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French Surrender
The French surrender to the Viet Minh. The Geneva Conference on the status of Indochina begins. -
Ho Chi Minh Land Reforms
Ho Chi Minh orders seeping "land reforms" in North Vietnam; thousands of people are imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Many Vietnamese flee to South VIetnam -
Guerrilla War
Ex-Viet Minh forces in the South organize and, with the support of Ho Chi Minh, begin a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Diem's administration. -
US increase advisors
The US announes that it will increase the number of military advisors in South Vietnam from 327 to 685 men -
First Combat dead
This marks the beginning of the Vietnam war for many Americans. -
Buddhist Monks Self-Immolate
Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in protest of the South Vietnamese government for religious intolerance and discriminatory policies. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The US of Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson the power to take any actions he thought necessary to defend South Vietnam from Viet Cong forces. This is also known as Blank Check. -
Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a small but extensive bombing tactic. Its aim was to force North Vietnam to forgo supporting the Viet Cong -
First mass demonstration
The first mass public demonstrations against American involvement in the Vietnam war take place -
My Lie Massacre
It was a mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops. -
Vietnamization
Nixon announces his plan for "Vietnamization" of the war—that is, training and transitioning South Vietnamese troops to assume the roles that have been fulfilled by American troops.