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The Geneva Accords establish North and South Vietnam with the 17th parallel as the dividing line. The agreement also stipulates that elections are to be held within two years to unify Vietnam under a single democratic government. These elections never happen.
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South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins campaign against political dissidents.
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Weapons and men from North Vietnam begin infiltrating the South.
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Number of US military advisers in South Vietnam rises to 12,000.
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Gulf of Tonkin incident: the US says North Vietnamese patrol boats fire on two US Navy destroyers. US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorising military action in region.
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200,000 American combat troops arrive in South Vietnam.
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A combined assault by Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army on US positions - begins. More than 500 civilians die in the US massacre at My Lai. Thousands are killed by communist forces during their occupation of the city of Hue.
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Ho Chi Minh dies. President Nixon begins to reduce US ground troops in Vietnam as domestic public opposition to the war grows.
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Ceasefire agreement in Paris, US troop pull-out completed by March.
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North Vietnamese troops invade South Vietnam and take control of the whole country after South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh surrenders.