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Ho Chi Minh led the Indochinese Communist Party
V: During the 1930’s Ho Chi Minh led the Indochinese Communist Party land started strikes and revolts against the French, which were controlling mostly because of the resource-rich Southeast Asia. The French responded by jailing Vietnamese protestors, sentencing Ho to his death (exile) -
Vietnminh Independence League
V: In 1945, after Ho Chi Minh came back in 1941, the nationalists founded the Vietminh (Independence) League. The Japanese during 1945, were forced out of Vietnam and defeated. The French had in mind to regain their colony, but Ho Chi Minh believed that independence would prosper. -
North Korea Invasion
K: June 25, 1950, Similar as the Vietnamese Independence, Korea was controlled by an alien force. North Korea being Communist Soviet Union. In the South, Capitalist United States. North Korea ended up invading South Korea by surprise across the 38th parallel (the division of the two governments). U.S.’s president (Truman) was convinced that Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese tactics were being revived. Truman then began the practice of containment. The United Nations ended up intervening with th -
MacArthur's Suprise Attack
K: September 1950, North Korea kept on advancing. The entire Korean Peninsula except for Pusan was controlled by Communism. During this month, MacArthur’s surprise attack was put to practice the containment. Troops that were already moving North, met at Inchon where the U.S. Marine Strike occurred. -
UN retreats North Korea
K: October 1950, the UN kept retreating North Koreans across the 38th parallel. Effectiveness made the North Koreans retreat almost to the Yalu River at the Chinese border. The Chinese thought it was a threat, so they sent 300,000 troops to North Korea. -
Seoul Captured
K: January 1951, even though the UN had much support from the US, the Chinese armies outnumbered them. The Chinese were able to push UN troops and South Korean troops out of Northern Korea territory. Seoul’s South Korea capital was captured, similarly like the South’s capital of Saigon in Vietnam. Douglas MacArthur’s radicalness leads to his removal from power. He wanted to use a nuclear attack on China, but Truman argued that they were preventing a war, not starting one. -
Cease-Fire Agreement
K: 1952 - July 1953, the UN fought to drive the North Koreans and Chinese back. In 1942, the UN forces regained the control. In July 1953, a cease-fire agreement was signed. A total of 4 million soldiers and civilians died, nothing compared to Vietnam’s 1.5 million. -
Nationalists and Communists vs. Capitalists
V: In 1954, the unification of the Nationalists and Communists joined against the French. While the French held many cities, the Vietminh had support on the countryside. Tactics like hit and run were practiced against the cities. The French began to doubt the worthiness of the Vietnam colony. Vietnam was then divided at 17* north latitude. Ho Chi Minh’s government remained in the North, and the United States and France an anti-communist government in the South. -
U.S. Enters the Fight
V: August 1964-1968, the U.S. Troops entered the fight. A total of 185,000 US Soldiers were in combat in Vietnamese soil, due to the attack of U.S. destroyers in Gulf Tonkin. The United States was known to have the most advanced army in the world, but still faced two large difficulties. One of them being, fighting Guerrillas in unknown territory. Second, the South government they were supporting lost many popularity (peasants opposed the government) while the Northern was gaining. -
North Vietnam Victory
V: 1975, the North Vietnamese were victorious and they set up tight controls in the South. Reeducation camps were opened for people who needed training to have Communist thoughts. Industries became nationalized and businesses were strictly controlled. The South’s capital (Saigon) was named Ho Chi Minh City. Oppression lead to many Vietnamese to flee in overcrowded ships. Many ended in refugee camps in Southeast Asia, while others in United States or Canada.
