History 1847 - 1961

1863
April - Treaty between the French and Tu Duc is ratified.
French Admiral La Grandiere imposes protectorate on Cambodia.
1867
Cochin-China becomes a French colony.
1874
Franco-Vietnamese treaty confirms French sovereignty over Cochin-China.
1883
August - French attack Hue and a strong ground force moves on Hanoi. The French decree a "Treaty of Protectorate" on the Imperial Court.
1883
Kien Phuoc is succeeded by Ham Nghi who rules for one year and then takes refuge in the mountains.

Nam Nghi, Nguyen's 8th Emporer. After establishment of the french Protectorate in 1884. Brother Kien Phuc, who died after a brief reign in 1884, Ham Nghi rose to the throne at the age of 12. In July 1845 he fled the capital of Hue with Regent Ton That Thuyet to launch the Can Vuong resistance movement against the French occupation. Captured in November 1888, Ham nghi was sent to live out his life in exile in Algeria, and died there iin 1947.

 August 25 - Annam and Tonkin come under French rule.
1885-1889

Dong Khanh, Nguyen's 9th Emporer, selected by the French to rule because of his docility

French pick Emperor Dong Klanh to rule. Ham Nghi leads resistance against the French and then is captured and exiled to Algeria.
1887
The independent Vietnamese state ceases to exist with the establishment of the Indochinese Union.
French impose colonial rule and the Vietnamese maintain a strong desire for independence.
1889 

Thanh Thai, Nguyen's 190th emporer under French Protectorate. A son of Emporer Duc Duc, who reigned for only 3 days. He resented French domination and was deposed on suspsion of conspiracy in 1907. Exiled to the island of reunion, he was later returned to Vietnam

 Emperor Dong Klanh dies and is replaced by 10 yr old Thank Thai.
1890
May 19. Birth of Ho Chi Minh (Nguyen Tat Thanh) at Vinh. Ho Chi Minh was born, as Nguyễn Sinh Cung, in 1890 in Hoàng Trù Village (his mother's hometown). His original name was either Nguyen Sinh Cung or Nguyen Tat Thanh (sources vary) May 19, 1890, Hoang Tru, Vietnam, French Indochina
Died Sept. 2, 1969, Hanoi, Vietnam
 
NGUYEN SINH CUNG, also called NGUYEN TAT THANH, OR NGUYEN AI QUOC founder of the Indochina Communist Party (1930) and its successor, the Viet-Minh (1941), and president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). As the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement for nearly three decades, Ho was one of the prime movers of the post-World War II anticolonial movement in Asia and one of the most influential communist leaders of the 20th century.

1893
Laos is removed from Thai control and becomes a French Protectorate, joining Vietnam and Cambodia in the Indochinese Union.

1907
Thank Thai is deported to the Indian island of Reunion for plotting against the French. His succeeded by his son Emperor Duy Tan who is accused of treason. Duy Tan is also exiled to Reunion. The next Emperor Khai Dinh reigns until 1925.
1911
October. Ho Chi Minh departs for Europe.
1920
Ho Chi Minh assists in founding the French Communist Party.
1923
Ho Chi Minh visits Moscow for the first time.
1925

Emperor Bao Dai (son of Khai Dinh) reigns until 1945. The Marxist group, Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League founded in canton by Ho Chi Minh.
1926
Ho Chi Minh forms the Thanh Nien Cong San Doan(Communist Youth League).
1927
Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang is founded secretly by the Nationalist leaders.        
1930
February - Yen Bai uprising against the French. Communist Party of Indochina founded.
June 17 - Nationalist leader Nguyen Thai Hoc sentenced to death and guillotined along with 12 of his followers.

 Vietnam Revolutionary League is succeeded by the Vietnamese Communist Party . Communist uprisings are savagely repressed by the French.
1937
Japan invades Southern China.Chiang Kai-shek enters into an uneasy alliance with the Communists.
1939
September.World War Two begins.
World War II and the founding of the Vietnamese state.
1940
Franco-Japanese treaty. In a pact with the Japanese, the Vichy French appoint the Indochinese Government of Admiral Jean Decoux. Japanese occupy Vietnam.

1941
Ho Chi Minh returns to Vietnam and forms the League for the Independence of Vietnam which becomes known as the Viet Minh The Viet Minh resist Japanese occupation with the help of the United States and China.
ACTING SECRETARY OF STATE SUMNER WELLES' STATEMENT ON JAPANESE-FRENCH COLLABORATION IN INDOCHINA, July 24, 1941

AGREEMENT BETWEEN JAPAN AND FRANCE PLEDGING MILITARY CO-OPERATION IN DEFENSE OF INDO-CHINA, Tokyo, July 29, 1941

STATEMENT BY JAPANESE BOARD OF INFORMATION ON "REINFORCING JAPANESE FORCES IN INDO-CHINA," Tokyo, August 1, 1941

1942
The Chinese Nationalists set up the Vietnam Revolutionary League(Dong Minh Hoi) as an anti-communist movement. Ho Chi Minh imprisoned in China by the Nationalists. Ho convinces the Nationalists that he is a Nationalist first and a communist second, his efforts aimed at China's enemies, the Japanese. Ho is set free and given command of the Dong Minh Hoi. Ho returns to Vietnam and rejoins the Viet Minh under  Vo Nguyen Giap  . 

