The Vietnam War actually started right after World War II, but American involvement did not start until much later. On December 19, 1946 Ho Chi Minh, who recognized the Indochinese Communist party and was also the president of Vietnam, declared war on France.
The French fought the Viet Minh, officially Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh (League of Independence of Vietnam), from 1946 – 54 until fall of the French at the bloody battle at Dien Bien Phu.The reason North Vietnam was fighting the French was to break away from colonial rule, which went back over a hundred years before.
The Vietnam War that was fought between 1946 – 54 is now commonly known as the “First Vietnam War”. Many of the mistakes made by the French in that war would be made again by the American forces in the years to come.
In 1954, the French surrendered to the Communists, so the Geneva Conference was held and Vietnam was formally separated into North and South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh was the president of the Communists North and Ngo Dinh Diem became president of the non-Communist South.
On January 1, 1955 the United States started to aid Ngo Dinh Diem’s South Vietnam government after already helping out the French with military equipment. Unites States aid to France and to non—Communists South Vietnam was based on a cold War policy of President Harry S. Truman.
When the North Vietnam patrol boats attacked the U.S warships, the Maddox and the Turner Joy, in the Gulf of Tonkin, Lyndon B. Johnson ordered first U.S air strikes on North Vietnam, on August 4, 1964.
The first American combat troops were sent to Vietnam in 1965. It is important to remember that the Vietnam Conflict was not declared a war.
On January 31, 1968, the oriental New Year (Tet), the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong (VC) led a surprise attack throughout South Vietnam. They strategically attacked most major cities, including U.S Embassy, Saigon, once thought to be the safest place in Vietnam. This action known as Tet Offensive.
Although the American won all of these (Tet) battles military, it ultimately helped the North Vietnam win the war. It changes the American opinion about the war because after Tet Offensive, that it could drag on much longer.
United States and Vietnam War
