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Communist revolutionary leader helps fund the Indochinese Communist Party.
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By joining World War II, Japan joins the German-Italian Axis coalition.
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The Viet Minh—the League for the Independence of Vietnam—is founded.
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Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States with the death of President Roosevelt,
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With Chi Minh's declaration of independence, the country is called Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
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The French suffer a decisive defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
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They created a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam. It provided a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam.
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South Vietnam declares itself Republic Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem is elected president.
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President Kennedy sends 100 special forces after the first two recorder American deaths during a Viet Minh guerillas strike.
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A 66-year-old Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc, sets himself afire in protest of the South Vietnamese government.
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U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service Act. This amendment will criminalize the destruction of draft cards and violators will be subject to a five-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines.
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U.S. soldiers kill hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai.
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At age 79,communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh dies.
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Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement. Ceasefire is declared and the U.S. agrees to withdraw combat troops. The South Vietnam government promises to hold free elections, allowing its people to decide their own future
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The Vietnam War is officially over for the U.S. The last U.S. troop is withdrawn from Vietnam but some military personnel are left behind.
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South Vietnam surrenders to the communists.
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A memorial that honors U.S. service members of the armed forces who fought in the war and those who were Missing in Action.
