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First Assault
Viet Minh commits to an assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu, which last about two months. http://www.dienbienphu.org/english/ -
Ngo Dinh Diem Comes into Power
Ngo Dinh Diem is chosen by Bao Dai to lead future South Vietnam. http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/ngo-dinh-diem/ -
Guerrilla Warfare Begins
Former Viet Minh forces begin confrontations with Diem adminitstrations with Ho Chi Minh's blessings. http://history.howstuffworks.com/vietnam-war/vietnam-war3.htm -
Failed Coup Attempt
President Diem defeats coup attempt by South Vietnamese governments forces. http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/failed-coup-south-vietnam -
First Battlefield Casualty
Specialist 4 James T. Davis was the first battlefield casualty in Vietnam, which many considered the beginning of the war. -
South Vietnamese Protests
Buddhist monks are fired upon by South Vietnamese police for protesting against their President. This moment was used to engage others in further protests. http://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/south-vietnamese-buddhists-initiate-fall-dictator-diem-1963 -
Suicidal Buddhist Protest
Quang Duc, a buddhist monk, set himself on fire as a public protest against the treatment of Buddhist by South Vietnamese police. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html -
Kennedy Assassination
President Kennedy is assassinated, VP Johnson takes his place. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm -
USS Maddox attacked
North Vietnamese forces attack the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. previously presumed as unprovoked. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/north-vietnamese-torpedo-boats-attack-us-destroyer -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
After a second attack on the USS Maddox, US Congress passed resolution that set in motion the US to help defend South Vietnam against Viet Cong. http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-resolution -
Longest American War Engagement
America has now been engaged in Vietnam war longer than any other war. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/06/vietnam_not_afghanistan_still.html -
President Nixon Announces Vietnamization
Nixon announces that South Vientamese will be trained to replace the US forces currently in place. http://spartacus-educational.com/VNvietnamization.htm -
Invasion of Cambodia
President Nixon declares that US and S. Vietnamese forces have invaded Cambodia to destroy assests of the NLF. http://vietnamawbb.weebly.com/invasion-of-cambodia.html -
Operation Linebacker
President Nixon approves of large-scale bombing of North Vietnam following an attack on South Vietnam by th NLF. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/aerialcampaigns/p/Vietnam-War-Operation-Linebacker.htm -
Ceasefire Agreement
The US, South and North Vietnam sign ceasefire agreement, which involves the US withdrawal and South Vietnam to hold free elections. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/23/newsid_2506000/2506549.stm -
War Ends
The Vietnam War officially ends for the United States, all troops withdrawl from Vietnam. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/jan-23-1973-nixon-announces-end-of-u-s-involvement-in-vietnam/
