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Gulf of Tonkin incident
While the United States already had troops in Vietnam, an attack on two U.S. Naval Destroyers led to more direct action being taken in Vietnam. It was essentially the point that started the United States officially taking part in the war, rather than just doing things in the background. -
Start of the War
There really was no specific moment where the U.S. Government decided to go to war with North Vietnam. It was more of a gradual pull into the war, but the first U.S. combat units were being deployed. -
Tet Offensive
A series of coordinated attacks against South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. It was used as an attempt to spark rebellion among the South Vietnamese civilians and push the U.S. to withdraw from the war. It was a crucial turning point in the war, and started to erode support for the war effort. -
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Gradual U.S. troop extraction
Over the course of 4 years, the Nixon Administration gradually reduced the number of U.S. forces in South Vietnam. The numbers reduced from a peak of 549,000 to 69,000 -
Ho Chi Minh's Death
Ho chi Minh was the former prime minister of Vietnam. He was the center of Vietnamese communism, and the one leading the Northern part of Vietnam in the war. He died of congestive heart failure. After his death, the U.S. began to reduce ground troops in Vietnam. -
Duong Van Minh surrenders, end of the war
Duong Van Minh surrendered, allowing North Vietnamese troops to invade South Vietnam and take control of the entire country. Duong declared his surrender on Saigon radio.
