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Ho Chi Minh is born
He would go on to be a leader for the independence movement for Vietnam. He later had became a communist and leader of North Vietnam. He wanted to reunite Vietnam under a communist rule. -
Vietnam declares independence from France, but neither France nor the United States recognize Vietnam as a separate nation.
North Vietnam tuned into a communist and starts their own front called the National Liberation Front. They begin to try to unite all of Vietnam as one but eventually end up splitting the country in two. -
The Geneva Accords cause Vietnam to be split into North and South.
The French would take their troops out of Northern Vietnam after this was signed. Vietnam was split in two parts at the 17th parallel. -
President Eisenhower declares "Domino Theory."
The Domino theory was believed that if one country came under communist rule then the surrounding countries would fall under the communist state. This ties in with Vietnam because of the communist North Vietnam looking to take the country and then expand out into Cambodia and Laos as well. -
The Viet Minh and Ho Chi Minh defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu.
The United States responded with supporting the anti-communist side of Vietnam. The U.S. were anxious to put troops in Vietnam and this response by the U.S. led to the fight in Vietnam for so long. -
Ngo Dihn Diem cancels elections in Vietnam.
He decided to cancel the elections because he knew he wouldn't win against Ho Chi Minh. The thing being voted on in this election was to be the leader of Vietnam and he knew that if he lost Vietnam would become a communist country. -
The National Liberation Front is formed.
They were also known as the Viet Cong. They occupied South Vietnam, they were South Vietnamese communist guerrilla forces. -
A South Vietnamese monk sets himself on fire.
The man was a Mahayana Buddhist and followed the Buddhist culture. He decided to do this because he was protesting discrimination towards Buddhists and other religions. -
The United States withdraws support of Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South Vietnam.
After the U.S. withdrew support of him, he was assassinated by opposition generals in a coup on November 2, 1963. The U.S. withdrew due to him killing people who opposed him and for refusal to make any new reforms. -
President JFK is assassinated, leading to presidency by Lyndon B. Johnson.
John F. Kennedy could've handled the war with less violent intentions. JFK also could've won the war for us because he was so determined to not let the country fall to the Communists. He also was intending on the U.S. getting out of the war way earlier then we did. -
President Johnson claims a U.S. ship had been fired upon by the North Vietnamese.
The name of the ship was the USS Maddox. His response to this act was getting congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution so that he could put troops in Vietnam without stating a declaration of war. -
The first combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
Kennedy sent the first troops in May of 1961 but the first military advisers in Vietnam were actually there in September of 1950. The group was sent to give help and aid to South Vietnam.
