Chronology of the War in Vietnam, 1945-1975 & Vietnam History |
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208 B.C. |
Chinese general Trieu Da becomes emperor of Nam Viet. |
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A.D. 40 |
Trung sisters revolt against Chinese rule, set up independent state. | ||
1545 |
Civil unrest begins two centuries of internal strife in Vietnam |
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1627 |
Missionary Alexandre de Rhodes paves way for French influence in Vietnam |
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1787 |
Louis XVI supports French missionary, commercial interests in Vietnam |
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1861 |
After 20 years of fighting between Vietnamese and French, French forces capture Saigon. |
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1890 |
Ho Chi Minh born in central Vietnam , leaves Vietnam in 1911 for 30 years, travels through U.S. to Paris, Moscow and Hong Kong. |
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1930 |
Ho and Comrades form Indochinese Communist Party in Hong Kong |
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1940 |
Japan occupies Indochina |
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1941 |
Ho return to Vietnam , forms Vietminh to fight French and Chinese |
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1944 |
Vo Nguyen Giap forms Vietminh army. |
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1945 |
August 23, Bao Dai abdicates September 2, Ho Chi Minh Declares the Independence of Vietnam September 13, French regain authority in Saigon. September 26, American Peter Dewey becomes first American casualty |
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1946 |
Beginning of French-Vietminh war after negotiations fail. |
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1950 |
Ho declares Democratic Republic of Vietnam is nation’s only legitimate government. |
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1952 |
Giap’s army defeated by French in red River campaign. November 4, Dwight D. Eisenhower elected President |
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1954 |
May 7, French defeated by Giap’s army at Dienbienphu May 8, Geneva Conference on Indochina begins June 16, Emperor Bao Dai selects Ngo Dinh Diem as Prime Minister July 21, the Geneva Agreement divides Vietnam at 17th parallel Geneva agreements call for cessation of hostilities, partition at 17th parallel, nationwide elections to settle political issues. |
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1955 |
U.S. begins funding Diem government, agrees to train SVN Army. October, Ngo Dinh Diem defeats Bao Dai in referendum, and becomes Head of State of the newly proclaimed Republic of Vietnam |
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1956 |
Diem begins crackdown on Vietminh suspects and dissidents |
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1957 |
Communist insurgency in South Vietnam rises |
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1959 |
North Vietnam begins infiltrating troops and weapons into south along Ho Chi Minh trail. May 6, Diem promulgates law against dissidents First two American soldiers die in Vietnam . AMERICAN ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 760 |
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1960 |
November 8, Kennedy is elected President November, attempted SVN Army coup d’etat against Diem fails December, North Vietnam forms the National Liberation Front, called Vietcong, meaning Communist Vietnamese. AMERICAN ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 900 |
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1961 |
May, Vice President Johnson visits South Vietnam and proposes additional aid to Diem June 4, Kennedy meets Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna ("Vietnam is the place”) AMERICAN ADVISERS ARRIVE IN SOUTH VIETNAM |
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1962 |
February 6, American Military Assistance Command formed in South Vietnam February 27, two Vietnamese pilots bomb Presidential palace without harming Diem AMERICAN ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 11,300 |
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1963 |
January 2, Vietcong defeat South Vietnamese army at Ap Bac May, June, Buddhist protests lead by Tri Quang reach high intensity May, Diem’s troops fire on Buddhists in Hue August 22, Henry Cabot Lodge takes office as Ambassador November 1, Duong Van Minh and other generals remove Diem from power. He is murdered the next day. November 22, Kennedy assassinated. Johnson takes oath as president AMERICAN ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 16,300 |
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1964 |
January 30, General Nguyen Khan seizes power in Saigon. Pentagon starts developing strategy to bomb North Vietnam August 2 and 4, U.S. destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy are allegedly attacked in Gulf of Tonkin August 7, Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution August, American aircraft bomb North Vietnam for the first time October 30, NLF attacks Bienhoa air base. Johnson rejects proposed raids against North Vietnam November 3, Johnson wins by landslide against Goldwater AMERICAN ADVISERS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 23,300 |
