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The war began
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Outnumbering the French nearly five-to-one
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Armed conflict continued until a decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu and ended in French defeat by Viet Minh forces
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At 5:30 p.m., 10,000 French soldiers surrener at Dien Bien Phu
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The U.S. opposes the unifying elections, fearing a likely victory by Ho Chi Minh
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In the South, Bao Dai has installed Ngo Dinh Diem as his prime minister
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The first direct shipment of U.S. military aid to Saigon arrives
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Anti-Communist Ngo Dinh Diem pushed Bao aside to become president of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower had pledged his firm support to Diem and South Vietnam
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Ho Chi Minh visits Moscow and agrees to accept Soviet aid
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The last French soldier leaves South Vietnam
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Peasant unrest in North Vietnam resulting from oppressive land reforms is put down by Communist force with more than 6,000 killed or deported
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The U.S. rejects the proposal, unwilling to recognize Communist North Vietnam
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The Viet Cong and other opponents of Diem's repressive regime began fighting back with attacks on government officials and other targets
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By year's end, over 400 South Vietnamese officials are killed
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A coordinated command structure is formed by Communists in the Mekong Delta where 37 armed companies are being organized
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Begun engaging South Vietnamese Army forces in firefights
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The armed revolution begins as Ho Chi Minh declares a People's War to unite all of Vietnam under his leadership
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4,000 Viet Minh guerrillas, originally born in the South,are sent from North Vietnam to infiltrate South Vietnam
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Universal military conscription is imposed in North Vietnam
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Diem's opponents within South Vietnam-both communist and non communist-formed the National Liberation Front to organize resistance to the regime
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The National Liberation Front is established by Hanoi as its Communist political organization for Viet Cong guerrillas in South Vietnam
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Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev pledges support for wars of national liberation throughout the world
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Viet Cong guerrillas now control much of the countryside in South Vietnam and frequently ambush South Vietnamese troops
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The U.S. military presence in South Vietnam had reached some 9,000 troops
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During a press conference, President Kennedy is asked if any Americans in Vietnam are engaged in the fighting
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MACV, the U.S. military Assistance Command for Vietnam, is formed
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The new U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge arrives in South Vietnam
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Lodge informs President Kennedy that the coup against Diem appears to be on again
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General Minh is ousted from power in a bloodless coup led by General Nguyen who becomes the new leader of South Vietnam
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President Johnson's aides begin work on a Congressional resolution supporting the President's war policy in Vietnam
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General Khanh seizes full control of South Vietnam's government
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Johnson made the decision-with solid support from the American public-to send U.S. combat forces into battle in Vietnam.
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Viet Cong terrorists bomb the U.S. embassy in Saigon
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President Johnson and South Vietnam's prime minister Nguyen Cao Ky meet in Honolulu
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An attempt to repeal the Golf of Tonkin Resolution fails in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 92 to 5
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American religious groups stage a nationwide Fast for Peace
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Congress authorizes 4.5 billion for the War
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The number of American troops in Vietnam was approaching 500,000, and U.S. casualties had reached 15,058 killed and 109,527 wounded
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Operation Niagara I to map NVA positions around Khe Sanh begins
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President Johnson labels the Tet Offensive a complete failure
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The peak of U.S. involvement in the war, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the Vietnam conflict
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Operation Dewey Canyon, the last major operation by U.S. Marines begins in the Da Krong valley
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Viet Cong attact 110 targets throughout South Vietnam including Saigon
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B-52 bombers strike the Ho Chi Minh trail in retaliation for the increasing number of Viet Cong raids throughout the South
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Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia is deposed by General Lon Nol
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President Nixon announces the end is in sight
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A mass arrest of 12,000 protesters occurs in Washington
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U.S. troops levels drop to 69,000
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President Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces
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Kissinger and Le Duc Tho resume negotiations in Paris
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Captain Robert White, the last known American POW is released
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Congress begins impeachment proceedings against President Nixon stemming from the Watergate scandal
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The Politburo in North Vietnam decides to launch an invasion of South Vietnam in 1975
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Communist forces seized control of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War
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During press conference, President Ford states the U.S. is unwilling to reenter the war
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Quang Tri City falls to NVA
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The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is withdrawn from Vietnam