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The french begin to colonize French indo-China, Vietnam is part of this territory.
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Ho Chi Minh founds the Indochinese Communist Party.
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ICP organises a guerrilla force, Viet Minh, in response to invasion by Japan during World War II.
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The Viet Minh seizes power. Ho Chi Minh announces Vietnam's independence.
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French forces attack Viet Minh in Haiphong in November, sparking the war of resistance against the colonial power.
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Viet Minh forces attack an isolated French military outpost in the town of Dien Bien Phu. The attempt to take the outpost lasts two months, during which time the French government agrees to peace talks in Geneva.
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Weapons and men from North Vietnam begin invading the South.
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American aid to Diem increased. By 1962US military advisors in South Vietnam rises to 12,000.
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Viet Cong, the communist guerrillas operating in South Vietnam, defeat units of the ARVN, the South Vietnamese Army. President Diem is overthrown.
US enters the war -
200,000 American combat troops arrive in South Vietnam.then a year later in 1966, US troop numbers in Vietnam rise to 400,000, then to 500,000 the following year.
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a combined assault by Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army on US positions - begins. More than 500 civilians die in the US massacre at My Lai.
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Ho Chi Minh dies on September 2 1969.
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Ceasefire agreement in Paris, US troop pull-out completed by March.
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North Vietnamese troops invade South Vietnam and take control of the whole country soon after South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh surrenders.
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Vietnam invades Cambodia. In response, Chinese troops cross Vietnam's northern border. They are pushed back by Vietnamese forces. Many people leave Vietnam.
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Vietnamese troops withdraw from Cambodia.
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US President Bill Clinton pays a three-day official visit. The US help clear landmines left over from the Vietnam war. The Vietnamese government estimates nearly 40,000 people have been killed by unexploded landmines.
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After 12 years of talks, Vietnam becomes the 150th member of the World Trade Organization.
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China and Vietnam sign an agreement to manage the South China Sea dispute