Where is Vietnam?

War Between France & Vietnam France ruled Vietnam as a colony. They called it Indochina. This lasted about 100 years. The Vietnamese fought against France for their freedom. They beat France in July 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

The Geneva Peace Accords Signed by France and Vietnam Temporary separation at the 17th parallel National elections in 1956 to reunify the country

The North Leader = Ho Chi Minh Communist Supported by China Headquarters in Hanoi

The South Leader = Ngo Dinh Diem Supported by USA Anti-Communist Headquarters in Saigon

South Vietnam Under Diem Ngo Dinh Diem felt his new gov. was under attack by communists. We sent CIA agents to help. Diem’s gov. arrest thousands of “suspect” people. The arrested were given no right to a trial.

Opposition to Diem Ngo Dinh Diem government was harsh and oppressive. Buddhist monks were the most extreme in their protests against Diem.

Opposition to Diem Communist supporters in the South formed the National Liberation Front (NLF). Anyone could join as long as they opposed Ngo Dinh Diem and wanted to unify Vietnam. They were later fight against American forces. Nickname = Viet Cong

Vietcong were South Vietnamese guerrillas who were backed by the North and fought against the South’s government

National Liberation Front (NLF) Successes Diem’s attacks against the Viet Cong only further alienated the peasants and produced more support for the NLF. By 1963, Diem’s gov was on the verge of collapse.

Military Coup September 1963, even the US stopped supporting Diem’s gov. That same month, Diem’s generals organized a Coup! They captured and killed Diem.

Escalation of the Conflict Kennedy is assassinated Lyndon Baines Johnson becomes president The US had 16,000 military advisers in Vietnam With continuing problems in Saigon, Johnson believed that more aggressive action was needed.