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Viet Minh Establishment
It was a league of independence for Vietnam from France. The Viet Minh opposed Japan with China and the U.S. -
Independent Vietnam
The independent Vietnam was named the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It was declared by Ho Chi Minh in 1945. -
Military Aid
During 1858 to 1884, Vietnam had been made a colony when France invaded them. Then in July of 1950, the U.S gave France $15 million worth of military aid for support for them to fight in Vietnam. -
Geneva Conference
It was meant to solve some of the problems in Asia and was the turning point of the U.S involvement in the war. In July the agreements were signed and the French withdrew their troops. Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel. For two years no foreign troops could enter Vietnam. The U.S thought the agreements were a bad idea. So they sent in more troops and aid to help South Vietnam. -
First Helicopters
The first U.S helicopters arrived in Vietnam on December 11th. They arrived in Saigon with about 400 crew men. -
Buddhist Monk
3 days after troops fire on 20,000 Buddhists at Hue, the Buddhist monk sets himself on fire. He does this in protest against Diem’s policies. The Buddhist protests continue to intensify. -
Tonkin Resolution
Two of the U.S ships were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson announced that the North Vietnamese had made this attack. The Tonkin Resolution then took place and gave the U.S permission to have more involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This was part of the strategic bombing campaign where U.S aircraft targeted North Vietnam. It was a huge expansion of the U.S’ involvement in the war. It was also used to put pressure on the north. -
Operation Masher
This was one of the largest search and destroy missions in Vietnam, it lasted from January 24th to March 6th. There were 2,389 reported Viet Cong casualties. This operation had U.S and Vietnamese troops combined in the attacks. The president insisted that the name be changed to “White Wing”. -
U.S Base Wiped Out
The enemy forces wiped out U.S and Vietnamese troops at the camp in A Shau. It was the U.S Special Forces camp. 172 of the 400 South Vietnamese and 12 of the 17 Green Berets were saved by helicopter by the U.S Marine Corps. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive took place on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It was surprised attacks by Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces combined and was considered the turning point in the war. The Vietnamese used the Tet Offensive to try to win and finish the war. -
My Lai Incident
The My Lai Incident was an attack by U.S soldiers on Vietnamese civilians in the Viet Cong Stronghold in My Lai. During the massacre, 347 unarmed civilians were shot and killed. This incident was kept a secret until the fall of 1969. Soldiers and veterans were charged for keeping the incident a secret and for the murder of those civilians. -
B-52 Raids
These raids happened along the Cambodian Border. They were an increase in bombings along the supply lines in South Vietnam. It was also an increase since the bombings in North Vietnam. -
Kent State
Nixon announced the attack in Cambodia and the need for an expansion of 150,000 more soldiers.Causing massive protests in campuses around the U.S. At Kent State, protesters set fire to the ROTC building. 900 National Guardsmen were sent to the campus. -
26th Amendment
This amendment was passed in March of 1971. Young men were upset about being the denied the right to vote. They said if they were old enough to fight for their country, they should be old enough to vote also. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. -
Easter Offensive
This was an attack on South Vietnam. It happened when the North crossed the demilitarized zone to attack them. The DMZ they crossed was at the 17th parallel which was separating the North and the South. -
U.S. Withdrawal of Troops
In 1971 the number of troops remaining in Vietnam was 160,000. On January 27th, 1973, they ceased fire, freed the prisoners of war, and removed all the troops.The last of the troops didn't leave until after the Paris Peace Accords were signed. The U.S. also removed military aid in August of 1974.
The picture is of recently released Prisoners of War -
War Powers Act
This act makes it so only Congress can declare war, fund militaries and raise armies. The act made the president tell congress about military action within 48 hours. The act had been ignored many times. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was formed to remove U.S troops from Vietnam and end involvement. They transferred the military responsibilities over to South Vietnam and focused on building up their military. In 1973 they made the peace treaty with the North of the complete removal of U.S troops. But in 1975 the South fell to communism. -
South Vietnam Surrender
Two days after Vice President Tran Van Huong took over the North Vietnamese had Saigon surrounded with tanks. They attacked at dawn on April 30th at the Presidential Palace. The south surrendered to the north with little resistance and the war was over. -
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Since South Vietnam has surrendered to North Vietnam, the war is over then. The country becomes unified and is a communist country.
