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Vietnam was divided into two
ho Chi minh's communist controlled the north and Ngo Diem controlled the south. -
domino theory
US helped because of domino theory in fear that all of Asia would become communists and containment. -
dien bien phu overrun by the vietminh
Despite heavy U.S. aid, the base was overrun on May 7, 1954. With the defeat of the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the United States became concerned about communist gains in Vietnam. -
ngo dinh diem refuses to take part in elections
Although these elections were called for by the Geneva Accords of July 1954, Diem and his supporters in the United States realized that if the elections were held, Ho Chi Minh and the more populous north would probably win, thereby reuniting Vietnam under the Communist banner. Accordingly, he refused to hold the elections and the separation of North and South soon became permanent. -
vietcong begin attacks on the diem government
Beginning in the spring of 1959, armed bands of Viet Cong were occasionally engaging units of the South Vietnamese army in regular firefights. By that time the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party, meeting in Hanoi, had endorsed a resolution calling for the use of armed force to overthrow the Diem government. Southerners specially trained in the North as insurgents were infiltrated back into the South along with arms and equipment. A new war had begun. -
southern revolutionaries begin [viet cong]
Southern revolutionaries, backed by the North Vietnamese Communist Party, form the National Liberation Front, known in Saigon and Washington as the Viet Cong. -
U.S. supported coup of diem
President Eisenhower approves a National Security Council paper titled “Review of U.S. Policy in the Far East.” This paper supported Secretary of State Dulles’ view that the United States should support Diem, while encouraging him to broaden his government and establish more democratic institutions. Ultimately, however, Diem would refuse to make any meaningful concessions or institute any significant new reforms and U.S. support was withdrawn. Diem was subsequently assassinated during a coup. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This gave president Lyndon Johnson the right to begin war without congress need of approval. https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-resolution -
operation rolling thunder begins
Operation Rolling Thunder was the code name for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. U.S. military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968. -
US troop levels increased to 50,000
President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that he has ordered an increase in U.S. military forces in Vietnam, from the present 75,000 to 125,000. Johnson also said that he would order additional increases if necessary. -
US troop levels increased to 180,00
Lyndon Johnson brought more soldiers to Vietnam for help. -
US troop levels increased to 500,00
he has added more soldiers to vietnam. -
SDS founded
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), American student organization that flourished in the mid-to-late 1960s and was known for its activism against the Vietnam War. -
Johnson declares he won't run for president
President Lyndon Johnson does not want to do a re election. -
Nixon wins the election
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, defeated the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. -
Lai massacre
More than 500 people were slaughtered in the My Lai massacre, including young girls and women who were raped and mutilated before being killed. -
fall of saigon
The surrender of Saigon was announced by the South Vietnamese president, General Duong Van Minh: "We are here to hand over to you the power in order to avoid bloodshed." General Minh had become South Vietnam’s president for two days as the country crumbled.
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