Vietnam War

  • Period: Jan 1, 1428 to

    Vietnam

  • May 6, 1428

    Limited Independence

    The vietnamese won independence from the Chinese. Le loi used uerilla warfare to drive Chinese out. Le loi became the leader.
  • French Invasion

    French invaded Vietnam for access to Asian trade and convert people to Catholicism. The Vietnamese were forced to grant the French control, created Indochina with control over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
  • Imperial Encounter

    During WWII, the Japanese occupied Indochina. Ho Chi Minh plotted plan for freedom.
  • Imperial Encounter

    The French and Vietnamese battled again. The U.S supported France because the U.S feared Ho's communist connection.
  • Chinese Alliance

    Communist China began aiding Vietminh to limit U.S influence.
  • Battle

    The French were battling the Vietminh and expected the help from the U.S. The help never arrived, so the Vietminh forced the French to surrender on May 7.
  • Diplomacy

    An international conference to settle Indochina conflict began in Geneva, Switzerland. French and Vietminh mapped out Indochina's future.
  • Event

    The French leave Vietnam. The vietminh finally unoccupied.
  • Alliance

    North Vietnam forms Group 559 to begin infiltrating cadres and weapons into South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Trail will become a strategic target for future military attacks.
  • Homefront

    USA Launches Operation Chopper. It is the first combat mission against the Vietcong.
  • Event

    Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime. Diem and his brother are executed.
  • Gulf Of Tonkin Conspiracy

    It is alleged that the U.S.S Maddox is attacked by North Vietnamese PT boats. Johnson immediately orders retaltion strikes. In 2005, the NSA admits the government lied about the attack and it never happened...
  • Tactic

    Operation 'Rolling Thunder,'sustained bombing raids of North Vietnam begin in February. The air raids will go on for three years.
  • Trend

    The U.S. offered North Vietnam economic aid in exchange for peace, but the offer is denied Two weeks later, President Johnson raises America's combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 troops.
  • Homefront

    The Students for a Democratic Society protested at Washington D.C. They protested against the war. Thousands protested.
  • Battle

    Beginning on the Vietnamese Tet holiday, Viet Cong forces shock U.S. troops with a wave of attacks supported by North Vietnamese troops. . Ultimately, the Tet Offensive will be a catastrophe for the NLF and the Viet Cong, which lose 37,000 fighters. But it is also a serious blow for the United States, which loses 2,500 men. Public support for the war in the U.S. plummets.
  • Tactic

    Johnson announces he will practice "Vietnamization", (training South Koreans to assume American Roles).
  • Homefrony

    Kent State University had students protesting the war. The ohio national guard kills 4 people when "orders weren't followed" and injured 9. Many americans deeply angered.
  • Homefront

    Congress prohibits U.S combat forces from Laos or Cambodia.
  • Homefront

    The New York Times leaks "the pentagon papers", secret documents that revealed the U.S government lied about many aspects about the war.
  • Battle

    North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive.
  • Diplomacy

    The U.S announces the end of the military draft. Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement in which a ceasefire is declared, the U.S. agrees to withdraw combat troops, and the government of South Vietnam promises to hold free elections .
  • Event

    North Vietnamese politburo orders offensive to ‘Liberate’ South Vietnam by NVA cross-boarder invasion.
  • Event

    North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon and smash the gates of the Presidential Palace with a tank and accept the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam. The Vietnam War has ended after almost 20 years of continuous fighting