-
Period: to
Vietnam Timespan
-
Japan has to give up Indochina
(No day, just August and 1945) At the end of WWII Japan had to give up control of Indochina. Because of this announcement in August 1945, Ho Chi Minh seized the moment and declared Vietnam an independent country. -
Geneva Conference
Leaders from the Soviet Union, the United States, The People’s Republic of China, France, and Great Britain met to discuss problems in Asia. The Geneva Conference temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. A communist North and a pro-Western South were created. The agreements were not signed until July 1954. -
Vietminh defeat French
Because France didn’t want Vietnam to be independent, French troops were sent back to Vietnam. The Vietminh fought back strong, and they overcame the French. French casualties were high and they weren’t winning the war by any means. On May 7, 1954, the French army at Dien Bien Phu surrendered to the Vietminh. The French made peace and withdrew from Indochina. -
John F. Kennedy sworn in as President of the US
The Vietnam War was in full swing when Kennedy became president. He had to listen to what the US citizens felt about the war and act on it in order to get elected. When in office, he dramatically increased aid to South Vietnam and grew the number of soldiers on foreign soil. -
A Buddhist Monk burns himself to death
A monk, in the middle of a street, engulfs himself in flames to protest government religious policies. This happened in South Vietnam due to Diem’s discrimination against the Buddhists. He was the first of several Buddhists to protest in this way. -
Military Coup in South Vietnam
Diem was so unpopular that generals plotted to overthrow him. American ambassador Henry
Cabot Lodge visited Vietnam and realized the predicament. He sympathyzed with the generals and soon after the generals held their coup. They seized power and then executed Diem. -
Tonkin Resolution
It was announced by President Johnson in August 2, 1964 that 2 American destroyers had been fired on by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. 2 days later it happened again. He ordered American aircraft to attack North Vietnamese ships and other naval craft. The Senate and House passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 5 days after the first attack and basically handed over its power of war to the president allowing him to do whatever was necessary to defend the US. -
US troops arrive in Vietnam
(No day or month; just 1965) American forces arrive in Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese. The US didn’t want the communist North to overcome the South. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
A bombing campaign that was passed by President Johnson. It was designed to block transportation routes in the south part of North Vietnam to slow the transportation of supplies into South Vietnam. -
Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins Vietnam hearings
(No day, just February 1966) Because Congress let the president have “free hand” in Vietnam, they became skeptical about their involvement. They held “educational” hearings about Vietnam to help make up their minds. -
Tet Offensive
During the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese had a major surprise attack. The guerilla fighters attacked ass American air bases in South Vietnam & most cities and provincial capitals. Took four weeks to drive the communist forces out of the city. Communist forces murdered more than 3,000 people associated with the South Vietnam government. Despite the strength of the attack, North Vietnam was victorious. -
Students protest at Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Thousands of protesters gathered at the Convention calling for the Democrats to accept an antiwar platform. The protesting turned into a riot when they began to clash with the police. Tear gas and billy clubs were used by the police in an attempt to control the people. -
Vietnamization
(No month or day; just 1969) Nixon cut back on the amount of troops in Vietnam. He planned for the gradual removal of troops from Vietnam and allowing South Vietnam to do more of the combat. -
Kent State
While students were demonstrating at Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard fired on students without an order to do so. Because of that, they killed four students and injured around nine others. -
26th Amendment Ratified
Gave the right to all citizens age 18 or older the right to vote in every state and federal election. -
US withdrawal of troops
(No date: 1972-1975) The 1971 polls showed that ⅔ of Americans wanted to get out of Vietnam. So, to speed things up, Nixon allowed a peace treaty to be signed without the withdrawal of North Vietnamese troops from South Vietnam. When the treaty was signed, the US began pulling its troops. -
The Christmas Bombings
Thousands of tons of bombs were dropped in North Vietnam by American B-52’s for 12 days straight. The Americans only paused their bombing on Christmas day. -
War Powers Act
(No day or month; just 1973) Congress tried to restablish their power over the president since they gave their war rights away earlier. The president now had to inform Congress of any commitment of troops abroad within 48 hours. And the president had to withdraw them in 60 to 90 days unless Congress approved them staying. -
South Vietnam Surrenders
South Vietnam’s president (Nguyen Van Thieu) didn’t want North Vietnamese troops in the south. The Americans pressured South Vietnam to allow North Vietnamese troops to remain, and they gave in to the pressure. An agreement was signed that ended the war. -
Cease-fire signed with North Vietnam
President Nixon gave up his commitment to not allow peace unless North Vietnamese troops withdrawal from South Vietnam. Because of that, peace could be reached much faster. Saigon controlled about 75 percent of South Vietnam's territory and 85 percent of the population after the signing of the treaty. Despite a peace agreement, both sides immediately violated the terms.
