CHRONOLOGY OF THE VIETNAM WAR

Name of President
Years of Term
President Number


Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945 32
Harry S Truman 1945-1953 33
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961 34
John F. Kennedy 1961-1963 35
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969 36
Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 37
Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977 38


Bold words are explained in-depth on Roll Call page.


Franklin D. Roosevelt—president

1941 May Formation of the Vietminh.

July Japanese wrest control of Vietnam (named Annam by Imperial France) from French.


Harry S Truman—president

1945 Vietminh demand Vietnamese independence from Imperial France and Japan.

August Japanese surrender in World War II. The August Revolution takes place. The Japanese transfer power to the Vietminh, and the reign of Bao Dai ends. Ho Chi Minh names himself president of the proclaimed Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

1946 December French refuse to abandon their ambitions for
Vietnam. War breaks out between the French and Vietnamese. Start of first Vietnam War; also called the Indochina War.


Dwight D. Eisenhower—president

1954 May The Battle of Dien Bien Phu; following this: the Geneva Accords.

1950 Ngo Dinh Diem refuses participation in upcoming scheduled elections. US assists and backs Diem’s regime.

1960 Ho Chi Minh establishes National Liberation Front (Vietcong) in South Vietnam. NLF starts guerrilla warfare in Republic of Vietnam.
Failed coup attempt is made against Diem’s government.


John F. Kennedy—president

1961 US and South Vietnam form military and economic aid treaty. *Start of US troops’ arrival into Vietnam.

1963 November US and South Vietnamese have had enough of President Ngo Dinh Diem’s administration. There is a military uprising to oust Diem, backed by the US. President Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, are assassinated on the first of the month.

Before he is assassinated, US President Kennedy expresses desire to reduce number of American military advisors in Vietnam. By this time, there are 16,000 American military advisors in Vietnam.

Lyndon B. Johnson—president

1964 August On the second of this month, the North Vietnamese attack the USS Maddox. On the seventh, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is passed by the US Senate.

1965 US begins air raids on the Communist-controlled areas in South Vietnam.

1966 Number of American troops in South Vietnam reaches 190,000.

1967 Nguyen Van Thieu is elected president of South Vietnam.

1968 January Tet Offensive takes place.
March 16 My Lai incident occurs.

Richard M. Nixon—president

1969 US President Nixon announces first of American troop withdrawls from South Vietnam.

1970 April Nixon announces to country that US and South Vietnamese troops have invaded Cambodia to oust Vietcong camps and stop supply and personnel lines to North Vietnamese forces.

May 4 Kent State University tragedy occurs.

1971 Nguyen Van Thieu is elected president of the Republic of Vietnam.

1973 January In Paris, Henry Kissinger negotiates for the US in peace talks. On the twenty-seventh, America, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and NLF sign peace agreement, the Paris Peace Accords.

February POWs begin to come home.

March Last of US combat troops leave Vietnam.


Gerald R. Ford—president

1975 North Vietnamese offensive launched against South Vietnam. US Congress denies South Vietnam’s requests for US aid; South Vietnamese president Thieu flees the northern half of South Vietnam.

April 30 North Vietnamese troops march into Saigon.

1976 July Vietnam is formally reunified. Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City.


TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS

Chronology of the Vietnam War

Roll Call: Important Names and Events in the Vietnam War

Teaching Aid: Compare and Contrast

Lesson Plans and Activities

Recommended Reading and Media

Lessons Learned: The Impact of the Vietnam War Today and the War on Terrorism

Map of Southeast Asia in the 1960s

Bibliography