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President Truman sent a multimillion-dollar aid package
President Truman sent transport planes and jeeps to Vietnam along with 35 military advisers. He sent them over to assist the French during the First Indochina war. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Vietnamese defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. This ended the French colonial rule in Vietnam which eventually led to the US getting involved in the Second Indochina War. -
Geneva Conference Splits Vietnam
After the battle of Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam was on the list of things to discuss at the Geneva Conference. The Conference created the Geneva Accords which laid out the unification of Vietnam. The US and South Vietnam did not agree to the Accords creating conflict between North & South Vietnam. -
President Eisenhower sent aid to Diem
Eisenhower sent money and weapons to Vietnam in support of Diem. He sent nearly $2 billion in aid between 1955 and 1960. -
Kennedy sends aid to South Vietnam
President Kennedy sent jet fighters, helicopters, armored personnel carriers, river patrol boats, etc. He also started the use of napalm and defoliants such as Agent Orange. The number of military advisers rose to about 16,000, some of which went on secret operations. -
Buddhist Monk Burns Himself to Death
Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist Monk, set himself on fire in protest of the South Vietnamese government favoritism towards Catholics. This causes JFK to re-evaluate the situation in Vietnam which leads to him sending more troops over. -
Assassination of Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were arrested and killed by a coup that was approved by the Kennedy Administration. This showed that he was distrusted and the US didn't want him in change of South Vietnam anymore. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 2, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedos shot at a US ship. The US government claimed that the attack was unprovoked and there was another attack after the first Incident, but this was a lie. This ultimately led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that gave President LBJ a blank check to wage war in Vietnam without actually declaring war. LBJ used it to significantly escalate US involvement in Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965-November 2, 1968
The US launched a bombing campaign in Vietnam that was intended to show US superiority by bombing buildings in North Vietnam. The Campaign was unsuccessful due to the constant pauses and bombing buildings of no value. -
Combat Troops Began Arriving in Vietnam
President Johnson sent combat troops to South Vietnam to try to keep the South Vietnamese government from collapsing under North Vietnamese pressure. -
Battle of La Drang
This was the first major battle between the US troops and the North Vietnamese Guerilla forces. This is also when the US began using body count as the war to measure the progress of the war.