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Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh helps found the Indochinese Communist Party. -
Japan invades Vietnam
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Viet Minh
Ho Chi Minh establishes the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam). -
Independent Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh declares an independent Vietnam, called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. -
China Helps
The Viet Minh receive military advisors and weapons from China. -
United States Help
The United States pledges $15 million worth of military aid to France to help them fight in Vietnam. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
The French suffer a decisive defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. -
The Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords creates a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam and provides a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel. -
Replubic of Vietnam
South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president. -
Viet Cong
The National Liberation Front (NLF), also called the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam. -
Execution of South Vietnamese President
South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup. -
Period: to
Gulf of Tonkin
North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident). -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder). -
US Arrives in Vietnam
The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
