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Jan 1, 1428
Le Loi Becomes Emperor
Vietnam won their independence because the rebels drive the Chinese out of China. This is important because it mean Vietnam could be their own country now instead of being controlled by another country. -
French Colonization
The French take over Vietnam, and they had to give up their independence. This is significant because that meant Vietnam would now be controlled by the French. -
Vietnam gets invaded by Japan
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France and Vietnam decide to battle
This is significant because it tested the U.S. policy in Vietnam. President Truman decided not to support Vietnam and instead support France. -
The U.S. joins the war
President Harry Truman orders the U.S. to get involved in the war. This is significant because the army/military aids the French. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This was significant because the French got defeated in this battle against Vietnam, which ended their colonization. Nationalists are supported by communists. Significant because the French surrendered. After this battle, the Vietcong (communists) and the South battled each other. -
Geneva Conference
This was a conference surrounding issues in Asia. The discussions in the conference were important because they drew the French troops out of North Vietnam, due to their defeat. The Geneva agreements were signed, which permitted Vietnam to be divided and no foreign troops could enter Vietnam. -
General elections start
The point of the general elections were to unify Vietnam, as stated in the Geneva Conference. This is significant because the U.S. decided to not support the agreement since they feared the Communists would win. Also, Diem did not want to have an election in South Vietnam since he knew he couldn't defeat Ho Chi Minh. -
More military assistance
The increase in military assistance is significant because they came from the north to the Vietminh who stayed in the south. This was a consequence of the armed revoution that erupted in the south. -
Operation Sunrise
This was a significant event because there was attack against the Viet Cong. The operation's purpose was to kill Vietcong forces but also assit civilians with supplies and facilities to defend themself. -
Ngo Dinh Diem gets murdered
Not only did Ngo Dinh Diem is murdered, but his brother as well. This is significant because it was an incident done by plotters who wanted to overthrow Diem due to political pressure. -
New state in U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
This is a significant event because President Lyndon B. Johnson appears on nation TV to announce in his speech that the U.S. will take military action since the U.S. ships have been attacked. -
Instigating Operation Flaming Dart
One of the U.S. airbases is attacked by the Viet Cong. This is significant because it caused a consequence, which was the launch of Operation Flaming Dart against the North Vietnam (took place a month later). -
More young men serve in armed forces
The Selective Service notifies 13,700 draftees to serve in the war. This is relevant because President Johnson wanted more of the U.S. military forces in Vietnam (escalation). -
SDS organizes antiwar demonstration
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organizes a antiwar demonstration. This is signficant because it's the first one ever, held in Washington D.C. The purpose was to end the Vietnam War ASAP, accompanied by a march to the Capitol. -
Tet Offensive
This was a significant event because it was the day of Vietnamese New Year (Tet), accompanied with a battle of the North vs. South Vietnam. The North troops attacked more than 100 cities and 12 U.S. military bases. It was also known as the Vietncong defeat. It deeply affected South Vietnam. -
Cambodia bombing
President Nixon orders the widespread bombing of Cambodia. This is important because it showed that he was willing to make daring moves in the war; by expanding the war into Cambodia in order to cut off the North Vietnamese supply lines. -
Finding a way to end the war
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho from North Vietnam secretly meet in Paris to start discussions on how to end the war. This was important because it took nearly 3 years to negotiate an acceptable peace plan and not a lot of people knew about it. -
Kent State shootings
The Kent State University shootings are signficant because they were one of the antiwar protests. National Guard troops had to be sent into the university to control the students, while injuring nine individuals and killing four. The shootings were notorious in the U.S. The whole incident was instigated by a fire on the campus to the ROTC building. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Due to the Cambodian invasion, Congress decides to repeal the Tonkin Gulf Resolution (set after the incident). This is relevant because it slowly effected the war by soon developing plans to withdraw U.S. troops from the war. -
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times publishes a collection of secret government documents relating to the war, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg. These were significant because they contributed to the antiwar movement. The documents also revealed that the government frequently misled the American people about the course of the war. -
Invasion of South Vietnam
North Vietnam decides to attack and invade South Vietnam. This is significant because the North wanted to ruin President Nixon's Vietnamization strategy. There were also consequences of this. Due to the invasion of South Vietnam, the response was a heavy bombing on North Vietnam. -
Peace settlement/cease-fire
This is important because the U.S. pledged to withdraw its remaining troops from South Vietnam and help rebuild the country. Also, Nixon secretly pledged that the U.S. would come to South Vietnam's aid if fighting resumed. -
South Vietnam's military government collases
Two years after U.S. forces withdrew, the North Vietnamese troops overrun the northern part of South Vietnam. Due to this, new refugees came to Saigon. This is important because it was one of the last attacks and it heavily impacted the South Vietnamese troops. The U.S. military had to rescue them. -
The surrender of South Vietnam
Due to the overflow of the North Vietnamese troops, the South Vietnamese troops had to react fast. However, the impact was too fast and caused panic. Due to this, South Vietnam surrenders unconditionally. This is important because it signals the end of the war.