1939 Start of WWII

1940 Japanese pre-eminence in Indochina recognized by the French

August 24, 1945 Bao Dai, the last king of Viet Nam, was abdicated.

August 1945 Japan surrendered

September 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Viet Nam's independence

1946-1954 First Indochina War against the French

May 7, 1954 French surrendered at Dien Bien Phu

July 21, 1954 Geneva Agreements adoptedViet Nam divided at seventeenth parallelNgo Dinh Diem was appointed premier of South Viet Nam

January 1, 1955 U.S. aid to south Viet Nam started arriving

October 26, 1955 Diem established Republic of Viet Nam with him as president

November 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem overthrowned and killed

February 1965 U.S. begins bombing

January 30-31, 1968 Tet offensive launched against US and South Viet Nam

September 3, 1969 Dead of Ho Chi Minh

January 27, 1973 Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam signed in Paris

March 9, 1975 People's Army of Viet Nam (PAVN) offensive in the south begins

April 30, 1975 Saigon surrenders

July 2, 1976 Socialist Republic of Viet Nam formed with unification of North and South

September 20, 1977 Viet Nam admitted to United Nations

July 3, 1978 China stops giving aid to Viet Nam

December 21, 1978 PAVN forces invaded Cambodia

January 7, 1979 Cambodian government is overthrown

February 17, 1979 China invaded Viet Nam

March 5, 1979 Chinese troops withdraw from Viet Nam

1985 Famine spread in Viet Nam due to failed farm collectivization program

December, 1986 Doi moi launched by Communist Party

September, 1989 Almost all Vietnamese troops were out of Cambodia

1993 US no longer opposes foreign aid to Viet Nam

February 3, 1994 US lifts trade embargo on Viet Nam

July 11, 1995 US renews full diplomatic ties with Viet Nam