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Viet Minh
Viet Minh, led by communists, was a national front organization open to many political figures. In 1943, the Viet Minh liberated big portions of northern Vietnam and proclaimed Hanoi the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Viet Minh later merged with the Viet Cong and fought against the U.S. supported South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War.
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Ho Chi Minh
Following Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces in WWII, Ho Chi Minh formed the National Liberation Committee of Vietnam in order to form a provisional government in Vietnam. Minh also declared Vietnam's independence shortly after.
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Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A large Vietminh force fully armed and equiped meet with the French army for a very lopsided battle. The Vietminh army quickly broke down the French stopping air travel and shipping of supplies from the French side. The French were defeated on May 7th, 1954.
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The Geneva Accords
Nine countries come together to negtiate peace surrounding the Indochina hostilities. What is decided is that Vietnam will be split on the 17th parallel until the national election in 1956. The U.S> does not accept this agreement.
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Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem was the first South Vietnamese president. The U.S. particularly supprted Diem as he was a stubborn anti-Communist. However, as the years passed by, support for Diem was fraying as he had narrow religious views and didn't want the U.S. too involved in Vietnamese endeavours. He was assassinated by the CIA due to his decaying support for the U.S.
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The Vietnam War
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Ho Chi Minh Trail
This trail was said to have been established in late 1959 but the exact date isn't specified. This trail was used mainly by North Vietnam in order to get into the South during the war. It was also heavily used as a supply and weapon transfer oute by the North. Many decoy paths were consturcted to fool Americans and South Vietnamese army personnel.
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Vietcong
Viet Cong was said to have formed and commenced operation somtime in late '59 and early '60 (the exact date is unknown). Hanoi formed the National Liberation Front which the Diem government dubbed "Vietcong". Vietcong was a North Vietnamese army that fought against South Vietnam and the United States between 1960 and 1973.
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Agent Orange
This was the common name used for herbicides used by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War. During the war, the U.S. is said to have sprayed around 20, 000, 000 gallons of this liquid from its orange striped barrels. This herbicide not only killed off plant ecosystems but also affected the Vietnamese people causing major skin conditions and diseases. Today, Agent Orange is said to cause cancer.
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This was a resolution proposed and put fourth by Lyndon Johnson in reaction to an unprovoked North Vietnamese torpedo attack on the Maddox and the C. Turner Joy. Its main purpose was to support the president as commander in chief to prevent further attack on the U.S.
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Operation Rolling Thunder
After an attack by the Vietcong in February of 1965, president Johnson ordered a series of bombing raids on North Vietnam in order to cut off main supply lines. This operation continued until 1968 when the U.S. had sent around 550,000 troops.
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The Tet Offensive
This was a tactic employed by the People's Army of Vietnam against South Vietnam (which was supported by the U.S.). It consisted of surprising the enemy and to strike and kill military officials and block off and raid control centers. THe controversial part of all of this is that this was a time when no attacks were supposed to take place.
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My Lai Massacre
This was a mass murder that occured killing around 400 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians. Most were women, infants, children and elderly people. It was pursued by the United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" company. This severly divided the U.S. as a nation as it was so controversial and uncalled for. -
Vietnamization
This was a policy introduced by Richard Nixon to withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam and to transfer all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. The war was becoming very unpopular amongst Americans as it lasted so long and was just an absolute bloodshed with nothing really getting done to advance society.
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Operation Linebacker
This was the title given to a U.S. aerial attack on North Vietnam. It's main purposes were to halt the transportation of supplies to North Vietnam and to also stop them from attacking South Vietnam. This was the first continuous bombing raid since president Johnson instituted a bombing halt.
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The Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of South Vietnam by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front (NLF). This basically marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of transistional period for Vietnam to reunite as a communist state. It ended on a bitter note for the U.S. as they essentially "lost" the war and gained nothing.
