Vietnam War Test Notes

Background and events

When was Vietnam colonised and who by? 

The French captured Saigon in 1859 and colonized the country.

Who organised the resistance?

Emperor Ham Nghi in 1885 but in 1888 he was captured and exiled.

When did the French establish organised colonial government in Indochina?

In 1857

When did the Indochinese Communist party set up major uprisings in the North and Central Vietnam?

In 1930

What occurred during World War Two in Vietnam?

In 1940 Japan invaded Vietnam and occupied the country. The Japanese reach an agreement with the French that while they maintain overall control of the country, the French administration remains in charge of the day to day running of the country.

In 1941 the Viet Minh were established under Communist leadership. As it became apparent that Japan was losing the war, this group fought the French in order to take control of Vietnam.

In 1945 Japanese surrender, and the Viet Minh (Indochinese Communist party) sets up an independent Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh.

What occurred during the first Indochina war?

In 1946 the Franco-Vietnam war began, and in 1954 the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu.

What occurred During the second Indochina war? 

At the Geneva Convention, it was decided that Vietnam would be divided along the 17th parallel. The North would then go to the Communist’s led by Ho Chi Minh, while the South would go to the Capitalist’s led by Diem.

In 1956 the reunification election did not occur and Diem began rounding up the Viet Minh.

In 1960 the Vietcong formed, to liberate south Vietnam. From this point till 1963, revolutions in the South occur and by 1961 the Vietcong claim to be in control of the countryside.

Diem is overthrown and assassinated in 1963 - the same year as JFK.

What occurred during the US intervention?

In order to become involved in Vietnam, Johnson wanted to end the Communist influence there and he wished to commit large numbers of troops to the conflict. However, to do this he would have to prove to Congress that the National Liberation Front (NFL) and the North Vietnamese were acting provocatively toward the US. This provocation came when North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the destroyer Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. This was in 1964; then in 1965: There was a NFL attack on US military base at Pleiku, in South Vietnam. Although it was later proven that the events did not unfold as the US claimed, the hype surrounding the incident enabled Johnson to gain approval from congress and in late 1964 bombing began of North Vietnam. This bombing continued daily between 1965 – 1968. After the Pleiku incident, Johnson began a massive military build-up in South Vietnam.

When the US landed in 1964, the intention was to prevent the spread of Communism. From the years 1965-1968 massive bombing of Vietnam began, as well as massive destruction of the South Vietnamese countryside.

In 1969 Ho Chi Minh died of natural causes, and in 1970 the US invaded Cambodia. By 1973, there is the Paris peace agreement and the last US combat soldiers leave Vietnam. By 1975 the North Vietnamese have control of Laos and Cambodia, and enter Saigon.