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Ho Chi Mihn and the creation of the Viet Minh (1930)
During this time, the idea of communism grew rapidly, and Ho Chi Minh wanted Vietnam to become a communist country. Ho Chi Minh wasn’t able to turn Vietnam into a communist country because of French control. Because of French control and Ho Chi Minh’s desire for communism, he created the Viet Minh, which was an organization to fight for independence from the French. -
The First Indochina War (1946–1954)
The Viet Minh was an ongoing organization, and this caused conflict with the French. The Viet Minh was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while the United States supported the French to stop the spread of communism. This caused the First Indochina War because the French wanted to invade Vietnam, but then, after that, Japan wanted to invade Vietnam. Vietnam wasn’t an independent country, so all the other countries surrounding it wanted to claim Vietnam and its land. -
America Aids France (1950)
While the First Indochina War we going on, the French were supported by the United States. Both countries did not want the idea of communism spreading, and if Japan won and took over Vietnam, this would not be good for the French or the United States. So, the United States began providing military aid to the French to help to win the First Indochina War. -
The Domino Theory (1950-1975)
This was the concept that if a neighboring country is communist, then the idea of communism would continue to spread, theoretically like dominoes when they’re close to one another. -
The Geneva Accords (1954)
This was a set of agreements that ended the First Indochina War. The Geneva Accords established a ceasefire and divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. -
Use of Agent Orange
The U.S. military used a herbicide that was sprayed within the forests to kill the trees and the food resources that the troops had while they were in hiding. Not only did this cut off the troops' resources, but the trees also opened up the forest so it could be easier to find those in hiding. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)
This incident began when the United States sent up into the Gulf of Tonkin, but the ships were bombed due to the North Vietnamese ships. The North Vietnamese saw the United States ships and did not like that they were around their territory, so they began bombing them. To resolve the situation, the Gulf of Token Resolution was created. -
Diệm’s assassination
A group of South Vietnamese military leaders murdered Diệm because of how he dealt with the government aspect of the war against the Viet Cong. -
My Lai Massacre (1968)
This was a huge bombing that took place in Sơn Mỹ village and killed many women and children. -
The Tet Offensive (1968)
During the war, North Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces launched coordinated attacks against several targets in South Vietnam. These attacks against South Vietnam were during the Lunar New Year. -
U.S. troop withdrawals and Vietnamization (1969–1973)
Because of the ongoing war in Vietnam, soldiers began feeling mentally drained, in which they only hoped to go back home and not die. President Nixon won the presidential election in 1968, and he planned to remove troops from Vietnam and have soldiers back home. And so, Nixon gradually withdrew troops from Vietnam, which is known as Vietnamization. -
War Powers Act (1973)
This was a federal law that was intended to check the U.S. president’s power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress. -
The Fall of Saigon (1975)
This marked the end of the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese captured the South Vietnamese, and the United States failed to win the war, turning all of Vietnam into a communist country.