Vietnam’s Chronology

206 BC - Kingdom of Nam Viet

111 BC - Nam Viet organized into Chinese provinces by the Han dynasty

939 AD - Establishment of first independent state

1075-1077 AD - A national army defends the land against a Song (Sung) dynasty invasion

1258 AD - First Mongol invasion; the capital is sacked.

1258 AD - Second Mongol invasion driven back

1287-1288 AD - Third Mongol invasion defeated

1407 AD - Ming dynasty armies occupy Vietnam

1428 AD - Expulsion of the Chinese; establishment of Le dynasty

Late 16th Century - Portuguese trade routes include Vietnam

1614 AD - Jesuits in Vietnam

1614-1682 AD - Portuguese, Dutch, French rivalry in Southeast Asia, involving Vietnam

1787 AD - Southern Vietnamese (Nguyen) sign a treaty with France; never implemented

1789 AD - Vietnamese victory over Qing (Ch'ing) dynasty forces

1804 AD - Emperor Gia Long names his land Vietnam

1847 AD - French Bombardment of Da Nang

1858 AD - French seize Da Nang

1859 - French capture Saigon

1862 - Treaty of Saigon cedes three southern provinces

1874 - Tu Duc signs Treaty of Saigon, recognizing French sovereignty over all of Cochin China

1884 - Treaty of Hue confirms French protectorate over Annan-Tonkin

1885 - Battle of Hue: Emperor Ham Nghi leads resistance

1888 - Ham Nghi captured and exiled to Algeria

1897 - French governor-general Paul Doumer's reorganization and centralization of the colony

1904 - Phan Boi Chau founds Reformation Society

1908 - Uprising in Hanoi; massive anti-tax revolt in Annam

1916 - Rebellion in Cochin China and Annam

1925 - Phan Boi Chau tried in Hanoi

1930 - Major uprisings in Tonkin-Annam

1940 - Fall of France to Germany; Japanese landing in Indochina

1945 - Japanese coup; return of French

1946 - Start of first war of independence

1949 - Chinese Communist Party victory in China

1954 - Defeat of French at Dien Bien Phu; Geneva Conference

1954 - Defeat of French at Dien Bien Phu; Geneva Accords

1956 - Proposed elections not held

1960 - NLF formed in south

1961 - Johnson to Saigon

1963 - Death of Diem

1964 - Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• February- Bombing of North Vietnam begins
• March- Marines land at Da Nang
• July- Increased draft calls

1966

• June- Extensive bombing raids near Hanoi

• September- Thieu/Ky elected
• November- McNamara (secretly) recommends termination of the bombing of North Vietnam

1968

• January- Beginning of the siege of Khe Sanh; beginning of the Tet offensive
• February- General Westmoreland requests 206,000 more troops
• March-Westmoreland leaves Vietnam
• March 31- Partial bombing halt declared; LBJ announces he will not run again
• April- Preliminary peace talks agreed to
• October- Full bombing halt; Paris talks begin

• Tet offensive
• General Westmoreland requests an additional 206,000 troops over current 535,000; request refused
• President Johnson announces limited bombing halt in March over Northern Vietnam (coincides with Johnson's decision not to run for president)
• U.S./D.R.V. agree to meet in Paris for peace talks
• My Lai massacre by U.S. troops
• President Johnson announces another bombing halt over Northern Vietnam (October)
• Richard Nixon elected President

1969

• President Nixon claims "precipitate withdrawal" would be disaster
• Provisional Revolutionary Government formed in southern Vietnam
• Ho Chi Minh dies (September)

1970

• Prince Norordom Sihanouk deposed in Cambodia (Kampuchea)
• President Nixon announces U.S. invasion of Cambodia
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution repealed
• Cooper-Church Amendment in U.S. Congress limits presidential action in Cambodia

1971

South Vietnamese forces invade Laos
President Nixon announces residual force of U.S. troops will stay in Vietnam

1972

National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger announces "peace is at hand"
"Christmas bombing" of Hanoi and Hai Phong, hitting numerous civilian targets

1973

U.S./D.R.V. talks end
Last U.S. combat soldiers leave Vietnam