French repression continues
Roosevelt and Stalin Discuss the Future of French Rule in Indochina, Teheran Conference, November 28, 1943

1944
Franklin Roosevelt Memorandum to Cordell Hull on French Rule in Indochina, January 24, 1944
The Viet Minh is supported by the United States Office of Strategic Services(OSS and forerunner to the CIA) with arms and funds.

1945
Franklin Roosevelt on French Rule in Indochina, Press Conference, February 23, 1945
March 9 - Japanese overthrow the Vichy French Decoux Government. An "independent" Vietnam, with Emperor Bao Dai as nominal ruler, is proclaimed by Japanese occupation authorities.

Franklin Roosevelt Conversation with Charles Taussig on French Rule in Indochina, March 15, 1945 

March 1946
Agreements were signed between SAINTENY and HO CHI MINH in Hanoi. French troops landed in HAÏPHONG. LECLERC met with HO CHI MINH in Hanoi. Thierry D’ARGENLIEU met with HO CHI MINH at ALONG BAY.

April - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies.
April 30 - Major Archimedes Patti US Office of Strategic Services(OSS) . meets with Ho Chi Minh. Ho who shows his support for America and later asks Patti to take this message back to the American people., ".. . that the Vietnamese loved the Americans; ... tell the Americans that the Vietnamese would never fight the Americans". American arms and instructors support is increased to Ho and Giap.
August13 - Japan Surrenders.
September 2 - The Communist dominated Viet Minh Independence League with the support of United States officials seizes power: Ho Chi Minh establishes the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (GRDV) in Hanoi, north of the 16th parallel. General  Vo Nguyen Giap  recalls. " Red flags grew in numbers and splendor, fluttering in the wind and splashing the houses and streets like a festival for the oppressed". Ho Chi Minh writes several letters to US President Harry Truman requesting recognition, citing the Atlantic Charter and then the United Nations Charter on self-determination. He received no response. 
September 2, 1945
Ho Chi Minh reads Vietnam's Declaration of Independence and establishes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi. Vietnam is divided.
 Abdication of Bao Dai, Emperor of Annam, August 1945
 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VlET-NAM, (September 2, 1945)
The Pentagon Papers, Gravel Edition, Chapter 1, "Background to the Conflict, 1940-50"
Potsdam Conference - Chinese Nationalists accept surrender of Japanese Occupation Forces north of the 16th parallel.
The British are to accept surrender south of the line under

British Major General Douglas Gracey's 20th Indian Division, some 26,000 men in all.
British General Gracey arrives in Saigon(South Vietnam) which is in turmoil and releases 1400 French paratroopers who go on a rampage of looting and bashings.The defeated Japanese forces are re-armed to assist and restore order.The Viet Minh respond by calling a national strike and organize a guerrilla campaign against the French.
September 23 - French troops return to Vietnam and clash with Communist and Nationalist forces and seize power in the south, with British help.
September 24.

General Jacque Philippe Leclerc arrives in Siagon and Declares, " We have come to claim our inheritance". 
October. A purely bilateral British/French agreement recognizes French administration of the southern zone.
In the North 180,000 Chinese troops go on a "rampage". Ho's Viet Minh are hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with it. Ho Chi Minh accepts an Allied compromise for temporary return of 15,000 French troops to rid the North of anti-Communists. The Chinese troops of Chiang flee to Taiwan, looting as they depart.
Ho Chi Minh - "We want America's moral support. We ask for nothing else" "Why doesn't the United States gives us moral support". An OSS reports an extraordinary statement attributed to Ho Chi Minh. The OSS quoted Ho as saying,"although he formerly favored Communist ideals, he now realized that such ideals were impracticable for his country, and that his policy now was one of republican nationalism". It would be some 10,000 days later before the American public would learn of this.
November - Ho attempts a compromise with the French by dissolving the Indochinese Communist Party.
December - France provoke war with the DRV and re-install Bao Dai over a central government

1946
March 6 - France recognizes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a free state within the Indochinese Federation and French Union. French - Vietnam Agreement signed.
Agreement on the Independence of Vietnam, (MARCH, 1946)
June 1 - French High Commissioner for Indochina, Admiral d'Argenlieu, proclaims Cochinchina China an autonomous republic, in fact, a French puppet state.
July 6. Viet Minh and French meet in Paris for negotiations. Talks break down.
August 27. 

