
U.S. Training
U.S. Troops enter southern Vietnam in June in order to train the troops. -
Communists Attack South Vietnam
Viet Nimh led many communist attacks on south vietnam ultimately resulting in the death of more than 400 vietnamese officials. -
The Formation of the Vietcong
The south army of Vietnam and Cambodia formed to make the Vietcong -
U.S. Employs Agent Orange
The U.S. released agent orange in Vietnam in order to kill their crops, ergo cutting off their crops for food. -
Battle of Ap Bac
The battle took place on January 2, 1963, near the hamlet of Ap Bac, 65km (40 miles) southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta. Forces of the 7th Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) and artillery and supported by American helicopters, confronted the entrenched Viet Cong 261st battalion. -
Arrest and Assasination of Ngo Dinh Diem
The leader was caught and then murdered along side his brother. -
General Nguyen Khanh Seizes Power in Saigon
After the Fall of Fiem Nguyen tekes power. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
In a bloodless coup, General Nguyen Khanh seizes power in Saigon. South Vietnam junta leader, Major General Duong Van Minh, is placed under house arrest, but is allowed to remain as a figurehead chief-of-state. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Authorized President Lyndon Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." The resolution passes unanimously in the House, and by a margin of 82-2 in the Senate. The Resolution allows Johnson to wage all out war against North Vietnam without ever securing a formal Declaration of War from Congress. -
Vietcong Attack Bienhoa Air Base
The Bienhoa airbase was attacked. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President, Lyndon B. Johnson, ordered the first bombing of North Vietnam. -
Battle of Hue
US and South Vietnamese forces tried to recapture the site seized by the Communists during the Tet Offensive. This was the bloodiest battle in the war. -
Nixon Secretly Bombs Cambodia
Nixon consulted his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, who shared Nixon’s determination to respond aggressively. -
Death of Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh dies of heart failue at the age of 79. -
Nixon Declares War is Ending
Nixon announced that the war would soon be over on television. -
U.S. Troops Leave Vietnam
As Part of the Paris Peace Accords U.S. Troops pull out of Vietnam. -
Thieu Announces Renewal of War
South Vietnamese troops report that 55 soldiers have been killed in two clashes with communist forces. Claiming that the war had “restarted,” South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu asserted, “We cannot allow the communists a situation in which…they can launch harassing attacks against us,” and ordered his forces to launch a counter-offensive to retake lost territory. The announcement essentially marked the end of attempts to adhere to the agreements of the Paris Peace Accords. -
Saigon Falls to the Communists
The falls of Saigon Ultimately ended the Vietnam war. -
Reagan Elected President
Ronald Reagan is elected president and promises to make the MIA's a number one priority.
