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Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina wars) and a manifestation of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union
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The viet-cong formed as an anti-Diem and anti-United States force in the South.
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North Vietnamese patrol boat attacks a United States destroyer in Gulf of Tonkin.
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General Nguyen Van Thieu assumes control of the South.
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Counter-offensive by United States results in massacre at My Lai.
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secret bombing of Viet Cong inside Cambodian borders. Ho Chi Minh dies.
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United States withdraws troops rapidly following Agreement, but war continues unabated in the South.
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President Gerald Ford reluctant to sustain aid to South Vietnamese forces.
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Last remaining United States citizens evacuated. Vietnam unified under Communist rule. Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
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Vietnam usurps rule from Khmer Rouge. Tensions with China, which supported Khmer Rouge, increase.
