Events of the Vietnam War

1. Events of the Vietnam War 1957 - 1975

2. French Control is Removed • In 1883, France controls a region in Southeast Asia known as French Indochina, which includes present-day countries of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. • After WWII, Vietnamese Communists known as the Vietminh defeat French Forces. • The Vietminh are led by Ho Chi Minh

3. The Division of Vietnam • In May 1954 in a conference in Geneva, Vietnam is partitioned at the 17th parallel. • The North is controlled by Communists & the South by non-Communists. • The peace agreement states that free elections would be held to reunite the country. • These elections never occur.

4. South Vietnam refuses to allow free elections • In 1956, South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem, refuses to allow free elections for fear that the communists will not permit fair elections. • The United States supports this decision through aid to the anti-Communist Saigon government. • The Republic of Vietnam is declared following a rigged election organized by the United States.

5. South Vietnamese resistance develops • In 1957, South Vietnamese Communists known as the Vietcong rebel against Diem’s government. • North Vietnam publicly supports this resistance & provides the rebels with weapons. • The United States responds by sending military advisors to assist South Vietnam in fighting these Communist attacks.

6. Diem’s Government is overthrown • In November 1960, Diem’s government repels a military coup. Diem responds by suppressing religious & political enemies. • In May 1963, Buddhist monks protest South Vietnam government actions by setting themselves on fire. • In November 1963, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows Diem’s government with U.S. knowledge & CIA assistance. • Diem is murdered.

7. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • In August 1964, U.S. Navy destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy are sent by President Lyndon Johnson to patrol the Gulf of Tonkin. • Both destroyers supposedly detected radar blips causing them to open fire. • President Johnson responds by ordering air strikes against North Vietnam in retaliation. • President Johnson called for the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave him the authority to “take all necessary measures” to thwart attacks against the United States & to prevent any further aggressions. • President Johnson had the power to react.

8. U.S. Involvement in Vietnam • Operation Rolling Thunder - The first goal of U.S. Forces was to cut off supplies of the Vietcong. U.S. planes bombed North Vietnam to destroy resources. • In March 1965, the first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam. • By the end of 1965, American troop strength is nearly 200,000.

9. Unconventional Style of War • U.S. troops found the fighting difficult because there was no established battlefront. • The Vietcong used Guerrilla tactics against U.S. Soldiers. • This style of warfare resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties. • Civilians were killed & wounded in Vietcong attacks & by U.S. troops who could not tell friends from enemies.

10. Anti-War Protests at Home • In 1967, Anti-War & Anti-Draft protests become more organized & active. • Reports that the U.S. is winning the war in Vietnam prove to be false. A country-wide peace movement develops. • War protests turned violent – at Kent State University protestors were shot dead by U.S. troops. • The war was quickly losing its support.

11. Tet Offensive • In 1968, the Vietcong attacked major cities in South Vietnam including the U.S. embassy in Saigon during the Vietnamese New Year celebration. • The surprise attacks, vicious fighting, and large number of casualties stunned the American public. • The Tet offensive led the United States to change its policy in Vietnam. Gradually the war effort was scaled back.

12. Election of 1968 changes the War goals • Richard Nixon is elected as our 37th president. • Nixon changes our policy in the war to what he calls “Vietnamization” or to withdraw U.S. troops & turn the war over to the South Vietnamese.

13. My Lai Massacre • On March 16, 1968, under the command of Lt. William Calley, troops of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade entered the village of My Lai with orders to “search and destroy”. • The mission soon turned into the massacre of 300 unarmed civilians including women, children, & the elderly. • Word of the massacre did not reach the U.S. until 1969. Lt. Calley is tried & convicted for his role & this event further discredits the war.

14. U.S. Involvement in Vietnam comes to an end • In January 1973, a cease-fire is agreed upon. • By March of 1973, all U.S. ground troops have been withdrawn from Vietnam. • Within two years, North Vietnam captures the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon. The Vietnam war ends & Vietnam is unified under Communist rule.

15. Results of the War • On July 2, 1976 the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is established. • Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City • The United States goal of containment is unsuccessful. • Total U.S. casualties are estimated above 200,000. • The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. was dedicated in 1982