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China, North Vietnam's neighbor and ally, successfully tests an atomic bomb.
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Ho Chi Minh declares an independent Vietnam, called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
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The Geneva Accords creates a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam and provides a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
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South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president.
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The National Liberation Front (NLF), also called the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam.
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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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In Operation Chopper, helicopters flown by U.S. Army pilots ferry 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a NLF stronghold near Saigon. It marks America's first combat missions against the Vietcong.
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South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup.
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North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident).
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The U.S. congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend southeast Asia.
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A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder).
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The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
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The North Vietnamese join forces with the Viet Cong to launch the Tet Offensive, attacking approximately one hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns.
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U.S. soldiers kill hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai.
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U.S. troops in Vietnam reaches 540,000.
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President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam.
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Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79.
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The American public learns of the Mai Lai massacre.
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President Nixon announces that U.S. troops will attack enemy locations in Cambodia. This news sparks nationwide protests, especially on college campuses.
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Portions of the Pentagon Papers are published in The New York Times.
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The North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive.
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The Paris Peace Accords are signed that provide a cease-fire.
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The last U.S. troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
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North Vietnam launches a massive assault on South Vietnam.
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South Vietnam surrenders to the communists.
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Vietnam is unified as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is dedicated.
