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Timeline for Vietnam War
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The French suffer a decisive defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
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The Geneva Accords creates a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam and provides a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
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South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president.
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The National Liberation Front (NLF), also called the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam.
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South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup.
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North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident)
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In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
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A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder)
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The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam
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The North Vietnamese join forces with the Viet Cong to launch the Tet Offensive, attacking approximately one hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns.
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U.S. soldiers kill hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai.
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U.S. troops in Vietnam reaches 540,000
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President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam
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President Nixon announces that U.S. troops will attack enemy locations in Cambodia. This news sparks nationwide protests, especially on college campuses
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The North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive
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The Paris Peace Accords are signed that provide a cease-fire
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The last U.S. troops are withdrawn from Vietnam