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1965 |
February 7, Vietcong attacks American installations in Pleiku Johnson authorizes air raids against N. Vietnam (Flaming Dart) February 24, starts Operation Rolling Thunder, sustained bombing of North Vietnam March 8, two Marine battalions arrive in Danang to defend the airfield--first U.S. combat troops in Vietnam . April 7, Johnson, in a speech at Johns Hopkins University, offers Hanoi a settlement, including North Vietnamese participation in a very large development program. Hanoi rejects the proposal June 11, Nguyen Cao Ky takes over as prime minister in Saigon July 8, Lodge is reappointed Ambassador. July 28, Johnson approves Westmoreland’s request for troops and sends 44 additional combat battalions. December 25, Johnson suspends bombing of North Vietnam to entice DRV into negotiations AMERICAN TROOPS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 184,300 |
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1966 |
January 31, Johnson resumes bombing of North Vietnam June 29, American airplanes bomb areas near Hanoi and Haiphong AMERICAN TROOPS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 385,300 |
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1967 |
March 19-21, Johnson meets in Guam with Ky and Thieu. North Vietnamese reveal letter exchange between Johnson and Ho Chi Minh. April, Gen. Westmoreland visits Washington, addresses Congress May 1, Bunker replaces Lodge as Ambassador. August, McNamara tells Congress that bombing North Vietnam is ineffective September 3, Thieu is elected President September 29, Johnson offers to halt the bombing in exchange for "productive discussions" December, domestic anti-war protests rise AMERICAN TROOPS IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 485,600 |
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1968 |
January, Prince Norodom Sihanouk gives permission for American forces to pursue Vietcong inside Cambodian territory January 31, Tet offensive begins. U.S Embassy in Saigon is attacked. CJCS General Earle Wheeler brings request from Westmoreland for 206,000 additional troops March 1, Clark Clifford replaces McNamara as SecDef March 16, U.S. Army troops brutally massacre over 400 civilians at My Lai February-March, Vietcong massacre thousands of governments workers, intellectuals, clergymen, and other “reactionary elements” in Hue. March 31, Johnson announces bombing halt and declines running for reelection May, contacts between U.S. and North Vietnam start in Paris August, Hubert H. Humphrey is designed presidential candidate in the Democratic Convention in Chicago, amid riots, protests and widespread violence November 5, Nixon wins the elections AMERICAN TROOP STRENGTH PEAKS AT 536,100 |
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1969 |
March 18, Nixon begins secret bombing of Cambodia June 8, Nixon announces withdrawal of 25,000 troops September 3, Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79 October 15, massive anti-war demonstrations in Washington, DC November 16, public revelation of My Lai massacre AMERICAN TROOP STRENGTH REDUCED TO 475,200 |
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1970 |
February 20, Kissinger begins secret talks with Le Duc Tho in Paris Nixon announces offensive in Cambodia May 4, four students are killed in protests at Kent State University (Ohio) AMERICAN TROOPS ARE REDUCED TO 334,600 |
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1971 |
Lt. William Calley convicted of murder for My Lai. AMERICAN TROOPS DOWN TO 156,800 |
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1972 |
February 21, Nixon arrives in China for unprecedented visit April 15, Nixon authorizes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong June 17, Watergate scandal—five secret White House operatives arrested October, Tho and Kissinger reach a preliminary agreement in Paris. November 7, Nixon reelected in landslide December, Kissinger declares “peace is at hand,” but bombing resumes AMERICAN TROOP STRENGTH DOWN TO 24,200 |
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1973 |
January 27, cease-fire agreements are signed in Paris March 29, last American troops leave Vietnam April 1, last American prisoners leave Hanoi August 14, U.S. stops bombing Cambodia under pressure from Congress Watergate scandal erupts AMERICAN TROOPS LEFT IN SOUTH VIETNAM : 50 |
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1974 |
Thieu declares that war has begun again. Communist buildup in South continues. August 9, Nixon resigns, is replaced by V.P. Gerald Ford |
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1975 |
January 6. Communist forces north of Saigon March 25; Hue falls to Communists, Danang 5 days later. April 29, Ambassador Graham Martin evacuates the U.S. Embassy in Saigon April 30, Saigon falls to the Communist offensive |
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1978 |
December 25, Vietnam invades Cambodia Thousands of “boat people” flee Vietnam . |
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1982 |
Vietnam Veterans Memorial unveiled in Washington |
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1985 |
Famine spreads in Vietnam following failure of agricultural reform program |
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1995 |
United States opens full diplomatic ties with Vietnam
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