Vietnam Notes

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Notes on Vietnam

Vietnam- dates of main events

  • 1951- Eisenhower becomes president
  • 1954- The French are defeated at Diem Bien Phu
  • 1959- Ho Chi Minh trail created
  • 1960- Vietcong formed
  • 1961- Eisenhower no longer president and is replaced by JFK
  • 1962- America's first combat mission against the Vietcong
  • 1963- Johnson becomes president/ Monks (such as Quang Duc) started protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government, led by Ngo Dinh Diem / Ngo Dinh Diem is assasinated / Kennedy was assasinated.
  •  1964- The Gulf of Tonkin incident/ Congress authorises LBJ to take all mean necessary to prevent further aggression/ US wages war on North Vietnam.
  • 1965- Over 200,000 US troops are sent to Vietnam/ 'Operation Rolling Thunder' commences / Thieu becomes president of South Vietnam.
  • 1965 to 1973- US dropped napalm
  • 1966- American B-52 heavy bombers strike North Vietnam.
  • 1967- The US secretary of defense ,Robert McNamara, admits that the US bombing raids had failed to meet their objectives.
  • 1968- The tet offense/ My Lai 
  • 1969- News of My Lai is published/ Richard Nixon becomes president
  • 1970- Nixon extends the war to cambodia to prevent to domino effect / Kent State shootings.
  • 1972- US forces apply pressure on North Vietnam to make an agreement by bombing 
  • 1973- A ceasefire is signed / US conscription ends / All remaining troops leave Vietnam
  • 1975- North Vietnamese troops invade South Vietnam and take control / South Vietnam surrenders.

Key Terms

  • 17th parallel- The border between North and South Vietnam. This was agreed to take place in 1954 and was decided after Diem Bien Phu
  • Diem Bien Phu- A battle in 1954 between Vietnam and France. Vietnam won.
  • Viet Minh- The unofficial army that fought against France. Later became the Viet Cong
  • Ngo Dinh Diem- The leader of South Vietnam. Was considered an "American puppet". Was a corrupt, capitalist, Catholic in a Buddhist country.
  • Hue- A place in South Vietnam which was considered an ancient city.
  • Mao Zedong- The leader of China, was a communist. Supports Ho Chi Minh when he goes against the French and was the first person to do guerilla warfare.
  • Saigon- A place in South Vietnam
  • Ho Chi Minh- Is a buddhist leader of North Vietnam. Was a communist. He was protesting against Ngo Dinh Diem and was liked.
  • Hanoi- A place in North Vietnam. It is also the capital of the North.
  • Da Nang- A place in South Vietnam where the first American troops (sent by LB Johnson in 1965) landed.
  • Quang Duc- A buddhist priest who set himself on fire in protest against the attacks on buddhist shrines (due to Ngo Dinh Diem).
  • Viet cong- Were called the Viet Minh. Were the unofficial army fighting against the Americans.

Beginning of Vietnam

  • In 1954, the treaty of Geneva seperated Indo-China into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. It was also agreed that in 1956 there would be an election held to debate whether they should unify the two parts of Vietnam. The South Vietnam leader (Ngo Dinh

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