Vietnam timeline
-
Japanese Army Officials Intern French Indochina Authorities, Assume Control of French Asian Territory
During World War II, the French were defeated by the Germans in 1940. For French Indochina, this meant that the colonial authorities became Vichy... Read more
-
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam Declares its Independence
As the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi), better known as the Viet Minh, Vietnamese nationalists had fought... Read more
-
First Indochina War Begins with French Landings in Indochina
The First Indochina War (also known as the French Indochina War, the The Anti-French War, the Franco-Vietnamese War, the Franco-Vietminh War, the... Read more
-
Viet Minh Defeat French at Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (French: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu; Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ) was the climactic confrontation of the First... Read more
-
Operation Chopper
Operation Chopper occurred on January 12, 1962 and was the first time US forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. In December of... Read more
-
Hue Vesak Shootings
The Hue Vesak shootings refer to the deaths of nine unarmed Buddhist civilians on May 8, 1963 in the city of Huế in South Vietnam, at the hands of... Read more
-
Xa Loi Pagoda Raids
The Xa Loi Pagoda raids were a series of synchronized attacks on various Buddhist pagodas in the major cities of South Vietnam shortly after... Read more
-
Cable 243 is Sent to Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., the US Ambassador to South Vietnam
DEPTEL 243, also known as Telegram 243, the August 24 cable or most commonly Cable 243, was a high profile message sent on August 24, 1963 by the... Read more
-
President Kennedy Issues NSAM 263, Ordering the Withdrawl of 1,000 Military Personnel from Vietnam by the End of 1963
Kennedy increased the number of U.S. military in Vietnam from 800 to 16,300. It remains a point of some controversy among historians whether or not... Read more
-
Arrest and Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem and His Brother, Nhu
The arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, then president of South Vietnam, marked the culmination of a successful CIA-backed coup d'état led... Read more
-
Operation Barrel Roll Begins
On 12 December 1964, Barrel Roll was approved by Souvanna Phouma. The program originally consisted of only two U.S bombing sorties per week that... Read more
-
Operation Flaming Dart
Operation Flaming Dart was a U.S. military operation, conducted in two parts, during the Vietnam War. United States President Lyndon B. Johnson... Read more
-
Vung Ro Bay Incident
The Vung Ro Bay Incident refers to the discovery of a 100-ton North Vietnamese naval trawler unloading munitions on a beach in South Vietnam's Vung... Read more
-
U.S. Military Launches Operation Steel Tiger
Operation Steel Tiger was a covert U.S. 2nd Air Division, later Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 aerial interdiction effort targeted... Read more
-
Battle of Ba Gia
The Battle of Ba Gia or Bãi Xoan was a battle of the Vietnam War, that began after an ARVN battalion was ambushed by Viet Cong (VC) forces on May... Read more
-
Operation Arc Light Begins
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52F Stratofortress as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam. By extension, Arc light,... Read more
-
U.S. Marine Corps Initiates Combined Action Program
Drawing from previous experience in "small wars", the United States Marine Corps operated the Combined Action Program during the Vietnam War, from... Read more
-
Operation Starlight, First U.S.-Only Offensive Military Action of the Vietnam War
Operation Starlite was the first offensive military action conducted by a purely U.S. military unit during the Vietnam War. The operation was... Read more
-
Siege of Plei Me
The Siege of Plei Me was a battle during the Vietnam War, which led up to the Battle of Ia Drang. Brigadier General Chu Huy Man of the People's... Read more
-
Battle of Ia Drang
The Battle of Ia Drang was one of the first major battles between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) during the Vietnam... Read more
-
U.S. Military Launches Covert Aerial Interdiction Campaign, Operation Tiger Hound
Operation Tiger Hound was a covert U.S. 2nd Air Division, later Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 aerial interdiction campaign... Read more
-
Operation Game Warden
Operation Game Warden, Task force 116, was an operation to deny Viet Cong access to the resources in the Mekong Delta which was conceived of in... Read more
-
Operation Crimp
Operation Crimp—also known as the Battle of the Ho Bo Woods—was a joint US-Australian military operation during the Vietnam War in the Ho Bo Woods,... Read more
-
Launch of Operation Masher (Later Called Operation White Wing)
Operation Masher was a combined U.S., ARVN, and ROKA operation that began on January 28, 1966. The name "Operation Masher" was changed to... Read more
-
Battle of A Shau
The Battle of A Shau was waged in 1966 during the Vietnam War between the Viet Cong and the forces of the United States and South Vietnam. The... Read more