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Communism Develops in Vietnam
In 1930, revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh helped establish the Indochinese Communist Party. This is imortant because it not only led to quarrel between France who had previously occupied parts of Vietnam, but also later led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. This was the beginning of communism in Vietnam. -
Viet Minh is Born
In 1941, Ho Chi Minh established the Viet Minh, a group of like-minded people who's ultimate goal was to gain independence from France in Vietnam. The theories of this group would lead up to action being taken towards France's authority and would start the Vietnam war. -
New Government established
The Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh had established the Viet Minh, a group of politicians who aimed to get rid of the control of France in parts of Vietnam they had occupied and had controlled for years. On this date, the Viet Minh created a new type of government called the "Democratic Republic of Vietnam". This government would take the lead in the fight against France to regain independence throughout Vietnam. -
United States is in the middle
The above date is not exact, however it was in between the years 1945 and 1949 that this event occured. During these years, Ho Chi Minh continuously requested for the United States to assist them against France and even offered to help them in return. Minh offered to help America in fighting Japan by providing them with military strategies. America however, was practicing a "Policy of Containment" towards any countries which practiced communism or potentially could become communist. -
U.S. makes a decision
In 1950, the United States made a decison that would add more fuel to Vietnam's fire. Military personell from the U.S. was sent to France to help them fight in the war. This decision was made by America in order to help stop Vietnam from becoming a communist country. This event was important because while the United States stepped in only to assist France in their fight, the war would taken an unexpected turn. -
France puts up the white flag
After losing an epic battle at Dien Bien Phu, the French decided to pull their troops, forces, and authority out of Vietnam. From this point on, the war would not include one of the primary factors anymore, which was France. Now the fight was between North and South Vietnam, and also included the United States. -
The Repulic of Vietnam is established
On this date South Vietnam was declared The Republic of Vietnam, and elected a man named Ngo Dinh Diem as president in hopes of being led to defeat the communist North Vietnam. Diem was not a successful leader for the republic however, and was killed in 1963. With the support of the United States, South Vietnam continued to defend themselves against North Vietnam. -
North Vietnam makes a move
On this day and the 4th of August in 1964, United States ships were sitting in international waters when they were attacked by North Vietnamese planes. Up until this point, the U.S had just served as protection and assistance in the war for South Vietnam. After this event which is known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, America was now directly involved. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In response to the attacks on the U.S. ships, Congress aggreed to create the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which permitted the government to increase American involvement in the Vietnam War. This event is important because it demonstrated America's sort of, "dont mess with us" attitude by immediately retaliating. -
Troops arrive in Vietnam
On March 2, Operation Rolling Thunder begins in Vietnam. This strategy was for the U.S. to use aerial bombs against North Vietnam while preparing to help fight on the ground if they were needed. Only a few days later on March 8, the first United States troops arrive on the ground to help South Vietnam. -
The Tet Offensive
On this date the Tet Offensive was released, which was a plan between the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong to attack all of the major cities in South Vietnam. This event was a major event in the war, being a surprise to the U.S. troops and also leading President Johnson to discontinued escalating their involvement in the war. -
Many lives are lost
During the month of March in 1968, U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese people throughout different cities and towns. This event is not extremely specific nor good, however I felt it was important to include because it shows the reality of war. Although the United States was there to help, they had to sacrafice lives to defend themselves and their allies. -
Withdraw begins
In July 1969, the first group of United States troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. They continued to be sent home as the U.S. government planned to establish peace between themselves, South Vietnam, and North Vietnam. -
The Easter Offensive
The Easter Offensive of 1972 came as quite the surprise to both South VIetnam and the United States. This event happened after the U.S. had withdrawn almost all of their troops, and had to be fought by the remaining soldiers on the ground as well as the south vietnamese troops. During the Easter Offensive, north vietnamese troops crossed the border into South Vietnam and invaded the cities. This massive assault was enough to end the war, but did not. -
United States goes home
This day in history was the day that the final U.S. troops in Vietnam went home, leaving South Vietnam who was weak from so much destruction. The United States was no longer involved in the fighting of the Vietnam war, and feared that South Vietnam would not be able to defend themselves against the communism that threatened them. Regardless, America had a lot of trouble to deal with at home and had to attend to it. -
South Vietnam surrenders
On this day, South Vietnam finally surrendered to Communist North Vietnam. After so much destruction they almost had no other choice, especially since the U.S. had gone home. A couple months later, Vietnam reunited as a completely comminust country, called The Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
