Vietnam War

By DeadlyLimaBean
  • May 2, 1428

    Vietnam Independence

    China tried to regain control over Vietnam in the 1400's. Le loi a vietnamese leader used guerrilla warfare to defeat the chinese invaders. Le Lois rebels worked as peasants but took up parms in the night time to attack the Chinese. The chinese were driven out by the rebelsand Le Loi became the new emperor as well as independence for vietnam.

  • French Control

    In 1883 the Vietnamese were forced to give France complete control of the country. Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia were later combined by the French to form French Indochina. One of the most prized possessions in the eyes of the French.
  • Period: to

    Vietnam War

  • Army Occupation

    In 1940 the Japanese army had occupied all of the Indochina area, and also threatened the rest of Southeast Asia.

  • French V. Vietnam

    The french and the vietnamese were locked in battle. Truman supported the French becasue he believed that they were a vital ally when it came to stopping the spread of communism.

  • US North Korea Alliance

    The US was caught in a bloody war, trying to stop North Koreas invasion of the South. At the same time, Communist led nationalist revolts spread across indonesia the Phillipines and also Malaysia.

  • Vietnamese Attack

    May 7th was when the French were defeated by the Vietnamese. This happened despite aid to the french by other countries as well.

  • International Conference

    International conference to settle the Indochina conflict. Representatives of French and Vietminh attempted to map out the future of the area.

  • General Elections

    General elections were scheduled for july. Fearing that the communists would win an election, the U.S. refused to support the agreement.

  • Alliance

    Military assistance began to flow from the North to the Vietminh in the south of the country.

  • Kennedy Authorization

    Kennedy authorized U.S. forces to engage in direct combat. as a result the americans that were killed had increased from 14 in 1961 to 500 in 1963.

  • Assasination of Diem

    Plotters murdered Diem and his brother. The assasination upset the U.S. advisers who were about to fly him out of the country.

  • US Involvement

    President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared on national television. His announcement to the American people that night marked a new stage in U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam.

  • American Troops

    The first commitment of US troops in Vietnam. The whole world reacted to this new stage of US involvement in the war.

  • Antiwar Demonstration

    SDS organized the first national antiwar demonstration. Held in D.C 20,000 people came. People wanted lawmakers to end the war immediately.

  • Draftees

    President Johnson called for a buildup of U.S. troops in Vietnam. 13,700 draftees were ordered to serve in Vietnam.

  • Tet

    The vietnamese new year, start of the Tet. This night, the Vietcong struch unknowing Vietminh and US troops sleeping on the holiday.

  • Nixons Wartime Expansion

    Nixon planned to expand the war into neutral Cambodia to cut off the North Vietnamese supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Early in 1969 Nixon ordered the widespread bombing of Cambodia. He wanted to show Hanoi that the United States was still willing to use force, and even expand the war, in pursuit of his goal of "peace with honor." Nixon and Kissinger concealed the Cambodian air strikes from the American people, Congress, and key military leaders—even the secretary of the air force.

  • Kent Shootings

    National Guard troops that had been sent to control demonstrators shot randomly into a large group of students. 4 were killed and 9 were injured. The entire nation was in a state of shock.

  • Tonkin Gulf Resolution Repealed

    Congress has repeaed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in December 1970 after the Kent State Shootings, becasue they were so outraged with the recent event.

  • Pentagon Documents

    The new york times published a collection of secret documents related to the war. These papers revealed that the government misled the AMerican Public about the course of the war. Daniel Ellsburg was the man who leaked these papers.

  • South Vietnamese Invasion

    Hoping to reveal the weaknesses of Nixon's Vietnamization strategy, North Vietnam staged a major invasion of South Vietnam in March 1972. NVA troops drove deep into South Vietnam. In response, Nixon ordered heavy bombing of North Vietnam. Despite these steps, the opposition now held more territory in South Vietnam than ever.

  • Peace Settlement

    The negotiators in Paris announced a cease-fire. The plan differed little from the one agreed to in October, but minor changes allowed each side to claim a victory. The United States pledged to withdraw its remaining forces from South Vietnam and to help rebuild Vietnam. The peace settlement also included a prisoner-exchange agreement. It did not, however, address the major issue behind the war—the political future of South Vietnam.

  • Northern South Korea Overrun

    North Vietnamese troops overran the northern part of South Vietnam. As south Vietnamese troops retreated in panic, new waves of refugees poured into saigon.

  • Surrender

    South Vietnam surrendered unconditionally. This meant an end to the war for Americans. The long effort to prevent the creation of an independend Vietnam under communist rule, failed.