Vietnam War Timeline

  • Geneva Accords

    Geneva Accords
    The Geneva Accords were signed in 1954, which say that France had to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam and Vietnam has to be divided by the 17th parallel. Also elections of a president should follow shortly, to reunite the country.
  • Domino Theory coined, Eisenhower

    Domino Theory coined, Eisenhower
    Eisenhower said that countries that were communist were like Dominoes, if one fell the other ones would fall too. An example would be Vietnam. The U.S held a nuclear weapon strike on Vietnam, so that the Vietcong could have a victory which would set off a chain reaction. The domino theory was introduced in April 1954 by Eisenhower.
  • Assassination of Diem

    Assassination of Diem
    On November 11th 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem, president of south Vietnam was arrested and assassinated by some of his generals. He was killed because of his brutal tactics and regime.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
    The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution happened when it was reported that two torpedo boats had fired on two U.S destroyers. Then the Resolution was passed which increased the involvement of the U.S in the Vietnam war.
  • LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam

    LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam
    On February 13th LBJ ordered his first troops to Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder began. LBJ ordered them to Vietnam because U.S bases reported that there had been fire upon North Vietnamese forces.
  • Tet offensive

    Tet offensive
    The Tet offensive was a series of attacks from North to South Vietnam. More than 100 citizens died. It was one of the largest military campaigns in the Vietnam war. It lasted from January until September.
  • My Lai Massacre

    My Lai Massacre
    The My Lai Massacre was a mass murder on south Vietnamese people by Americans. It was labelled as an accident and was held as a secret for many years. More than 500 people died.
  • Nixon’s Vietnamization policy

    Nixon’s Vietnamization policy
    The Vietnamization policy of Nixon said that the U.S should no longer be involved in the Vietnam war. It started on January 28th 1969. 1973 the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam as a result.
  • Nixon sends troops into Cambodia

    Nixon sends troops into Cambodia
    In April 1970 president Nixon ordered troops to Cambodia and Laos. He sent them because he wanted to cut supply lines in order to secure peace by training south Vietnamese to fight communists.
  • Kent State shooting

    Kent State shooting
    On may 4th 1970 a massacre at Kent State happened. College students were demonstrating against the Vietnam war when the Ohio national guard opened fire on the crowd. 4 students died and 9 were heavily injured. It led to a temporary closing of Kent State and universities across the country. Another effect was more and more anti-war protests happened.
  • Hard Hat Riot

    Hard Hat Riot
    In May in 1970 workers stormed college student protests on the streets of NYC. The stormed protest was an anti-war protests. The workers wore yellow construction hats. The demonstrations occurred due to poverty and unemployment.
  • Nixon’s Christmas bombing

    Nixon’s Christmas bombing
    ..or Operation Linebacker 2 was an aerial bombing from the US airforce in Vietnam. The target was the democratic Republic. After eleven days North Vietnam agreed to talk and sign the Paris Peace Treaty which led to an end of the Vietnam war.
  • Paris Peace Accords

    Paris Peace Accords
    The settlement included a cease fire all through Vietnam and the U.S had to take all of their troops out of Vietnam. In return Vietnam released all american prisoners. They were founded to finally end the Vietnam war. It was signed on January 27, 1973.
  • War Powers Act

    War Powers Act
    The War Powers Act is a law to check the U.S. president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without agreement of the U.S. Congress. It was published on November 7, 1973.
  • Saigon Falls

    Saigon Falls
    On April 30th 1975 Saigon fell. It marked the fall of South Vietnam. Then the fall of South Vietnam ended the Vietnam war. After the fall a military government was introduced and Saigon's name changed to Ho Chi Minh City.