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French Surrender
The French surrender to the Viet Minh. The Geneva Conference on the status of Indochina begins. -
Ho Chi Minh Land Reforms
Ho Chi Minh orders seeping "land reforms" in North Vietnam; thousands of people are imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Many Vietnamese flee to South VIetnam -
Diem Repression
Ngo Dinh Diem begins a campaign to repress those who fought for or sympathized with the Viet Minh. -
Guerilla War
Ex-Viet Minh forces in the South organize and, with the support of Ho Chi Minh, begin a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Diem's administration. -
First American Deaths
Two military advisors are killed by Viet Minh guerilla soldiers. They are the first Americans to be killed in the Vietnam war -
US Increases Advisors
The US announes that it will increase the number of military advisors in South Vietnam from 327 to 685 men -
First US Combat Death
This marks the beginning of the Vietnam war for many Americans -
Buddhist Monks Self-Immolate
Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in protest of the South Vietnamese government for religious intolerance and discriminatory policies. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The US of Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson the power to take any actions he thought necessary to defend South Vietnam from Viet Cong forces. This is also known as Blank Check. -
Operation Rolling Thunder is Approved
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a small but extensive bombing tactic. Its aim was to force North Vietnam to forgo supporting the Viet Cong. -
Rolling Thunder Occurs
The first bombing raids of Rolling Thunder take place -
First Mass Demonstration
The first mass public demonstrations against American involvement in the Vietnam war take place -
POWs Mobbed in Hanoi
US prisoners of war are led through the streets of Hanoi and were attacked by angry mobs -
My Lai
American soldiers massacre hundreds of civilians -
America's Longest War
The war in Vietnam becomes the longest war in American history -
Peace Talks Begin in Paris
Representatives from the US, South Vietnam, and the NLF discuss peace in Paris -
Vietnamization
Nixon announces his plan for "Vietnamization" of the war—that is, training and transitioning South Vietnamese troops to assume the roles that have been fulfilled by American troops. -
Congress Votes to Withdraw Troops
Congress votes to withdraw all US troops by the year's end -
American POWs Released
North Vietnam releases nearly 600 American POWs -
Vietnam War Officially Ends
The war is officially over for the US. The last US soldier leaves Vietnam, but military advisors and some Marines rremain. Over 3 million Americans served in the war, leaving 60,000 dead and 150,000 wounded. -
Saigon Falls
The North Vietnamese takes Saigon and the war ends
