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In the beginning of the War
The United States had provided funding, armaments, and training to South Vietnam’s government and military since Vietnam’s partition into the communist North and the democratic South in 1954. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
a conflict, starting in 1954 and ending in 1975, between South Vietnam (later aided by the U.S., South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and New Zealand) and the Vietcong and North Vietnam. -
The War Begins
1959 saw Vietnam still divided into South ruled by President Ngô Đình Diệm and North lead by communist Ho Chi Minh. North Vietnam authorized the Viet Cong to undertake limited military action as well as a political action to subvert the Diệm government. Armed encounters between the Viet Cong and the government of South Vietnam became more frequent and with larger numbers involved. In September, 360 soldiers of the South Vietnamese army were ambushed by a force of about one hundred guerrillas. -
Soldiers Sent
By 1963, the North Vietnamese had sent 40,000 soldiers to fight in South Vietnam. North Vietnam was heavily backed by the USSR and the People's Republic of China. China also sent hundreds of PLA servicemen to North Vietnam to serve in air-defense and support roles. https://youtu.be/Q4nGePhuMqQ -
Gulf of Tonkin
North Vietnamese torpedo boats allegedly attack U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. In response, the U.S Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authorization to increase U.S. military presence. He ordered the deployment of combat units for the first time and increased troop levels to 184,000. -
Here Come!!
U.S. planes begin bombing raids of North Vietnam. -
My Lai Massacre
American soldiers killed 300 Vietnamese villagers in the My Lai massacre. -
Nixon Visits the Troops in Vietnam
President Richard M. Nixon made his eighth visit to South Vietnam but his first as president. He made a previously unannounced 5½-hour stopover in the war-torn nation. -
U.S. troops invade Cambodia
The Cambodian Campaign was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia, a neutral country, during 1970 by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam as an extension of the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War. The invasions were a policy of President Richard Nixon; 13 major operations were conducted by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam between 29 April and 22 July and by US forces between 1 May and 30 June. -
Cease-Fire Agreement
Representatives of North and South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, and the U.S. sign a cease-fire agreement in Paris. -
Troops Head Home
The last of the troops leave Vietnam as part of the Paris Peace Accords. -
The War is Over
South Vietnamese government surrenders to North Vietnam; U.S. embassy Marine guards and last U.S. civilians are evacuated. The war is over!!
