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Ho Chi Minh Helped Found Viet MInh
Japanese troops occupied part of French Indochina, but Vietnam has a 2,000 year history of resisting foreign rule. Ho Chi Minh drew on that history to stir up nationalist feelings. -
End of Colony
Vietnam was part of French Indochina from 1880 to World War II. -
Vietnam finally Independent
Japan formally surrendered and Vietnam declared its independence. -
Beginning of First Indochina War
French warships opened fire on the port city of Haiphong and killed 6,000 Vietnamese civilians. The next month Viet Minh attacked French ground forces. -
Stop Communism
Thousands of U.S. soldiers had already died in Korea trying to halt the spread of communism. -
Attack Was Launched
Viet Minh launched a surprise attack on a large French military base at Down Bien Phu -
Geneva Accords
The French and Viet Minh signed it. It stopped the fighting and Vietnam was split temporarily along the 17th parallel. -
Domino Theory
Eisenhower warned that if Vietnam falls to communism, then the rest of Southeast Asia would follow. -
End of Battle Of Dien Bien Phu
Viet Minh finally overran the French base, shattered French morale. -
Viet Cong
The Viet Minh formed a group called the National Liberation Front And invites all opponents of Diem to join. Vietnamese communists. -
Buddhist Protest
At a Buddhist rally opposing Diem’s policies, South Vietnamese police killed nine demonstrators. Many Buddhist monks protested by setting themselves on fire. -
Bombing
The president asked the military to begin planing for the bombing of North Vietnam. -
Covert Attacks
Johnson approved attacks on radar stations along North Vietnamese’s coast. The CIA planned the operation, south Vietnamese carried out the raids in speedboats. -
MVA strikes Back
They Fired machine guns and torpedoes At The U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin. The ship was not damaged. -
Conflict Chaged
The landing of the first combat forces. The United States took over the main responsibility for fighting the war. -
U.S. in Vietnam
3,500 marines waded ashore ata beach near Da Nang South Vietnam. It was the first time U.S. combat troops set foot in Vietnam.
