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Japan invaded Vietnam
becoming one of a series of foreign nations to rule the Asian country. The Chinese had controlled the region for hundreds of years. until World War II the French ruled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia a region then known as French Indochina. -
Ho Chi Minhś returned to Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh’s activities forced him to flee Indochina and spend several years in exile in the Soviet Union and China. In 1941 he returned to Vietnam. By then, Japan had seized control of the country. Ho Chi Minh organized a nationalist group called the Vietminh, which united Communists and non-Communists in the effort to expel the Japanese. Soon afterward, the United States began sending aid to the Vietminh. -
japan surrendered
When Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, it gave up control of Indochina. Ho Chi Minh quickly declared Vietnam’s independence. France had no intention of losing its former colony, however. French troops returned to Vietnam and drove the Vietminh into hiding. -
French forces fell to the Vietminh
The turning point came in the mountain town of Dien Bien Phu. By seizing the town, the French planned to cut the Viet Minh’s supply lines and force them into open battle. Soon afterward, a huge Vietminh force surrounded Dien Bien Phu and began bombarding the town. On May 7, 1954, the French forces fell to the Vietminh. The defeat convinced the French to make peace and withdraw from Indochina. -
kennedy took office
When President Kennedy took office in 1961, he continued to support South Vietnam, believing the country was vital in the battle against communism. following an eight-year career in the Senate. The first Catholic president, Kennedy was also the second youngest to ever serve in the office. In his inaugural address, Kennedy proclaimed “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe. -
banned traditional religious flags
In the spring of 1963, he banned the traditional religious flags for the Buddha’s birthday. When Buddhists protested in the streets, Diem’s police killed nine people. In response, a Buddhist monk poured gasoline over his robes and set himself on fire, the first of several to do so. Images of their self-destruction horrified Americans as they watched the footage on television news reports. -
Seized Power
U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge arrived in Vietnam. He learned that several Vietnamese generals were plotting to overthrow the unpopular Diem. When Lodge expressed U.S. sympathy for their cause, the generals launched a military coup, seizing power. They executed Diem soon after. Despite his unpopularity, Diem had been a respected nationalist. After his death, South Vietnam’s government weakened. -
Johnson announced that North Vietnamese had fired
Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Two days later, he reported another attack. Insisting that these were unprovoked, he ordered American aircraft to attack North Vietnamese ships and naval facilities. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Johnson then asked Congress for the authority to defend American forces and allies in Southeast Asia. Congress readily agreed. It passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This authorized the president to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” Soon after, the Vietcong began to attack bases where American advisers were stationed in South Vietnam. -
First U.S. Combat Troops Into Vietnam
In March 1965, Johnson again expanded American involvement by ordering a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. That same month, he sent the first U.S. combat troops into Vietnam. two battalions of U.S. Marines waded ashore on the beaches at Danang. Those 3,500 soldiers were the first combat troops the United States had dispatched to South Vietnam to support the Saigon government in its effort to defeat an increasingly lethal Communist insurgency. -
A Rumor of War
By the end of 1965, more than 180,000 U.S. combat troops were fighting in Vietnam. In 1966, that number doubled. The U.S. military entered Vietnam with great confidence. “America seemed omnipotent then,” wrote one of the first marines to arrive, Philip Caputo, in his prologue to A Rumor of War. “[W]e saw ourselves as the champions of ‘a cause that was destined to triumph.’”