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Vietnamese forces occupy the French command post at Dien Bien Phu and the French commander orders his troops to cease fire.
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The Geneva Peace Accords, signed by France and Vietnam in the summer of 1954.
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President John F. Kennedy orders more help for the South Vietnamese government in its war against the Vietcong guerrillas. U.S. backing includes new equipment and more than 3,000 military advisors and support personnel.
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Operation Ranchhand begins. The goal of Ranchhand is to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes. Guerrilla trails and base areas are exposed, and crops that might feed Vietcong units are destroyed.
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The U.S. congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson the power to defend southeast Asia.
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President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a limited but long lasting bombing offensive. Its Target is North Vietnam.
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The first bombing raids of Rolling Thunder are flown.
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U.S. forces launch Operation Crimp. Deploying nearly 8,000 troops, it is the largest American operation of the war.
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In Operation Birmingham, more than 5,000 U.S. troops, backed by huge numbers of helicopters and armored vehicles, attack the area around north of Saigon
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Heavy fighting near Con Thien kills nearly 1,300 North Vietnamese troops.
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By the end of 1966, American forces in Vietnam reach 385,000 men, plus an additional 60,000 sailors offshore. More than 6,000 Americans have been killed in this year, and 30,000 have been wounded. 61,000 Vietcong have been killed. However, their troops now numbered over 280,000
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In Hanoi, as Communist forces are building up for the Tet Offensive, 200 senior officials are arrested in a opponents of the Tet strategy.
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On the Tet holiday, Vietcong units attack more than 100 cities and towns, shock attacks by Vietcong, followed by wave after wave of supporting troops. By the end of the city battles, 37,000 Vietcong troops deployed for Tet have been killed.
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After three-and-a-half years, Operation Rolling Thunder comes to an end. In total, the campaign had cost more than 900 American aircraft. Eight hundred and eighteen pilots are dead or missing, and hundreds are in captivity.
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President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States. With regard to Vietnam, he promises to achieve "Peace With Honor."
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U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam exceed the 33,629 men killed in the Korean War.
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President Nixion meets on Midway Island in the Pacific, and announces that 25,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn immediately.
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By order of the president, a new bombing campaign starts against the North Vietnamese. Operation Linebacker Two lasts for 12 days, including a three day bombing period by up to 120 B-52s.
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All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire.
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The last American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam, though military advisors and Marines, who are protecting U.S. installations, remain. For the United States, the war is officially over. Of the more than 3 million Americans who have served in the war, almost 58,000 are dead, and over 1,000 are missing in action. Some 150,000 Americans were seriously wounded.
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At 4:03 a.m., two U.S. Marines are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport. They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War.
