Vietnam War By savannah.fraser Jan 20, 1953 Eisenhower became president. Nov 1, 1955 Vietnam War started. Jan 20, 1961 Kennedy became president. Nov 22, 1963 Johnson became president. Aug 2, 1964 Vietnam attacked two U.S. ships sitting in international waters. Jan 30, 1968 Tet Offensive official began. Dec 1, 1968 U.S. troops in Vietnam reached 540,000. Jan 20, 1969 Nixon became president. May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings. Apr 30, 1975 Vietnam War ended.