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ho chi minh trail
North Vietnam forces begin to build a supply route through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam in an effort to support guerrilla attacks against Diem’s government in the south. The route becomes known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail and is greatly expanded and enhanced during the Vietnam War. -
geneva accords
The Geneva Accords establish North and South Vietnam with the 17th parallel as the dividing line. The agreement also stipulates that elections are to be held within two years to unify Vietnam under a single democratic government. These elections never happen. -
starting opreations
President John F. Kennedy sends helicopters and 400 Green Berets to South Vietnam and authorizes secret operations against the Viet Cong. -
assassination of kennedy
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president. -
golf of tonken
The attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin spur Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorizes the president to “take all necessary measures, including the use of armed force” against any aggressor in the conflict. -
operation rolling thunder
President Johnson launches a three-year campaign of sustained bombing of targets in North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Operation Rolling Thunder. The same month, U.S. Marines land on beaches near Da Nang, South Vietnam as the first American combat troops to enter Vietnam. -
increased drafting
President Johnson calls for 50,000 more ground troops to be sent to Vietnam, increasing the draft to 35,000 each month. -
battle of hue
Battles at Hue and Saigon end with American and ARVN victory as Viet Cong guerillas are cleared from the cities. -
tet offensive
The Tet Offensive begins, encompassing a combined assault of Viet Minh and North Vietnamese armies. Attacks are carried out in more than 100 cities and outposts across South Vietnam, including Hue and Saigon, and the U.S. Embassy is invaded. The effective, bloody attacks shock U.S. officials and mark a turning point in the war and the beginning of a gradual U.S. withdrawal from the region. -
ho chi minh dies
Ho Chi Minh dies of a heart attack in Hanoi. -
watergate scandal
President Nixon resigns in the face of likely impeachment after the Watergate Scandal is revealed. Gerald R. Ford becomes president. -
fall of veitnam
North and South Vietnam are formally unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under hardline communist rule.
