This was an organization used by the Communist in later years to fight the US forces. Nov 11 – A failed coup attempt by the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) keeps President Ngo Dinh Diem in power.ĭec 20 – In an attempt to better fight the South Vietnam government and the US, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, aka the Viet Cong, was formed. Eisenhower gives his successor a warning regarding Vietnam and Laos. Kennedy is elected president of the United States. They hoped to escape the Viet Minh administration who was ruling the North.ĭec – Laos is invaded by the North Vietnamese. Sep – From 1954 through 1956, civilians from North Vietnam fled south. This led to the rise in opposition by the Viet Cong, a faction helped by North Vietnam communists. President Ngo Dinh Diem cancelled the elections to the dismay of Ho Chi Minh. July – Elections had been scheduled in the hopes of unifying North and South Vietnam. This was considered the official involvement by the United States. Nov 1 – US President Dwight Eisenhower sends the Military Assistance Advisory Group to help in the training of the South Vietnam Army. One of the consequences of the conference was the separation of North and South Vietnam from each other. May 7 – The French are defeated in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu by the Viet Minh which ended the involvement of the French in Vietnam.Īpr 26-Jul 20 – In an attempt to maintain peace in Indochina and to unify Korea, the US, UK, China, and the Soviet Union meet in what is known as the Geneva Conference. The planes flew over Dien Bien Phu in the northwest of Vietnam. Nov 20 – US General Douglas McArthur loans the French 12 Fairchild C119 airplanes to begin Operation Castor. President Truman indicated that their deployment was not as combatants, but to protect the equipment the US lent to the French. Sep – The Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) helps the French in the effort of defeating Viet Minh communist forces. Naval, Air Force, and Army attaches were assigned during the same time. This signaled the beginning of US involvement in Vietnam. May 1 – US President Harry Truman extends military assistance in the battle against the communists in Indochina. He was mistakenly shot and killed having been taken for a Frenchman by the Việt Minh. Sep 26 – The first American casualty in Vietnam was Lt. After Japan’s surrender in August of the same year, 1945, the ruling Japanese administration in Indochina give Hồ Chí Minh control of the country of Vietnam. On March of 1945, Japan successfully defeats the French authority ruling Indochina resulting in Vietnam becoming a puppet state. The reason may be due to the Communist leanings of Hồ Chí Minh. After the first World War, in an attempt to creating an independent Vietnam against the French and a nationalist government, Hồ Chí Minh petitions US President Woodrow Wilson for assistance, but is refused.