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Ho Chi Minh and the creation of the Viet Minh
Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary that wanted to take over Vietnam and be free. People impacted by this were the. Ho Chi Minh was a communist and added tension because of the Domino Affect. The U.S. was scared that he was taking over and communism was spreading. -
The First Indochina War
The First Indochina war started in 1946 and went until 1954. This conflict started between the French and Viet Minh. Ho Chi Minh fought for independence for Vietnam. He used guerilla tactics against the french forces. This grew the tensions between the South and North Vietnam, where the U.S. was then going to get more involved in the war that was starting. -
The Domino Theory
The Domino Theory was the idea that communism would spread from country to country the way dominos fall. The U.S. feared that communism was going to spread all throughout Southeast Asia. Due to this fear the U.S. president (Truman) decided to start sending this to help communism not spread. -
America Aids France
America fears communism is spreading. The United States started providing war weapons, money, aircrafts, and support but did not send any troops at this time. The U.S. did not want to get directly involved in the war at this time but instead help the French fight against Ho Chi Minh and the spread of communism. -
The Geneva Accords
During this time of the war, Vietnam was split by the 17th parallel. North Vietnam was controlled by Ho Chi Minh who was a communist leader, while the South was led by a non-communist leader. The Geneva Accords banned foreign military bases and alliances in areas of Vietnam during this time. -
Use of Agent Orange
Use of Agent Orange was used by the U.S. to reduce food supplies and jungle cover used by the Viet Cong forces. They used a toxic mix that gave serious health effects to people that came into contact with it. During this time the U.S. president got the final call on what to do regarding the war going on. Many people from both sides very highly impacted by this decision. -
Diệm’s assassination
Diệm was assassinated in the City of Ho Chi Ming after being arrested. He was the president of South Vietnam. During this time South Vietnam was impacted by the death of their president. This caused tension to start even more between the two sides of the war and the involvement of the U.S. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
North Vietnamese forces attacked U.S. naval ships that were just cruising. Until this point the U.S. was not involved in the war. This increased the tensions and caused the U.S. involvement in the war to increase. -
The Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese and Viet Cong launched many military assaults. This was a surprise attack towards South Vietnam. The U.S. and South Vietnamese responded to the attack, leaving many casualties. This made the U.S. in a shock, thinking they were winning the war up until this point. The U.S. public no longer had public support in this war. -
My Lai Massacre
American soldiers were sent to kill many unarmed Vietnamese Civilians. They were sent out to kill hundreds of innocent people in the idea that they may be undercover. This led to an investigation and changed the way U.S. soldiers are trained nowadays. -
U.S. troop withdrawals and Vietnamization
U.S. president Nixon introduced the idea for South Vietnamese military to take control and withdraw many U.S. troops from the war. He promised to train the soldiers of South Vietnam and equip them properly for war. He started to withdraw his troops, but the South Vietnamese struggles to keep control of there side of the war without the U.S. help. -
War Powers Act
During the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. president had full power to do what they want. The War Powers Act was made so the U.S. president had to warn Congress before doing anything related to war. Now they must get it passed through Congress before doing anything instead of just the president having all of the war power. -
The Fall of Saigon
North Vietnam sent a massive launch of troops to attack South Vietnam causing them all to evacuate. On April 30,1975, North Vietnam sent tanks into the city of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. Saigon is now named Ho Chi Minh City, because of the well known leader of North Vietnamese. This was a victory for the communist forces.