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Vietnam War: Major Events

1955 - 1975

War had been upon Vietnam for hundreds of years leading up to the time when the Americans fought there. The Vietnamese had been enemies with the Chinese for hundreds of years; they were part of the Chinese empire at one point. Then they were at war with the French who took over their country in the 1800’s, France divided up French-Indochina into three separate countries: Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Vietnam was divided into three provinces.

With Vietnam under French control, western culture permeated Vietnam. At that time, a boy named Ho Chi Minh was growing up in Vietnam under French control; he received a western education.

When he grew up, Ho Chi Minh moved to Paris to try and persuade the French to give Vietnam independence. He arrived during the Paris Peace Conference afte World War One. Minh hoped that promises of self-determination would mean that Vietnam could be free from colonial rule. He was refused. The next year he helped to found the French communist party.

Ho Chi Minh did not support the Japanese rule. Minh had earned the respect of most of the Vietnamese people because of his efforts to free Vietnam. Because of this, many Vietnamese people supported his views. He quickly founded the Viet Minh, which was then supported by a large percentage of Vietnamese people.

This section of the presentation gives context to the American Vietnam War and shows the history leading up to that point.

In World War Two, Japan took over French-Indochina, which included Vietnam. The Vietnamese people were divided about whether or not they were happy about Japanese rule. Some people were happy that the French had been beaten by an Asian army, others felt that there was little difference between the French or Japanese ruling their country.

Before the American Vietnam War

To help the government in South Vietnam, the US sent military aid and advisers to Vietnam. The South Vietnamese President, Ngo Dinh Diem, was grateful for the support of the US, but he often did not listen to advice given to him.

A plebiscite was scheduled to take place in Vietnam to decide who the government would be. The vote would be open to people from the North and South of Vietnam. Diem knew that Ho Chi Minh would likely win the vote, and so he decided to cancel the plebiscite so he could remain in power.

Battle of Khe Sanh - January 21st - April 9th, 1968

The battle of Khe Sanh was fought between the Viet Cong and American marines. The battle began when the Viet Cong attacked a US base. This was the longest battle of the war up until that time and both sides suffered heavy casualties, although the Viet Cong suffered much greater casualties than the American marines. For the first time in the war, the Viet Cong succeeded in capturing a US military base. This battle also served as a distraction for the Tet offensive which started 9 days later.

Battle of Hue

The battle of Hue was an extension of the Tet Offensive. Hue was the last city under Viet Cong and North Vietnamese control and was especially well defended. The fighting in this battle was slow and dangerous. Hue was a city of 140,000 people and by the end of the battle, 5,000 civilians were killed. The US and South Vietnamese suffered from over 4,000 casualties, while the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong suffered from up to 8,000 deaths, not including other casualties. While Hue was a victory for the US, the city was destroyed and the support for the war decreased even more.

Battle of Hamburger Hill - May 10th - 20th, 1969

The goal of the Battle of Hamburger Hill was to get rid of the North Vietnamese presence in the Hue province in South Vietnam. Within weeks of capturing the area, US troops withdrew. The high casualties from the 10 day battle seemed unnecessary because it did not strategically help the South Vietnamese at all. The first US troops began to be withdrawn from Vietnam after this battle.

Easter Offensive - March 30th - October 22nd, 1972

The Easter Offensive was a series of attacks that had no strategic value but were meant to help their cause politically. This was the largest campaign in the war and was fought by the North Vietnamese against the South Vietnamese and the Americans. Ho Chi Minh’s army was trying to conquer as much territory as they could so that in the US election, a candidate that did not support the war would win. They also wanted to have as much power as they could during the peace talks and negotiations.

During the Second World War, the United States aligned with the Viet Minh because the Viet Minh gave them information about Japanese troop movement. The Viet Minh supported the US because they both believed in self-determination, and because the US was fighting against the Japanese who occupied their country.

This war between France and the Viet Minh was unique because, while the Viet Minh were trying to unite their country, The French never had a clear objective. Both sides suffered heavy losses during the war and in 1954, France finally surrendered to the Viet Minh. The government that France had created in South Vietnam remained; however, it suffered from lack of support among the Vietnamese people.

Ho Chi Minh declares independence

When Japan surrendered in World War Two, they pulled out if Vietnam. Sensing the opportunity to take control, the Viet Minh declared independence and took control of the country. Vietnam was united, but still weak because it had only just become independent.

Neither the French nor the Viet Minh were willing to back down. They began a series of conflicts; the first Vietnam War. To increase their support in South Vietnam, the French installed a puppet Vietnamese government. China and the Soviet Union recognized Ho Chi Minh’s communist government in the north, the US and France supported the puppet Vietnamese government in the south.

France saw an opportunity re-occupy territory that was perviously theirs. With help from Great Britain, France rearmed their troops and took over the South of Vietnam. Chinese troops invaded from the north and took over the other half of Vietnam. Vietnam was now divided into two sections and under control from two different nations.

To get rid of Chinese troops in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh agreed to allow French troops in Vietnam as long as France recognized Vietnam as an independent nation. This agreement worked, and the Chinese left. However, the French soon took over South Vietnam again and would not recognize this section of land as part of Vietnam.

Battle of la Drang - November 14th-18th, 1965

The Battle of la Drang was the first time that US troops directly engaged the People’s Army of Vietnam (Viet Cong). Like the battle of Ap Bac, this battle was also fought in the South of Vietnam, in la Drang valley. Viet Cong troops developed a new tactic during this battle. They tried to get as close to the US forces so that the Americans couldn’t use their advantages in air power and artillery.

Tet Offensive - January 30th - March 28th, 1968

The Tet offensive was a campaign by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese where they attacked towns and cities in South Vietnam. The attacks were a complete surprise to the American military and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. At first the attacks worked and many cities were held under Viet Cong and North Vietnamese control; however, the US and South Vietnamese soon recovered and took back the cities. The last city was taken back under South Vietnamese control two months after the initial attack. The Tet Offensive caused the US government to re-think their position in the war and begin looking for a way to end the war through negotiations.

Cities that were attacked are marked with a red dot.

Battle of Xuan Loc - April 9th - 20th, 1975

The battle of Xuan Loc was fought between the North Vietnamese and one division of South Vietnamese troops. This was the last major battle of the war, and while the South Vietnamese put up a valiant fight, they could not hold off the North Vietnamese.

Wounded soldiers are evacuated from Xuan Loc

Fall of Saigon - April 30th, 1975

Once Ho Chi Minh’s army had captured Xuan Loc, they had a relatively easy time making their way to Saigon as they already controlled the majority of South Vietnam. The morale of the South Vietnam troops was so low that most of them did not even attempt to fight. The US quickly finished evacuating it’s troops and the Viet Minh took over Saigon. The Vietnam War was over.

Refugees flee Saigon

Battle of Ap Bac - January 2nd, 1963

The Battle of Ap Bac was fought between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against the Viet Cong (The communist group in the South of Vietnam). The Battle took place near Saigon, the Capital of South Vietnam. This battle was significant because an advanced Army of the Republic of Vietnam was unable to defeat a much smaller number of Viet Cong guerilla fighters.

Battle of Ap Bac - January 2nd, 1963

The Battle of Ap Bac was fought between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (the Government that the Americans supported) against the Viet Cong (The communist group in the South of Vietnam). The Battle took place near Saigon, the Capital of South Vietnam. This battle was significant because an advanced Army of the Republic of Vietnam was unable to defeat a much smaller number of Viet Cong guerilla fighters.

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