Vietnam Timeline

1874

France takes control of Vietnam

President and US Military Presence: 1941

Roosevelt

1941

Ho Chi Minh founded the Viet Minh

To fight the Japanese

Popular leader Not anti-American

Nationalist/land reform

President and US Military Presence: 1945

Truman

1945

Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam Independent

US and Vietnamese fought against Japanese

Quotes US Declaration of IndependenceAsks the US for aid five times

1950

United States gives direct economic and military aid to the French

War begins between Vietminh and France Domino Theory/Keep Alliance with French

In total $4 billion to the French

President and US Military Presence: 1954

Eisenhower

1954

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Last Battle of French/Vietminh War

Vietminh won

1954

Geneva Conference Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel. Elections

in two years Cease fire

Neither side would form alliances with other countries

1954

US Support Ngo Dinh Diem as leader of South Vietnam

Western Educated. Diem was Catholic. Vietnam a country of Buddhists.

Corrupt Two US advisors

worked closely with Diem.

Strongly Anti-Communist.

1956

Diem cancels electionsHe knew that Ho Chi Minh would win.He broke the Geneva Conventions.

President and US Military Presence: 1960

900 US

1960

National Liberation Front a.k.a. Viet Cong

South Vietnamese who hate Diem

Supported by peasants

Civil War breaks out

Use Guerilla/terror tactics

Viet Cong Solider

President and US Military Presence: 1963

Kennedy

1963

Buddhists Riots in Hue

Diem outlawed Buddhists flags

Buddhists protested this and were shot

A few monks lit themselves on fire- Made Diem look bad

President and US Military Presence: 1963

16,000 US

1963

Diem Overthrown and Assassinated Diem received millions in aid, yet his country was

bankrupt Unpopular and corrupt US supported a military coup Diem & brother killed. Unwilling/able to change

conditions that led to popularity communism/NLF

1963

Kennedy Assassinated

Johnson swears he will not “lose” Vietnam

Viet Cong are already assassinating US advisors

President and US Military Presence: 1964

Johnson 184,300 US

1964

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Johnson claimed that two ships were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin

Congress gave Johnson a “blank check” in Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

President and US Military Presence: 1965

200,000 US

1965

Operation Rolling Thunder

Viet Cong attacked a US airfield in South Vietnam

US begins bombing N. Vietnam. Continued for three years.

Bomb bases, roads, railroads & Ho Chi Minh trail

Start sending ground troops

President and US Military Presence: 1968

540,000 US

1968

Tet Offensive (Vietnamese New Year)

The VC/NVA took control of major cities in S. Vietnam

The US mainstream started questioning the war

The US retook major cities but damage was done

President and US Military Presence: 1969

Nixon

1969

Secret Bombing of Cambodia Bombed communist strongholds Continued to bomb the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Secret bombing Of Cambodia: Sites indicated In Red

President and US Military Presence: 1969

484,000 US

1969

My Lai Massacre March 16, 1968 Search and

destroy mission 350 civilians

killed by US army division

Became public knowledge in 1969

My Lai Massacre Monument

1969

Anti-War Demonstrations After Tet, mainstream

US against war College campuses

center of protest movement- biggest at Columbia U where students occupied President’s office

Marches, teach-ins, burning draft cards, jail, leaving country…

1970

Vietnamization

Advisors said it would take 8 yrs to win the war

Trained and fund S. Vietnamese troops to take over

Allowed US troops to begin to come home

President and US Military Presence: 1970

335,000 US

1970

Kent State A protest against

the invasion of Cambodia

Burned down ROTC building

National Guard fired on crowd

Four students killed, one paralyzed for life

President and US Military Presence: 1971

184,000 US

1971

Pentagon Papers Defense Dept. employee Daniel Ellsburg leaked

top secret document to the NY Times and Wash. Post

Revealed Government was lying about war

1973

Last Troops Leave Vietnam After a massive bombing campaign in the

North US turned the war over to South. (Paris Peace Accords)

Symbolized our inability to defeat the Communists

President and US Military Presence: 1975

Ford

1975

Last Americans leave Saigon during the early morning

The North took over Saigon The Civil War was over The Communist won

More than 58,000 US soldiers died $150 billion Over 2 million Southeast Asians died Equivalent of 650 Hiroshimas dropped