1960

Vietcong Formed (National Liberation Front for South Vietnam)

1961

Vice President Johnson Tours Saigon

1962

Operation Chopper: America's first combat missions against the Vietcong.
Operation Ranchhand: Objective to clear vegetation making it difficult for the Vietcong to ambush. US Military then Employs Agent Orange to expose roads and trails used by Vietcong forces

1963

Battle of Ap Bac where the Vietcong defeat the South Vietnamese Army
President Kennedy Assassinated in Dallas and Lyndon B Johnson takes over the Presidency

Buddhist monks start setting themselves on fire in public places tp protest
against the Diem government policy of removing Buddhists from key government
positions and replacing them with Catholics.

Diem and his brother are murdered. The Diem regime is overthrown

1964

General Nguyen Khanh Seizes Power in Saigon
3 North Vietnamese PT boats allegedly fire torpedoes at the USS Maddox named the Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident Congress authorizes President Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." The US wages total war against North Vietnam

1965

Over 200,000 US troops are sent to Vietnam

February: Bombing raids on North Vietnam commence referred to as 'Operation Rolling Thunder'. The air raids continue for three years

9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrive in Vietnam

Battle of Ia Drang Valley

Students at American Universities start to strongly protest against the US policy in Vietnam

1966

B-52s Bomb North Vietnam
President Johnson meets with South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky and his military advisors in Honolulu

American protests against the US policy in Vietnam continue and students are joined by veterans in Anti-War Rallies

1967

Operation Cedar Falls
The Iron Triangle of Vietcong tunnels is discovered

American protests against the US policy in Vietnam continue and Martin Luther King and others call for draft evasion

The US Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara admits that the US bombing raids had failed to meet their objectives

1968

The Tet Offensive: The Vietcong scores a psychological victory

Battle for Hue: Mass graves found

My Lai village Massacre by US troops

Peace Talks take place in Paris between the North Vietnamese and the Americans

President Johnson does not run for the presidency and Richard Nixon Elected President of the USA

1969

Operation Breakfast: Nixon authorises the covert bombing of Cambodia in an attempt to destroy supply routes

Melvin Laird the US Secretary of Defense discusses a diminishing role for the US military in Vietnam

The death of Ho Chi Minh

The news coverage of the massacre of the My Lai village by US troops shocks America leading to numerous Antiwar Demonstrations

1970

April : President Nixon extends Vietnam War to Cambodia

Tragedy at Ohio: National Guardsmen open fire on protesting students at Kent State University

1971

Publication of the Pentagon Papers

1972

Pressure on Nixon increases to end the involvement of the US in Vietnam and secret peace talks are initiated. US forces apply pressure on North Vietnam by heavy bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong
Henry Kissinger is optimistic about the peace talks despite Vietnam opposition

1973

A cease-fire agreement is signed in Paris

The end of the Draft is publicised

All remaining US troops leave Vietnam

Henry Kissinger wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Vietnam War Timeline Timeline

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