French President De Gaulle declares, " France is a great power. Without the overseas territories which she would be in danger of no longer being one". French policy was now clear.
October 15 - French forces attempt to reassert their authority in Haiphong and to prevent military supplies from reaching the Viet Minh.
November 20. Fighting breaks out between French and Viet Minh at Haiphong. The First Indochina War of 1946 - 1954, had begun.
November 23. French bombard Hiaphong and occupy it, killing 6,000 Vietnamese civilians. Ho appeals to the US for the last time .."to support independence".
December 19 -The Viet Minh under Giap initiate the eight-year Indochina War with an attack on French troops at Haiphong. The attack fails under superior French firepower but takes the French 7 days to clear Haiphong of the Communist forces.
December 20. The Voice of Vietnam radio proclaims Ho's call for the " National Resistance War".
Ho leads the Viet Minh to the mountains at Tan Trao to begin "the struggle".
Use of guerrilla warfare

1947
January. General Giap's Viet Minh forces join Ho at Tan Trao. From the northern border jungles of Lang Son and westward to Truong Son(later to be known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail) the Viet Minh charter bases and hideouts. 15,000 French troops hunt Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh leaders with no success . French begin punitive raids on villages supporting the Viet Minh. General Giap adopts a policy of avoiding all-out confrontation and conforms with Mao Tse-tung's key principal on warfare, "always maintain the initiative".
February 4. French opinion poll shows 36% favored force, 42% favored negotiations, 8% thought France should leave Indo-China altogether. 14% had no opinion.
1948
April - French induce former leader Emperor Bao Dai to come to Indochina to form and head a Vietnamese government. 

1949
March 8 - France recognizes an "independent" state of Vietnam. Bao Dai becomes its puppet leader in June.
June 1949: . . . the extension of Communist authority in China represents a grievous political defeat for us . . . If Southeast Asia is also swept by communism, we shall have suffered a major political rout the repercussions of which will be felt throughout the rest of the world, especially in the Middle East and in a then critically exposed Australia . . . the colonial-nationalist conflict provides a fertile field for subversive Communist movements, and it is now clear that Southeast Asia is the target for a coordinated offensive directed by the Kremlin. (NSC 48/1). --Pentagon Papers
July 19 - Laos is recognized as an independent state with ties to France.
November 8 - Cambodia is recognized as an independent state with ties to France.

1950
January - The newly-established People's Republic of China, followed by the Soviet Union, recognizes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh. With Communist Chinese supplies now assured, General Giap declares that the guerrilla phase is now over: the counter-offensive had begun.
February - Britain, United States and Australia recognize Bao Dai's Government in South Vietnam. France's request for US military aid is largely unheard.
27 February 1950: It is recognized that the threat of Communist aggression against Indochina is only one phase of anticipated Communist plans to seize all of Southeast Asia. . . . The neighboring countries of Thailand and Burma could be expected to fall under Communist domination if Indochina were controlled by a Communist-dominated government. The balance of Southeast Asia would then be in grave hazard. (Report by the National Security Council). --Pentagon Papers
UNITED STATES RECOGNITION OF VIET-NAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA: Statement by the Department of State, February 7, 1950
May. US military aid to the French begins.
EXTENSION OF MILITARY AND ECONOMIC AID: ECONOMIC AID PROGRAM: Note From the American Chargé d'Affaires at Saigon to the Chiefs of State of Viet-Nam, Laos, and Cambodia, May 24, 1950
June. Communist North Korean army crosses the 38th Parallel. The US announces a program of military aid for Indo-China. US military involvement in Indo-China had begun. America becomes concerned about the Sino/Soviet alliance.
Sir Percy Spender, Australian Minister for External Affairs

"Should the forces of communism prevail, and Vietnam come under the heel of Communist China, Malaya is in danger of being outflanked and it, together with Thailand and Indonesia, will become the next target for further Communist activities".
May 8 - US announces military and economic aid to the pro- French regimes of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. US aid was to jump from an initial $10 million to exceeding $1,000 million by 1954, 78% of the French war bill, even though all concerned conceded that the war could not be won.
Senator William Fullbright of the US Finance Committee stated, "....Vietnam was a side issue...we did it only to please the French".
Giap prematurely switches to a general offensive and sustains heavy losses, a set-back lasting two years.
September - October - General Giap launches his first major counter offensive against the French and overwhelms French forts in the far north. French losses in this period were 6,000 troops killed or captured. Equipment losses included more than 900 machine guns, 125 mortars, 13 heavy guns, 1,200 automatic rifles, 8,000 rifles and 450 trucks.
December - . French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny .is appointed High commissioner and Commander in Chief of Indochina. The French forces adopt an more offensive role with more use of air support.
22 - Napalm is used for the first time in Vietnam against Viet Minh forces at Tien Yen.

