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Viet Minh troops under General Vo Nguyen Giap overrun the French base at Dien Bien Phu, on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The stunning victory by Vietnamese communist and nationalist forces brings an end to more than 70 years of French colonial rule in Indochina.
June 1, 1954
The United States launches a secret psychological warfare and paramilitary operation in South Vietnam. The operation targets opponents of Ngo Dinh Diem, the newly installed prime minister of South Vietnam. This marks the beginning of the Vietnam War.
Vietnam WarA map showing bases and supply routes during the Vietnam War.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
July 21, 1954
The Geneva Accords effectively divide Vietnam in two at the 17th parallel (latitude 17° N). Although the accords explicitly state that the 17th parallel “should not in any way be interpreted as constituting a political or territorial boundary,” the 17th parallel indeed quickly becomes seen as a dividing line.
November 2, 1963
After the U.S. withdraws its support for Ngo Dinh Diem (pictured), he is assassinated by his own generals. At this point approximately 16,000 U.S. military personnel are in Vietnam, and 200 have been killed.
American commanders report that North Vietnamese torpedo boats have attacked the U.S. destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States.”
March 1, 1966
A Program for the Pacification and Long-Term Development of Vietnam (PROVN), a study commissioned by the U.S. Army chief of staff, General Harold K. Johnson, is published. It recommends that more U.S. effort be directed at ensuring the security of South Vietnam’s rural population. At the time of its publication, however, PROVN is largely dismissed by U.S. commanders in charge of conducting the Vietnam War, most notably General William Westmoreland.
During the Vietnamese New Year holiday of Tet, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch an attack against five major cities, dozens of military installations, and scores of towns and villages throughout South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese suffer massive casualties. Westmoreland sees the Tet Offensive as a sign of desperation on the part of the North. This view is increasingly at odds with that of the American public.
CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite, who has just returned from Vietnam, tells viewers, “It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past.” U.S. President Lyndon Johnson is said to respond, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”
March 16, 1968
As many as 500 unarmed villagers are killed by U.S. Army troops in the hamlet of My Lai. Attempts to cover up the massacre begin almost before the shooting stops. Only one American, Lieutenant William Calley, will be found guilty of any crime in connection with My Lai.
My Lai MassacreVietnamese citizens photographed during the My Lai Massacre, March 16, 1968.
World History Archive/Alamy
November 15, 1969
Millions of people across the United States take to the streets to protest the continued U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The antiwar demonstrations represent the largest public protests in U.S. history to date.
Members of the Ohio National Guard open fire on unarmed student protesters at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. The incident catalyzes the growing antiwar movement. Roughly 335,000 U.S. troops are in Vietnam, and approximately 50,000 have been killed.
January 27, 1973
Representatives of South Vietnamese communist forces, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the United States conclude the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet-Nam in Paris. U.S. troops are to be withdrawn within 60 days, and the 17th parallel will remain the dividing line until the country can be reunited by “peaceful means.”
March 29, 1973
The last U.S. military unit leaves Vietnam. Some 58,000 U.S. troops have been killed. Vietnamese casualties include more than 250,000 South Vietnamese troops and more than 1,100,000 North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong irregulars. Civilian deaths total as many as 2,000,000.
April 29, 1975
Shortly before 11:00 AM, U.S. personnel begin an emergency evacuation of the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. Some 7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese are flown to safety. The following morning North Vietnamese troops enter downtown Saigon, and the South Vietnamese government surrenders unconditionally.
fall of SaigonTranscript of helicopter radio transmissions during the fall of Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
