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Ho Chi Minh is born
He was the founder of the Indochina Communist party. He was the ruler of North Vietnam and led to the conflict between the north and the south. -
President Johnson claims a US ship had been fired upon by the North Vietnamese.
The ship that was clamed to be attacked was the USS Maine. In response, Johnson decided that this was the point to where he can get American support, and declare war. -
Vietnam declares independence from France, but neither France nor the United States recognize Vietnam as a separate nation.
North Vietnam was not happy with this because all they wanted was independence. Ho Chi Minh also did not get what he wanted, which was a full communist state, so he was not happy. -
The Geneva Accords cause Vietnam to be split into North and South
Vietnam is split at the 17th parallel into North and South. -
President Eisenhower Declares "Domino Theory"
The idea of Domino Theory is the fear that if one nation falls to communism, all the surrounding nations will also fall. This was the main idea behind the US involvement in Vietnam because we didn't want surrounding nations of Vietnam to also fall to communism. -
The Viet Minh and Ho chi Minh defeat the French ad Dien Bien Phu
The United States helped Vietnam at this point. They increased military aid to South Vietnam and sent military advisers. -
Ngo Dinh Diem canceles elections in Vietnam
He canceled elections because he knew he would lose. They were voting on unifying the country. -
The National Liberation Front is formed
It is also known as the Viet Cong. They occupied part of South Vietnam. -
A South Vietnamese monk sets himself on fire
This man was a Buddhist. He did this to protest against the South Vietnamese government and the prosecution of Buddhists. -
The United States withdraws support of Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South Vietnam
After the US withdrew support of Ngo Dinh Diem, his government got overthrown. Shortly after, he and his brother got killed. -
President Kennedy is assassinated, leading to the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson
The Vietnam War may have had a different result if JFK was not assassinated. LBJ decided to get more involved in the war than JFK did, or would have, which was a bad idea in the long run. -
The first combat troops arrive in Vietnam
Under president Johnson, the first troops were sent to Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
