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Geneva Conference of 1954
Following the French defeat in the First Indochina War in 1954, it is decided that Vietnam would be devided into North Vietnam which was supported by the Communists, and South Vietnam which was supported by the West. This marked the first time that the US began to become involved in Vietnam.
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US Pledges Support to the South
President Eisenhower pledges that the US will support President Diem and the South Vietnamese government. The US begins to send military advisers and equipment to the South, which begins to crack down on the North Vietnamese backed guerrillas operating in the south.
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The war escalates
As the South begins to crack down on the Viet Cong, the guerrilla forces begin to strike out at the South Vietnamese Army itself engaging in open firefights.
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Formation of the National Liberation Front
Opponents to President Diem in South Vietnam form the National Liberation Front (NLF). The group is made up of communists and non-communists and begins to form a resistance to the Diem regime. Although it claims to be neutral, the US believes that the group is backed by the North Vietnamese
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President Diem is Overthrown
In November 1963 President Diem is overthrown and assassinated by his own generals in a military coup. The resulting political instability convinces US president Johnson to send more troops and equipment to South Vietnam.
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Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Two North Vietnamese torpedo boats attack the destroyer USS Maddox as well as another destroyer operating in the Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam. This marked the first real attack by North Vietnam against the US military.
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, President Johnson brings the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution before congress. The resolution passes and the US begins to launch retalitory strikes against North Vietnam.
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Operation Rolling Thunder
US aircraft begin Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965. The goal is to strike at the heart of North Vietnam. The campaign focusses on targets across North Vietnam. The only restricted areas were the capital of Hanoi, the harbor of Haiphong, and a buffer zone along the Chinese border. The US hoped to be able to bomb the North into submission without having to deploy more troops.
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Battle of La Drang Valley
This battle marked on of the first combat operations by US ground forces in the Vietnam War. 1000 US troops were flown into the La Drang Valley as part of a new tactic of hunting the Viet Cong which became known as search and destroy. Over the course of four days of fighting the US killed about 1000 North Vietnamese at a loss of 79 dead.
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Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese forces launch an all out attack on South Vietnam during the lunar holiday of Tet. The US and the South are caught off guard by the attack which took place during a cease fire to observe the holiday. Every major city in South Vietnam is attacked as well as major US bases across the country and the US embassy in Saigon.
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Battle of Hue
The battle of Hue was one of the defining battles of the Tet Offensive. The battle would see US and South Vietnamese forces push the North Vietnamese Army out of the city and would mark the begining of the end of the Tet Offensive. However, coverage of the battle and its losses would begin to turn public opinion in the US against the war.
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Protests at home
The US public shocked by the suprise of the Tet Offensive, begin to withdraw their support for the war. Protests against the war and the draft begin to take place across the country. This drop in public opinion will last for the remainder of the war.
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Vietnamization
Following his election in 1968, President Richard Nixon began the task of winding down the US involvement in Vietnam. Known as "Vietnamization" the US gradually began winding down military operations in South Vietnam and began handing over these duties to the South Vietnamese Army.
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End of the US Involvement in Vietnam
In January after long negotiations between the US and North Vietnam in Paris, the two sides agree to a peace agreement. This ends the US involvement in Vietnam but not the war between the North and South. Without US troops to support its army this marks the begining of the end for South Vietnam.
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Fall of Saigon
With the United States out of the war there was little the South Vietnamese Army could do to stop the North. On April 30th North Vietnamese Army forces entered Saigon. This prompted the evacuation of the US Embassy and any "at risk" South Vietnamese workers at the embassy. This would mark the end of the Vietnam War and the exit of the last Americans from the country.
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