-
The First Indochina War
The “first Indochina War” was fought between December 19, 1946 and August 1, 1954. This war was a struggle between the French and the Viet Minh for control of the country. Although this war is referred to as the First Indochina War, in Vietnam, it is called the Anti-French War. Due to the spreading Communism in Vietnam, the U.S. supported France with large sums of money, hoping to stop the spread of Communism. But, after a 56-day battle at Dienbienphu, the Vietminh forced the French to surrender -
The Beginning of Conflict
When Vietnamese troops were fighting the French, it was obvious that American support was in the war. The U.S. government gave large sums of money to the French to support their struggle against the spread of communism. On November 1, 1955, the French were defeated, and Vietnam was split into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was taken by communist rulers and wanted to spread to South Vietnam, however South Vietnam did not approve of Communism. However, America decided to step back, not -
President Eisenhower Cites the Domino Theory
When Ho Chi Minh defeated the French in 1954, U.S. political leaders feared that Communism would take over Southeast Asia. President Dwight D. Eisenhower explained it by using the domino theory. He said, “You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock over the first one, and what will happen to t he last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly.” So, on November 1, 1955, the United States joined the war in Vietnam. -
The Formation of Vietcong
The origins of the Vietcong go back to the Geneva Accords of 1954, on April 26, 1954. These ordered military personnel to relocate their place of origin, but this did not always happen. Many Viet Minh soldiers and sympathizers wanted to stay in South Vietnam and remain underground, in rural or remote areas. The attitude from Americans toward the Vietcong was a combination of hatred, fear and begrudging admiration. The Vietcong was disliked for not following the Western conventions of war, and f -
Campaign of Terror Attacks Against Villages Controlled by Diem
In South Vietnam, the government was becoming unpopular. The president, Diem, angered many South Vietnamese by imprisoning people who criticized his policies. Many of his politicians, who were hand picked, were completely corrupt. Diem’s actions scared the U.S. government, and they thought that Diem’s actions were done for support of the Vietcong. In August 1963, Diem ordered a thorough crackdown against all of his opponents, so Kennedy withdrew his support for Diem. In November 1963, military l -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
When reports said that the North Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam, the U.S. role in the Vietnam War was changed. Although details were sketchy, and the attacks may have not happened at all, but still, president Johnson was determined to act. Johnson announced that U.S. forces would carry out air strikes against North Vietnam. The very next day, he asked Congress for authority to do whatever was necessary to resolve it -
First U.S. Ground Troops Sent to Vietnam
February 9th, 1965, The U.S. Marine Corps were sent to Da Nang. The U.S. was in a new stage of war involvement. China and the S.U. threatened to interfere with the U.S. 2,000 Demonstrators in Moscow attacked the U.S. Embassy. France wanted to negotiate with the U.S. while Britain and Australia supported them. -
U.S. Arial Bombing - Operation Rolling Thunder
This was a strategic bombing campaign. This was marked as the first assault against North Vietnam. This put pressure on the North Vietnamese military. Communist Leaders waged war against the U.S. This operation lasted 6 months. -
Tet Offensive
On January 31st, 1968 North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces launched a series of attacks on Tet (Tet is Vietnam’s New Year Holiday). This attack was put on over a 100 towns/cities in South Vietnam. General Vo Nguyen Giap encouraged US troops to support the Saigon regime. The U.S. and South Vietnamese troops held off an amount of the Communist’s attacks. The Tet Offensive was a huge turning point in the Vietnam War for it had been a struggle for the US and SV troops to get back where they were. Th -
Policy of Vietnamization
In April 20th, 1970, the U.S. Military’s responsibilities were transferred to South Vietnam. This increased unpopular divisions for the American Society. The U.S. had Search and Destroy missions, which were crucial in the war. Vietnamization was aimed to end U.S. involvement in the war. Later on, U.S. Troops were taken back home. -
Kent State Incident
The Kent State Incident happened in May 4th, 1970 where 4 students where shot and killed by the National Guard. The reason the National Guard was at Kent State was because the protest started to get out of hand and the ROTC building was burned down. A guard was scared and told his squad to fire into the crowd. People at Kent State were protesting against the Vietnam War. Many people ran from the firing squad, only 9 people were wounded and 4 died. -
Watergate Scandal
On June 17th, 1972, 5 robbers were arrested for breaking into a Democratic Party Office. These men were said to be on Nixon’s reelection committee. The White House tried to pay the burglars “hush” money but the robbers soon told the truth. This all led back to President Nixon who was blamed for this scandal. Before Congress impeached Nixon, he resigned his job as the President. -
U.S. Troops Withdrawn From Vietnam
On July 7th, 1973, U.S. Troops were taken from Saigon back home to the U.S. Nixon’s Vietnamization strategy would help South Vietnamese forces. The soldiers didn’t leave after the Paris Peace Accords. The reason why the U.S. Troops left was because South Vietnamese forces had to take care of their own problems. Vietnam still fell to Communist forces.