1951
January 14-15 .Two Viet Minh divisions attack a French force of 8,000 troops at Vinh Yen, 56 klms north west of Hanoi. Air support plays a major role. The Viet Minh under Giap retreat suffering heavy losses(Est 6,000 to 9,000 killed, 7,000 to 8,000 wounded with 600 captured).
United States Minutes of the First Meeting Between President Truman and French Prime Minister Pleven, Cabinet Room of the White House, January 28, 1951, 2:30-5 p.m.
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Policy Reports Staff (Barnes), January 29, 1951. 
United States Minutes of the Second Meeting Between President Truman and French  Prime Minister Pleven, Cabinet Room of the White House, January 30, 1951, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
31 January 1951: [Military assistance for Indochina is essential because] it is generally acknowledged that if Indochina were to fall under control of the Communists, Burma and Thailand would follow suit almost immediately. Thereafter, it would be difficult, if not impossible for Indonesia, India and the others to remain outside the Soviet-dominated Asian Bloc. --Dean Rusk
March . Giap confronts French forces at Mao Khe and is defeated mainly because of French artillery fire.
17 March 1951: General de Lattre is to be here in a few minutes (at 8:45) to see me reference his request for reinforcement for Indochina: the French have a knotty problem on that one--the campaign out there is a draining sore in their side. Yet if they quit and Indochina falls to Commies, it is easily possible that the entire Southeast Asia and Indonesia will go, soon to be followed by India. --Dwight D. Eisenhower
June - Giap confronts French forces at the Day River and is defeated again. French forces cut his supply line and Giap over extends his force and leaves himself without reserves. Giap's leadership is questioned by the Viet Minh leadership. A scapegoat in the form of Nguyen Binh is found and Giap and Ho continue to lead the Viet Minh. Giap restructures his command and tightens control over various functions.
October - Giap orders his 312th Division against the French position at Nghia Lo. French paratroopers reinforce the fort and Giap's forces retreat and scatter.
November.
US Senator John Fitzgerald. Kennedy

(future US President) visits Vietnam and declares, "in Indo-China we have allied ourselves to the desperate effort of the French regime to hang on to the remnants of an empire".
Dang Lao Dong Viet Nam is founded, succeeding the Indochinese Communist Party.
November 14 - French troops occupy Hoa Binh, a Viet Minh staging area, 80 klms west of Hanoi. The French over over extend their forces by setting up additional posts and Giap takes advantage and inflicts heavy casualties. Giap then withdraws and allows the French to retake their positions.

1952
January -

General de Lattre de Tassigny dies of cancer and is succeeded by

General Raoul Salan. Salan orders the withdrawal of French forces from posts along the Black River between Hoa Binh and Viet Tri and finally Viet Binh. Giap's forces continually ambush French forces during the retreat and destroy many elements of the French rearguard.
During the summer both sides settle down to re-group. The Viet Minh bring their divisions up to full strength and concentrate on training with new weapons supplied by China. The French prepare for an all-out offensive and receive some American supplies, small arms, tanks and aircraft.
13 February 1952: Communist domination of Southeast Asia, whether by means of overt invasion, subversion, or accommodation on the part of the indigenous governments, would be critical to United States security interests. . . . The fall of Southeast Asia would underline the apparent economic advantages to Japan of association with the Communist-dominated Asian sphere. . . . In the long run the loss of Southeast Asia, especially Malaya and Indonesia, could result in such economic and political pressures in Japan as to make it extremely difficult to prevent Japan's political accommodation to the Soviet Bloc. --NSC Staff Study
October - Giap's take the offensive and orders his troops to the delta area between the Black and Red Rivers, withdraws, then attacks Nghia Lo.
17- Giap's forces attack Nghia Lo several times and overrun the French position, followed by nearby posts. The Viet Minh then advance westward for a month and are forced to halt after over-extending their supply line.
29 - The French Operation "Lorraine" in the area around Nghia Lo aimed at drawing the Viet Minh into a full scale battle begins. It involves nearly 30,000 troops. With limited success the operation is then canceled.

1953
April - Communist forces mass for an invasion of Laos. Giap deploys his divisions with little encounter. Giap realizing that he cannot sustain his primitive supply line withdraws but the Viet Minh now have freedom of movement through a large part of northern Laos and could dominate the territory west of the Black River. Giap keeps the French forces tied down.
US Vice President Nixon arrives in Hanoi and tells the French, "It is impossible to lay down arms until victory is won".
May. French General Henri Navarre appointed as Commander in Chief and is sent by Premier Rene Mayer with orders to return in a month and report.

