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Ho Chi Minh is born.
Ho Chi Minh was the founder of Vietnam's nationalist movement, the Vietminh. This was important because it kept U.S. involvement to a minimum. -
The United States withdraws support of Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South Vietnam.
At first, President Eisenhower supported Diem, due to the paper titled, "Review of U.S. Policy in the Far East." However, Diem refused to to make nay meaningful contributions or any significant new reforms. The U.S. then withdrew their support. After this, Diem was assassinated during a coup by opposition generals on November 2, 1963. -
President Eisenhower declares "Domino Theory."
The Domino Theory was a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states. President Dwight D. Eisenhower suggested that the fall of French Indochina to communists would lead to everyone falling to communism in Southeast Asia. -
The Geneva Accords cause Vietnam to be split into North and South.
Representatives from the U.S., the Soviet Union, France, Great Britain, and the People's Republic of China came together to try to resolve problems in Asia. One of the resolutions was the Geneva Accords. The Geneva Accords stated that Vietnam would be split into two nations at the 17th parallel, North and South Vietnam. -
The Viet Minh and Ho Chi Minh defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu.
Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh forces decisively fought against the French for 57 days. This victory showed a sign to the end of French colonial influence in Indochina. The U.S. responded by protecting the South Vietnam. -
Vietnam declares independence from France, but neither France nor the United States recognize Vietnam as a separate nation.
After Japan's surrender in World War 2, Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of Vietnam from France. North Vietnam and the Viet Cong successfully opposed a series of unhelpful U.S. military backing. -
Ngo Dinh Diem cancels elections in Vietnam.
Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold elections because he wanted to "reunify North and South Vietnam." The election was over whether Vietnam should be communist or not. -
The National Liberation Front is formed.
The National Liberation Front, also known as the Viet Cong, was formed by Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam. The NLF was designed to mimic duties of the Viet Minh. -
A South Vietnamese monk sets himself on fire.
A Vietnamese Buddhist monk set himself on fire at a busy intersection in Saigon. He did this to prove a point. He was attempting to prove that they all had to be on the same terms, equal, to fight all forms of oppression. -
President Kennedy is assassinated.
President John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960. As him and his wife were passing through Dallas, Texas in a motorcade, he was shot twice and killed. This led to the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, who was JFK's VP at the time. If JFK were around for Vietnam, there could have been less troops that were sent to Vietnam. Maybe things would have been solved in a more "peaceful" manner. -
President Johnson claims a U.S. ship had been fired upon by the North Vietnamese.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident was when President Johnson claimed the USS Maddox was fired upon. This led to the U.S. becoming more involved in the Vietnam War. Congress wrote up a resolution called the Gulf of Tonkin resolution to avoid any more damage to the U.S. -
The first combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
3500 Marines land at China Beach to defend the American air base from Viet Cong attacks at De Nang. The Marines' deployment orders came down on Sunday. March 7, and they were surprised by this. At this "mini" battle no marines were injures, and there was slight damage to one of the planes.
