Vietnam War Timeline: 1945 - 1975

• 1945
  The end of WWII and the declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
• 1946
  The outbreak of war in Indochina
• 1947 - 1949
  The return of Bao Dai, the unification of Vietnam and the Communist's victory in China
• 1950
  The introduction of U.S. military aid to Indochina, the start of the Korean War and attacks on French forts along Chinese border
• 1951 - 1952
  Red River Delta battles and the death of General de Lattre de Tassigny
• 1953
  The Navarre Plan and the occupation of Dien Bien Phu
• 1954
  The fall of Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva agreement and Ngo Dinh Diem's rise to Prime Minister
• 1955
  The U.S. training mission and the dethronement of Bao Dai
• 1956 - 1957
  The introduction of TERM and the attempt to assassinate Diem
• 1958 - 1960
  The construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the increase in MAAG advisors and the failed coup d’état against Diem
• 1961 - 1962
  Kennedy's decision to substantially increase material and advisory support to South Vietnam, the Declaration on the Neutrality of Laos and the Cuban missile crisis
• 1963 - 1964
  Coup d’état against Diem and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• 1965
  Rolling Thunder, U.S. troop buildup and the battle of the Ia Drang Valley
• 1966
  Bombing of North Vietnam intensifies
• 1967
  Construction of the McNamara Line
• 1968
  The Tet offensive and the siege of Khe Sanh
• 1969 - 1970
  The death of Ho Chi Minh, the raid on Son Tay and the first U.S. troops withdrawals
• 1971 - 1972
  The acceleration of troop withdrawals, the Easter Offensive, peace talks and the Christmas Bombing
• 1973 - 1975
  The Paris Peace Pact and the fall of Saigon
• Casualties
  Number of military casualties in the 1st and 2nd Indochina wars