He reports ".... that there was no possibility of winning the war in Indo-China". Navarre returns to Vietnam with only ten battalions, far less than he had hoped for. Support for the war in France has waned and the French Communist Party foster anti-war sentiment. Navarre conducts "search and destroy" missions with some success.
July. The Korean Armistice is signed.
September : [An unidentified American official in Saigon said] A year ago none of us could see victory. There wasn't a prayer. Now we can see it clearly--like light at the end of a tunnel. --Time magazine
9 September : [Adm. Arthur Radford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an NSC meeting] that this was the first time that the political climate had actually improved to a point where military success could be achieved. With aggressive implementation of the Navarre Plan, Admiral Radford predicted that the war in Indochina could be reduced in scale to mere guerrilla operations in the course of a single season of fighting--certainly in two such seasons.
November 20. 800 French paratroopers parachute into Dien Bien Phu. and begin preparations for a fortified camp. They build two airstrips to link the base with Hanoi.
November 1953: I attended his [Gen. John O'Daniel's] briefing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which he opened by stating that he was "encouraged by the prospects of victory in Indochina in the next twelve to fifteen months.  --George Allen

1954
Beginning of 1954 - American aid to France's military campaign now totals $US1.1 Billion. Australia gives small amounts of military and economic aid. France has lost 74,000 troops with another 190,000 bogged down.
January - Operation "Atlante" begins. It is designed to clear the coastal areas of Viet Minh. The operation ends in failure in March.
16 January 1954: In the conflict in Indochina, the Communist and non-Communist worlds clearly confront one another on the field of battle. The loss of the struggle in Indochina, in addition to its impact in Southeast Asia and in South Asia, would therefore have the most serious repercussions on US and free world interests in Europe and elsewhere.-NSC 5404
21 January 1954: Admiral Radford . . . was inclined to feel that the press had exaggerated the emergency in French Indochina, and that things were not as bad as they were presented.
11 February 1954: [DCI Allen Dulles told the NSC meeting that] 

The surrounding force [of Viet Minh troops] which remained at Dien Bien Phu was now sufficiently reduced so that a frontal attack on the French strongpoint appeared unlikely
March . Navarre has a dozen battalions dug in around Dien Bien Phu including two groups of 75mm guns, 28 X105mm, four 155 guns, including mortars, and 10 light tanks. Six Grunman fighters armed with napalm are on alert on the airfield. Three main bastions form the defense of the larger airstrip, while the main stronghold included the village itself. Four smaller outposts formed the outer defense. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was about to begin. The French hope that Giap will hurl his army to destruction.
12 March 1954: Should Indochina be lost to the Communists and in the absence of immediate and effective counteraction on the part of the Western Powers which would of necessity be on a much greater scale than that which could be decisive in Indochina, the conquest of the remainder of Southeast Asia would inevitably follow. . . . Orientation of Japan toward the West is the keystone of United States policy in the Far East. In the judgment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the loss of Southeast Asia to Communism would, through economic and political pressures, drive Japan into an accommodation with the Communist Bloc. The communization of Japan would be the predictable result. --Adm.Arthur Radford, Chairman, Joint Chiefs 
3 April - The day the US "didn't go to war".(Supporting the French with air strikes at Dien Bien Phu.
6 April 1954: [President Eisenhower stated that] 

7 April 1954: In a press conference on April 7, 1954, Eisenhower . . . [applied] what might be called the falling domino principle; he compared Indochina to the first of a row of dominoes which is knocked over, making the fall of the last one a certainty. The fall of Indochina would lead to the fall of Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Indonesia. India would then be hemmed in by Communism and Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Formosa and Japan would all be gravely threatened.--Sherman Adams, President Eisenhower's Special Assistant.
8 April - Australian - R.G Casey
"The United States of America is on our side. It is on the side of democracy, decency and right, and the forces of darkness opposed to it are very apparent and very powerful. The world may have a showdown at any time between our form of life and the forces of darkness".
Austrailan - Sir Paul Hasluck - 

[The conflict in Indo-China is] "part of a world wide struggle... The French are defending liberty".
April . Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies states;
"If communist forces again come on the march and a great war ensues, the farther north the lines of defense are drawn, the better for those communities of Viet Nam, and Laos, and Cambodia, and Thailand, and Burma, and Malaya, and the Philippines, and Indonesia and all the rest of us who wish to retain control of our own future and govern ourselves in our own way".

