Vietnam War Timeline By allysaaar May 7, 1954 Vietnam Forces Occupy Dien Bien Phu Jan 1, 1959 North Vietnamese Forces Form Ho Chi Minh Trail. Dec 11, 1961 American Helicopters Arrive in South Vietnam. Jan 12, 1962 America's first combat mission against the Vietcong. Jan 2, 1963 Vietcong Ambushes South Vietnamese. About 400 vietnamese were killed or wounded. Jul 30, 1964 Attack on Gulf of Tonkin South Vietnamese Attack 2 North Vietnamese Islands. Aug 7, 1964 Congress Passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Feb 13, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson Begins Operation Rolling Thunder Apr 7, 1965 US Offers Economic Aid to North Vietnamese For Peace. Jun 30, 1966 US Forces Are Attacked By Vietcong On Cambodian Border.
