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Vietnam Declares Independence
Hours after Japan’s surrender in World War II, Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh declares the independence of Vietnam from France. The proclamation paraphrased the US Declaration of Independence in declaring, “All men are born equal: the Creator has given us inviolable rights, life, liberty, and happiness!” It is cheered by an enormous crowd gathered in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Viet Minh launches its first assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The battle will rage for over two months, with Vietnam coming out on top as the victor. -
Geneva Accords
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 until elections can be held to reunite the country. -
South Vietnam Declared a Republic
Ngo Dinh Diem declares South Vietnam a republic and himself its premier. He has almost absolute power and control over South Vietnam, as well as US support. However, his governance style will become increasingly dictatorial over time. He also refuses the reunification of the country. -
Buddhist Monks Self-Immolate
Thich Quang Duc, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk, sets himself afire in protest of the South Vietnamese government, its religious intolerance, and discriminatory policies; in following months, other Buddhists will follow his example. Quang Duc's suicide, captured in an iconic Life magazine photograph, shocks—and confuses—many Americans. For some, the event will underscore the problems with American support for the South Vietnamese government. -
Ngo Dinh Diem Assassinated
Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem is captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem causes celebration among many people in South Vietnam, but also lead to political chaos in the nation. The United States subsequently becomes more heavily involved in Vietnam as it tries to stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the threat of communist rebels. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
North Vietnamese torpedo boats supposedly attack the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, off Vietnam, in a pair of assaults on August 2 and 4 of 1964. It becomes the basis for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which will commit major American forces to the war in Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This joint resolution of Congress (H.J. RES 1145) dated August 7, 1964, gives President Lyndon Johnson authority to increase US involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam. -
Arrival of First US Combat Troops
Two battalions of US Marines land on beaches near Danang, heralding the direct involvement of American combat units in the Vietnam War. The deployment is met with anger from many quarters, with China and the Soviet Union threatening intervention. -
Penalties for Draft-Dodging
The US Congress passes an amendment to the Selective Service Act that will criminalize the destruction of draft cards—notices to individual (male) citizens of required service in the US military; President Johnson signs it into law. Those committing the act will now be subject to a five-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines. -
King Demonstrates Against War
Martin Luther King, Jr. leads thousands of demonstrators to the United Nations building in New York, where he delivers a speech attacking US foreign policy in Vietnam. Over 100,000 people attend the rally. -
Tet Offensive
During the Buddhist holiday of Tet, over 80,000 Vietcong troops emerge from their tunnels and attack nearly every major metropolitan center in South Vietnam. Surprise strikes are also made at the American base at Danang, and even the seemingly impenetrable American embassy in Saigon is attacked. American morale suffers greatly in spite of the victory. -
My Lai Massacre
A platoon of American soldiers brutally kill between 200 and 500 unarmed civilians at My Lai, one of a cluster of small villages located near the northern coast of South Vietnam. The events that transpired at My Lai are covered up, but eventually brought to light. -
Nixon and Thieu Meet at Midway
President Nixon and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu meet at Midway Island. At the meeting, Nixon announces that 25,000 US troops would be withdrawn by the end of August. Nixon and Thieu emphasize that South Vietnamese forces would replace US forces. Along with this announcement of the first US troop withdrawal, Nixon discusses what would become known as “Vietnamization.” -
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times begins publishing portions of the "Pentagon Papers." Daniel Ellsberg, an American military analyst with an extremely high-level security clearance and a former employee of the RAND Corporation, has leaked the documents to reporter Neil Sheehan. They contain top-secret information collected by the Department of Defense about US political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. -
Vietnam Ceasefire Signed
Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement in which a ceasefire is declared, the US agrees to withdraw combat troops, and the government of South Vietnam promises to hold free elections to allow its people to decide their future. -
Vietnam War Ends for the United States
The Vietnam War is officially over for the United States. The last US combat soldier leaves Vietnam, but military advisors and some Marines remain. Over 3 million Americans have served in the war, nearly 60,000 are dead, some 150,000 are wounded, and at least 1,000 are missing in action. -
Case-Church Agreement
Despite renewed fighting between the National Liberation Front and the South Vietnamese, the US Congress passes the Case-Church Amendment which forbids any further US military involvement in Southeast Asia, effective August 15, 1973. The veto-proof vote is 278-124 in the House and 64-26 in the Senate. -
Fall of Saigon
The North Vietnamese Army takes over Saigon with little resistance, and it is quickly renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of their revolutionary leader, Ho Chi Minh, who had died several years before. Later in the day President Minh announces: "I declare the Saigon government [of South Vietnam] is completely dissolved at all levels." -
Time Magazine Declares Ho Chi Minh "The Victor"
Just days after the government of South Vietnam surrendered to the VC and North Vietnamese armies, Ho Chi Minh appears on the cover of Time magazine, this time with the heading, "The Victor."