May 8. Geneva conference on Indochina opens.
July 7 - , newly chosen Premier of South Vietnam, completes the organization of his cabinet. His regime proves to be oppressive and inhumane.
July 20-21 - The Geneva Agreements are signed, partitioning Vietnam along the 17th Parallel and setting up an International Control Commission to supervise compliance with the Agreements
American Response to The Geneva Declarations
AGREEMENT ON THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN VIET-NAM, JULY 20, 1954 (The Geneva Accords)
The Final Declaration of The Geneva Conference: On Restoring Peace in Indochina, July 21, 1954
Statement Issued by the White House, November 3, 1954
Letters from Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy to Diem, 1954 and 1961
August - Australian Prime Minister - Robert. G Menzies, in Parliament
"It is therefore foolish, superficial, and dangerous to speak of the conflict in the world as a contest between two economic systems, capitalism and communism. Nor can the cynics dispose of it as an old-fashioned struggle for military or physical power, with territory and resources as the prizes of victory. It is desperately important that the world should see this as a moral contest, a battle for the spirit of man. There can be no easy or enduring compromise between peoples who affirm the existence of a divine authority and the compulsion of a spiritual law and those others who see nothing beyond an atheistic materialism".
September 8 - An agreement is signed at Manila establishing aSouth East Asia Treaty Organization(SEATO), aimed at checking Communist expansion.
September 1954. The Australian Minister for Defence,Sir Philip Mc Bride, outlined the Australian government's fears upon which Australian foreign policy was predicated for the following twenty years.
"It is a matter of vital importance to maintain the gap between Australia and the present high-water mark of the southward flow of communism. Should this gap narrow, the nature and scale of attack on Australia would become intensified as distance shortened. Finally, should the tide of communism lap on our shores, we would face an intolerable defense burden and a scale of attack which would be beyond our capacity to repel alone. There is, therefore, every reason strategically and economically why Australia should co-operate to keep aggressive Communism within its present boundaries, and to stem its onward flow".
See The Domino Theory
October 5 - The last French troops leave Hanoi.
October 11 - The Viet Minh formally assume control over North Vietnam. 

October 23 -President Dwight D. Eisenhower advises Diem that the US will provide assistance directly to South Vietnam, instead of channeling it through French authorities.
US Entry into South Vietnam
President Dwight Eisenhower on the likely outcome of elections in Vietnam in 1955, Mandate for Change

1955
January 1. Direct US military aid to South Vietnam begins.
February 12. US advisers begin training South Vietnamese troops.
March 29 - Diem launches his successful campaign against the Binh Xuyen and the religious sects.

US Ambassador Collins advises Washington to consider a change of leadership. Bao Dai, from Paris accuses President Diem of "selling the blood of Vietnamese". Diem is advised by the CIA to conduct a plebiscite and let the people decide.
Diem is warned by the Lansdale(CIA) "not to rig the elections", "... I don't want to suddenly read that you have won by 99.99%"
June. Hanoi asks for formal talks to prepare for the international supervised elections scheduled for
October. Diem holds the plebiscite and wins by 98%. CIA knows the plebiscite was rigged. President Diem places family members in key positions.
Much later, Diem's last military Chief of Staff, General Tran Van Don was to say of Diem's Government, "They resorted to arbitrary arrests, confinement in concentration camps for undetermined periods of time without judicial guarantees or restraints, and assassinations of people suspected of Communist leanings. Their use of Gestapo-like police raids and torture were known and decried everywhere. Had they confined themselves to known Communists or proven Communist sympathizers, one could understand their methods. The repression, however, spread to people who simply opposed their regime, such as head or spokesmen of other political parties, and against individuals who were resisting extortion by some of the government officials".
April - Australian Prime Minister - R.G Menzies, Parliament
"...there is no country in the world more completely British than Australia, nor...more devoted to the throne and person of Her Majesty the Queen. We are a proud member of a Crown Commonwealth, and will ever continue to be so. But we would be strangely blind if we did not see that...the rise of the United States to supremacy in industrial power, her vast population, her intellectual and moral influence are all such that she has become...vital to the existence of the free world...[her]friendship and cooperation are vital to our safety".
May 10 - South Vietnam formally requests US instructors for Armed Forces.
May 16 - The United States agrees to furnish military aid to Cambodia, which becomes an independent state on 25 September.
July 20 - South Vietnam refuses to take part in the all-Vietnam elections called for by the Geneva Agreements, charging that free elections are impossible in the Communist North.
October 23 - A national referendum deposes Bao Dai in favor of Diem, who proclaims the Republic of Vietnam.

1956
February 18- While visiting Peking, Cambodia's Prince Norodom Sihanouk renounces SEATO protection for his nation.
March 31. Prince Souvanna Phouma becomes Prime Minister in Laos.
April 28 - An American Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) takes over the training of South Vietnamese forces.  The French Military High Command disbands and French troops leave South Vietnam.
June. Le Duan, "Duong Loi Cach Mang Mien Nam," [The Path of Revolution in the South], circa 1956
UNITED STATES POLICY WITH RESPECT TO VIETNAM: Address by the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, Walter S. Robertson, Washington, June 1, 1956. Delivered to the American Friends of Vietnam at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC.
August 5 - Souvanna Phouma and the Communist Prince Souphanouvong agree to a coalition government in Laos.

1957
January 3 - The International Control Commission declares that neither North Vietnam nor South Vietnam has carried out the Geneva Agreements.
March. Australia announces a new defense policy providing for closer co-operation with America in South East Asia. Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies states, " Though this is a wholeheartedly British nation this is not a hearsay. It merely recognizes the facts of war".
May 29- Communist Pathet Lao attempt to seize power in Laos.
June. The last French training missions leave South Vietnam.
September - SVN President Ngo Dinh Diem visits Australia and the Government reaffirms support for Diem. Diem is successful in South Vietnamese general election.

