-
Period: to
Vietnam War
-
Ceasefire
July 21, 1954 - The Geneva Accords creates a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam and provides a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel. -
National Liberation Front
December 20, 1960 - The National Liberation Front (NLF), also called the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam. -
Ngo Dinh Diem Killed
November 2, 1963 - South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup. -
U.S. Destroyers Attacked
August 2 and 4, 1964 - North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters -
U.S. Troops Arrive in Vietnam
March 8, 1965 - The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive
January 30, 1968 - The North Vietnamese join forces with the Viet Cong to launch the Tet Offensive, attacking approximately one hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns. -
Mai Lai Massacre
March 16, 1968 - U.S. soldiers came upon a village that they thought inhabited North Vietnamese people, but they were wrong. The U.S. soldiers ended up killing hundreds of innocent Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai. -
U.S. General Rerplacement
July 1968 - General William Westmoreland, who had been in charge of the U.S. troops in Vietnam, is replaced by General Creighton Abrams. -
U.S. Withdrawal
July 1969 - President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam. -
Ho Chi Minh Dies
September 3, 1969 - Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79. -
Pentagon Papers
June 13, 1971 - Portions of the Pentagon Papers are published in The New York Times. -
Easter Offensive
March 1972 - The North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive. -
Paris Peace Accords
January 27, 1973 - The Paris Peace Accords are signed that provide a cease-fire. -
U.S. Withdrawn from Vietnam
March 29, 1973 - The last U.S. troops are withdrawn from Vietnam. -
North Vietnam Attack South Vietnam
March 1975 - North Vietnam launches a massive assault on South Vietnam. -
Surrender
April 30, 1975 - South Vietnam surrenders to the communists. -
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
July 2, 1976 - Vietnam is unified as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
