The Vietnam War

By cassidysims24

  • Dien Bien Phu

    After the French had lost their control of Vietnam during World War 2 when Ho Chi Minh called for independence, France had attempted to regain control of Vietnam. However, Vietminh had trapped a French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, which was a military base in northwest Vietnam, and laid siege to it for over a month. During this siege, Vietminh troops cut French supply lines, destroyed French aircrafts, and dug trenches to attack French troops. Finally, on May 7, 1954, the French surrendered.

  • Vietcong

    In 1957, a group known as the National Liberation Front (NLF), communist rebel group in the South, had a goal of undermining Diem government and united Vietnam under a communist flag. The Vietcong, NLF guerilla fighters, began assassinating government officials and destroying roads and bridges. The Vietcong's purpose was to weaken Diem's government.

  • Diem Is Removed

    In late 1963, Diem's power and hold on his position began to decrease. Buddhists began to set themselves on fire to protest his policies. President Kennedy's administration eventually decided that South Vietnam needed a new government power. Sneakily, Americans began working with ant-Diem generals to overthrow him. Finally on November 1, 1963, Diem was removed from power. He would later be assassinated.

  • Gulf of Tonkin Incident

    On August 2 of 1964, as American destroyer USS Maddox patrolled the Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired at the ship. The ship had not been hit, however, the Maddox returned the fire, attacking the North Vietnamese boat. This incident led President Johnson to order an airstrike against North Vietnam due to an increasing amount of strikes against an American ally.

  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    As a response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, President Johnson asked Congress to authorize the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. This allowed the president to "take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." This gave Johnson war powers such as committing U.S. troops to South Vietnam and fighting a war with North Vietnam without asking Congress for a declaration of war.

  • Operation Rolling Thunder

    In February of 1965, President Johnson ordered the start of Operation Rolling Thunder which was the first sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Johnson's goal for Operation Rolling Thunder was that it would convince North Vietnam to stop reinforcing the Vietcong in South Vietnam; however, Operation Rolling Thunder did not convince North Vietnam to stop this reinforcing.

  • America Divides Into Doves and Hawks

    By 1967, Congress and most of America had divided into two groups; doves and hawks. Hawks were made up of those who supported Johnson's war policies. They believed communism needed to be contained and they believed in the domino theory. On the other hand, others were said to be doves. This group of people did not support Johnson's war policies and questioned the moral and strategic grounds of the war.

  • Tet Offensive

    On January 21, 1968, the North Vietnamese army attacked Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam. Nine days later, once again, the North Vietnamese army hit U.S. and ARVN positions throughout South Vietnam. These attacks became known as Tet Offensive, which symbolized the will and courage of the communists.

  • My Lai

    On March 16, 1968, American forces were searching for enemies in the village of My Lai where a strong Vietcong presence was located. With a fear that these civilians were Vietcong men, Lieutenant William Calley's unit began shooting unarmed civilians. During this massacre, around 500 civilians had been killed. This event was one that led to the anti-war protests back at home.

  • Paris Peace Accords

    Finally, in January of 1973, the U.S., South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong sign the Paris Peace Accords. All these parties had agreed to cease fire. The U.S. also agreed to withdrawal troops from South Vietnam. North Vietnamese troops would stay in South Vietnam, but POWs would be exchanged. This marked the end of the war.