1958
January - Communist guerrillas attack a plantation north of Saigon.
March7. President Diem receives a letter from North Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, proposing a discussion on troop reductions and trade relations as a renewed step towards reunification.
April 26. President Diem rejects any discussion until North Vietnam has established "democratic liberties" similar to those in the South.
President Sukarno of Indonesia survives a CIA backed rebellion. This disturbs the Australian Government who now believe they are becoming increasingly isolated.

1959
In 1959 North Vietnam initiated a long-term campaign aimed at destroying the government of South Vietnam through political subversion and armed action. The goal was to unify Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. To achieve this end, the North Vietnamese directed Communists in the South to spark unrest, infiltrated guerrilla reinforcements, and began preparing a logistical line of communication, soon labeled the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through neighboring Laos. To ease the threat to this supply system, the North Vietnamese exacerbated existing political tensions in Laos. They supported with troops and supplies the indigenous Pathet Lao Communists, who were attempting to overthrow the pro-Western Royal Laotian Government.
A specialized North Vietnamese Army unit, Group 559, is formed to create a supply route from North Vietnam to Vietcong forces in South Vietnam. With the approval of Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia, Group 559 develops a primitive route along the Vietnamese/Cambodian border, with offshoots into Vietnam along its entire length.

This eventually becomes known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail During 1959 several detachments from naval mobile construction battalions (NMCB), known as Seabees, improved strategically important roads and the country's main airfield, Wattay, at the capital of Vientiane.

April - A branch of the Lao Dong (Worker's Party of Vietnam), of which Ho Chi Minh became Secretary-General in 1956, is formed in the South, and Communist underground activity increases.

THE IMPORTANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF THE SECURITY AND PROGRESS OF VIET-NAM 

Address by President Eisenhower, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1959 (Excerpt)
May - The US Commander in Chief, Pacific, begins sending the military advisers requested by the South Vietnamese government.
May 6 - President Diem SVN passes oppressive laws on his countrymen.
June-July - Communist Pathet Lao forces attempt to gain control over northern Laos, receiving some Vietnamese Communist assistance.
July 8 - Communist South Vietnamese wound American advisers during an attack on Bien Hoa.
During September 1959, in the autumn of 1960, and again in January 1961, the Seventh Fleet deployed multiship carrier task forces into the South China Sea as a deterrent to further Communist guerrilla attacks on pro-American forces in Laos and as reassurance to friendly governments of U.S. resolve to stand by them.
December 31 - General Phoumir Nosavan seizes control in Laos.
Between 1959 and 1964, poor leadership constituted the greatest hindrance to an effective Vietnamese Navy. Political intrigue, cultural differences, and seemingly petty personal disputes troubled the officer corps. Because of the navy's short existence, senior officers were relatively young and inexperienced. Its small size in comparison with the Vietnamese Army and the consequent domination by the ground force stifled the naval command's initiative. In the enlisted ranks, lack of motivation, low pay, austere living conditions, and inadequate training for navy life caused some to desert. Poor maintenance of obsolete World War II-vintage ships and craft and the inefficient repair and supply systems reflected a lack of modern technological heritage in South Vietnam. All of these factors resulted in the mediocre operational performance of the naval service. Many of the problems identified by Rear Admiral Henry S. Persons during his inspection of the Vietnamese Navy in November 1961 for the Commander in Chief, Pacific remained when Captain Phillip S. Bucklew made a similar visit in early 1964. Indeed, the disruption in the officer corps caused by the coup d'etat against President Diem in November 1963 and the Communist exploitation of the subsequent political and military chaos in South Vietnam even lessened the Vietnamese Navy's ability to carry out its mission at the end of 1964.
The Era of Growing Conflict, 1959 - 1965

1960
Recognizing that the sea was a likely avenue of approach for Communists infiltrating from North Vietnam or moving along the South Vietnamese littoral, in April 1960 the navy established the paramilitary Coastal Force. In line with its emphasis on counterinsurgency warfare, the Kennedy administration wholeheartedly endorsed the development of this junk fleet, providing the force with American naval advisors, boat design and construction funds, and stocks of small arms. By the end of 1964, the 3,800-man, 600-junk force patroled the offshore waters from 28 bases along the coast. To coordinate the operations of these 28 separate divisions, U.S. advisors helped set up coastal surveillance centers in Danang, Cam Ranh, Vung Tau, and An Thoi, the respective headquarters of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Coastal Districts.
May 5 - US MAAG strength is increased from 327 to 6850 members.
June and July , Men of US Naval Beach Group 1 and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 12 pushed 430 miles up the unpredictable, rapid-strewn Mekong River to deliver ten landing craft to the Laotian armed forces.
August
5 - Captain Kong Le's paratroopers sieze Vietiane, the administrative captial of Laos.
9 - Kong Le acussing the United States of colonialism and urges restoration of a neutral Laos under Prince Souvanna Phouma . This is opposed by Phoumi Nosavan and Boun Oum supported by the United States and Thailand.
August - Malayan Emergency ends.
12 October 1960: If ever there was a war where we would have been engaged in a hopeless struggle without allies, for an unpopular colonialist cause, it was the 1954 war in Indochina. --John F. Kennedy

