Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh forms Indo-Chinese Communist Party

Oct 1, 1930

Forms party to resist the Japanese

Viet Minh seize power, Ho Chi Mihn declares independence

Sep 2, 1945

French are defeated at Dien Bien Phu

May 7, 1954

United States delines French request for air support, resulting in their defeat

At the Geneva Conference, Vietnam is split into North and South.

Jul 21, 1954

Vietnan is split in half at the 17th parallel

Weapons and men begin infiltrating South Vietnam

Jan 1, 1959

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Aug 2, 1964

U.S. claims The USS Maddox was attacked by Vietcong gunboats while patrolling hte Gulf of Tonkin

Vietcong attack American soldiers at Pleiku

Feb 6, 1965

Operation Rolling Thunder begins

Mar 2, 1965

Bombing camapign designed to weaken the Vietcong and the Ho Chi Minh trail

First combat troops arrive in Vietnam

Mar 8, 1965

First US Marines arrive in Vietnam

Vietcong attack U.S. embassy in Saigon

Mar 29, 1965

Vietcong Terrorists bomb United States Embassy in Saigon

The first major battle, the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, between U.S. forces and the Vietcong.

Nov 14, 1965

U.S. bombs NVA at the DMZ for the first time

Jul 30, 1966

DMZ was viewed as the buffer zone until now

Operation Cedar Falls begins. Largest offensive to date.

Jan 8, 1967

Vietcong, aided by NVA, launch Tet Offensive

Jan 31, 1968

My Lai Massacre

Mar 28, 1968

US Marines murder 300 Vietnamese civilians

Saigon falls to North Vietnam

Apr 30, 1975