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The origin of Vietnam
From the 1880s up until World War II, Vietnam was part of French Indochina. Also, Vietnam had a 2,000-year history of resisting foreign rule. -
Proceeding to Vietnam independence:
In 1941, a Vietnamese communist, Ho Chi Minh, drew on that history to stir up nationalist feelings. In northern Vietnam, he helped found a group to oppose foreign occupation. Members of this independence movement became known as the Viet Minh. -
Vietnam declares independence:
On September 2, 1945, the same day that Japan formally surrendered to the Allies, Vietnam declared its independence. -
US military aid to French Iodochina:
In November 1946, French warships opened fire on the port city of Haiphong, killing some 6,000 Vietnamese civilians. These incidents marked the start of the first French Idochina. Truman was determined to block any further communist advance in Asia. For this reason, he called for an increase in military aid to French This aid rose from $10 million in 1950 to more than $100 million in 1951. By 1954, the United States was paying 80 percent of the cost of the war in Indochina. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The decisive battle of the war began in March 1954, when the Viet Minh launched a surprise attack on a large French military base at Dien Bien Phu. By April, lots of French soldiers at Dien Bien Phu appeared ready to give up. However a loss at Dien Bien Phu might knock the French out of the war. On May 7, 1954, the Viet Minh finally overran the French base, ending the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and shattering French morale. -
Genca Accords
In July 1954 the French and Viet Minh signed the Geneva Accords. Under this agreement, the fighting stopped, and Vietnam was split temporarily along the 17th parallel. The Viet Minh moved north, while the French withdrew to the south. Under the accords, national elections to reunify Vietnam were scheduled for 1956. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident (Vietnamese: Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ), also known as the USS Maddox Incident, is the name given to two separate confrontations involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. -
Troops arrive in vietnam
Johnson decided to send troops. On March 8, 1965, about 3,500 U.S. arrive in South Vietnam. This was the first time U.S. combat troops had set foot in Vietnam. By the end of April, President Johnson had approved the dispatch of 60,000 more combat troops to Vietnam. In July, after conferring with advisers, he publicly announced that he was boosting U.S. troop levels to 125,000 men. The president didn’t officially declare war or ask Congress for permission to expand troop levels. He based his auth -
Operation Rolling Thunder
The February bombing raid led to a series of massive air strikes called Operation Rolling Thunder. Most of the president’s advisers believed this action was needed to give a boost to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and to avoid the collapse of South Vietnam. Besides attacking staging areas, U.S. planes began intensive bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, hoping to cut off supplies and soldiers streaming in from the north. In these results, the Johnson administration decided to reexamine -
Doves Argue against involvemnt
The doves contended that escalating the war would not guarantee victory, arguing that the war was unwinnable. The doves also argued that involvement in the war was not in the nation’s interest. Furthermore, the doves pointed out that direct U.S. involvement in Vietnam might draw China or even the Soviet Union into the conflict. The doves feared that China might counter the entry of U.S. ground troops with combat forces of its own. -
Hawks argue for involvement
In policy debates, the hawks ( A group that included Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Secretary of State Dean Rusk, along with top military leaders) argued in favor of escalating the war by introducing U.S. ground troops. The hawks also argued against a policy of appeasement. A third argument of the hawks stressed American credibility. A third argument of the hawks stressed American credibility. They said that allies must be able to rely on the United States. -
American War
Starting in 1965, with the landing of the first combat forces, the conflict in Vietnam changed. The United States took over the main responsibility for fighting the war. From that time forward, the South Vietnamese would play only a supporting role. This change in strategy represented the Americanization of the Vietnam War. -
Operation Starlite
The first major assault by U.S. ground troops, called Operation Starlite, took place in August 1965, against 1,500 Viet Cong who were preparing to attack a U.S. air base near the coast. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Two days later, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This resolution allowed the president “to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was not a legal declaration of war, but it did, in effect, give the president permission to expand the U.S. role in the conflict.