October 1960 - The US Navy formed the River Transport Escort Group as protection for the vital foodstuffs being convoyed through the Mekong Delta to Saigon. Later in the period, the navy created the River Transport Group to move army forces in the delta.
November 11-1 2 - In South Vietnam a military coup against Diem fails.
December 16 - The forces of Phoumi Nosavan capture Vientiane and Kong Le flees to north-central Laos and links up with the communist Pathet Lao, who are supported by the Soviet Union. The United States increases aid to Phoumi Nosavan. US Special Forces train the Royal Army and the North Vietnamese match this by sending Viet Cong cadre to Pathet Lao units.
December 20 - The Communist National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam is formed.
Temporarily deployed American mobile training teams complemented the advisory effort. These small detachments accomplished such specialized tasks as helping to develop a full-fledged intelligence department on the Vietnamese Naval Staff, reactivating an old French boat repair yard adjacent to the Saigon Naval Shipyard, and teaching courses in radar technology. In addition, the mobile training teams instructed Vietnamese Air Force mechanics in the maintenance of 63 Douglas A-1H Skyraiders and 

(Left) A-1 Skyraider (right)T-28 Trojan

15 North American T-28 Trojan aircraft that were transferred to the allied air service from 1960 to 1964. Also during this period, many Vietnamese naval personnel received training at U.S. facilities in the United States, including the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Other Vietnamese sailors served short tours in Seventh Fleet ships or benefited from combined antisubmarine warfare exercises with U.S. submarines Bluegill (SS 242), Queenfish (SS 393), and Capitaine (AGSS 336).

1961
In the spring of 1961 their offensive appeared on the verge of overwhelming the pro- American Royal Laotian Army. Once again the fleet sortied into Southeast Asian waters. By the end of April most of the Seventh fleet was deployed off the Indochinese Peninsula preparing to initiate operations into Laos. The force consisted of Coral Sea (CVA 43) and Midway (CVA 41) carrier battle groups, antisubmarine support carrier Kearsarge (CVS 33), one helicopter carrier, three groups of amphibious ships, two submarines, and three Marine battalion landing teams. At the same time, shorebased air patrol squadrons and another three Marine battalion landing teams stood ready in Okinawa and the Philippines to support the afloat force. Although the administration of President John F. Kennedy already had decided against American intervention to rescue the Laotian government, Communist forces halted their advance and agreed to negotiations. The contending Laotian factions concluded a cease-fire on 8 May 1961, but it lasted only a year.

January 4 - Prince Boun Oum organizes a pro-Western government in Laos; North Vietnam and the USSR send aid to the Pathet Lao communist insurgents.
19 January 1961: President Eisenhower opened the discussion on Laos by stating that the United States was determined to preserve the independence of Laos. It was his opinion that if Laos should fall to the Communists, then it would be just a question of time until South Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma would collapse. He felt that the Communists had designs on all of Southeast Asia, and that it would be a tragedy to permit Laos to fall. --Memorandum of Conversation, Eisenhower-Kennedy meeting on Laos.
19 January 1961: As I listened to him [Eisenhower] in the Cabinet Room that January morning, I recalled that it was President Eisenhower who had acquainted the public with the phrase "domino theory" by using it to describe how one country after another could be expected to fall under Communist control once the process started in Southeast Asia. --Clark Clifford.
January 20. John Fitzgerald Kennedy  takes the office of President of the United States of America.
National Security Momorandum # 2, Development of Counter Guerilla Forces, 1 Feburary 1961
National Security Memorandum # 12, Forces in Vietnam, 6 February 1961
April 9. President Diem is re-elected as President of South Vietnam.
US Ambassador Frederick Nolting reveals that Diem, "did not want combat troops in Vietnam".

April 10 - First defoliation test mission is flown in Vietnam 

(left ) The first defoliation missions flown in Vietnam (right) The defoliation of a canal and secondary road

Exercise Pony Express, conducted on the northern coast of Borneo by 60 ships and 26,000 personnel from SEATO member states between late April and early May 1961, prominently displayed U.S. naval power and allied military solidarity. Throughout this period, the Navy took other steps to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to friendly governments. Heavy cruisers Toledo (CA 133) in October 1959 and Saint Paul (CA 73), the flagship of Commander Seventh Fleet, in October 1960 visited Saigon to participate in Vietnamese Independence Day celebrations

Ocean Minesweepers (left) Leader (MSO 490) (right) Excel (MSO 439)