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French Defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
This battle marked the end of French involvement in Indochina. The French Union garrison surrendered and during the Geneva Conference, the French negotiated a ceasefire agreement with the Viet Minh, and indepedence was given to Vietnam. -
General Democratic Election
The Geneva Conference mandated a general democratic election was to be held that would reunite Vietnam under one government. The United States refused the election, fearing communism would take over. The election took place in South Vietnam instead, when Ngo Dihn Diem was elected. -
President Kennedy Assassinated
President Kennedy was assassinated on a political trip to Texas. He was in the presidental limousine greeting the American people when he was shot three times. He died in the hospital later that day, making Johnson the new President. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The U.S. continued to send additional advisers to South Vietnam as the fighting escalated between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese fired on two U.S. ships in international waters. -
Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident
A second alleged attack occurred by the North Vietnamese. Because of this second attack, President Johnson decided on retaliatory attacks with U.S. aircraft. These planes bombed torpedo bases and an oil-storage facility. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This resolution gave broad congressional approval to expand the Vietnam War. Johnson was initally against expanding the war because he feared the public would not favor it. However, after the attacks in the Gulf, he was criticized for not aggressively pursuing war and decided to move forward with it. -
U.S. Forces Sent Into Battle
With the backing of the American public, Johnson sent U.S. combat forces into battle in Vietnam. In June 82,000 troops were stationed in Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
Northern Vietnamese troops coordinated an attack with the Viet Cong to bring down about one hundred cities and towns. The U.S. forces and Southern Vietnamese army were able to repel the assault. This was a turning point in the war because the U.S. realized the enemy was strong. -
Nixon Becomes President
Richard Nixon became President after Johnson and had many ideas about how to end the Vietnam War. He wanted to use Vietnamization, which was to remove U.S. troops while handing back the fighting to the Southern Vietnamese. -
Troops Begin Withdrawing
Because of Nixon's ideas on Vietnamization, the withdrawl of U.S. troops began in July 1969. Nixon also decided to expand the war into other countries, such as Cambodia and Laos to bring a faster end to the hostilities. -
Largest Anti-War Protest
As the conflict built with hundreds of thousands of people being killed, anti-war protests were sprouting. On November 15, 1969 250,000 Americans gathered peacefully in Washington, D.C. to try to bring the troops home. However, Americans were divided on the issue. -
Easter Offensive
When the U.S. had withdrawn most of its troops, the North Vietnamese conducted a massive attack called the Easter Offensive. They crossed over the demilitarized zone at the 17th parallel and invaded South Vietnam. -
Paris Peace Accords
The peace talks in Paris that originally started in 1969 finally produced a cease-fire on January 27, 1973. This ended direct U.S. military involvement and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam. -
Last U.S. Troops Leave
The last U.S. troops left Vietnam because of the Paris Peace Accords. However, it was bittersweet because they knew they were leaving a weak Southern Vietnam who would not be able to handle anymore Northern attacks. -
South Vietnam Surrenders
After all of the U.S. troops withdrew, fighting between the North and South continued. The North was too strong however, and toppled the Southern government. South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975.
