| 111 BC |
China conquered the
northern part of present-day Vietnam. Over the next several centuries
Vietnamese culture was strongly influenced by that of China. |
| AD 39 |
The Trung Sisters
successfully revolted against Chinese rule, holding power until China
reconquered the region four years later. |
| 939 |
Ngo Quyen expelled the
Chinese and founded the Ngo dynasty. A period of civil strife ensued
after Ngo's death in 944. |
| 1009-1225 |
Vietnamese art and
culture thrived during the Ly dynasty. |
| 1407-1428 |
China seized control of
northern Vietnam, but resistance forces led by Le Loi drove the Chinese
from the country. Le established the Le dynasty, which ruled the state,
known as Dai Viet, for more than 300 years. |
| 1471 |
Dai Viet conquered the
southern kingdom of Champa. |
| 1773 |
The Tay Son armies began
to seize control of much of southern Dai Viet, which had been controlled
by the Nguyen lords. |
| 1802 |
Nguyen Anh defeated the
Tay Son armies and united the northern and southern parts of the
country, which he renamed Vietnam. |
| 1861 |
French attacks on Vietnam
prompted the emperor to cede a section of southern Vietnam, called
Cochin China, to France. |
| 1880s |
France resumed its
attacks on Vietnam. The entire region, along with Laos and Cambodia,
came under French colonial rule. |
| 1893 |
France incorporated all
its territory in Southeast Asia into the Indochinese Union, or French
Indochina. |
| 1930 |
Ho Chi Minh established
the Indochinese Communist Party to fight for independence from French
colonial rule. |
| 1940 |
During World War II,
Japan assumed effective control of French Indochina. |
| 1941 |
Ho Chi Minh and other
Communists established the Viet Minh nationalist organization to fight
for Vietnamese independence. |
| 1945 |
After World War II ended,
the Viet Minh seized control of Vietnam in the August Revolution. |
| 1946 |
French forces attempted
to recapture Vietnam, initiating the First Indochina War. |
| 1954 |
The Viet Minh defeated
the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Vietnam was temporarily
divided into two zones, with Ho Chi Minh as president of North Vietnam
and Bao Dai as leader of South Vietnam. |
| 1955 |
Bao Dai was replaced by
Ngo Dinh Diem. |
| 1959 |
Rebellion against the
South Vietnamese government began, marking the beginning of the Vietnam
War. |
| 1960 |
The National Liberation
Front (NLF) was established, backed by the North Vietnamese government. |
| 1963 |
Diem was assassinated in
a military coup d'état. |
| 1965 |
United States forces
landed at Da Nang and began fighting in Vietnam. |
| 1968 |
NLF forces, along with
the North Vietnamese army, launched the Tet Offensive. |
| 1973 |
The United States ended
its military involvement in the Vietnam War. |
| 1975 |
South Vietnam surrendered
to northern forces. Thousands of Vietnamese began fleeing the country. |
| 1976 |
North and South Vietnam
were officially unified under a Communist government as the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam. Saigon, the former southern capital, was renamed Ho
Chi Minh City. |
| 1978-1979 |
Vietnam invaded Cambodia
and removed the Khmer Rouge government. Vietnamese troops remained in
Cambodia until the end of the 1980s. |
| 1986 |
Vietnam launched the
doi moi ("renovation") program, a series of economic reforms to
encourage limited private enterprise and foreign investment. |
| 1990s |
The United States ended
its long-standing trade embargo against Vietnam in 1994, and full
diplomatic relations were established in 1995. |
General Knowledge :: HISTORICAL EVENTS BY COUNTRY :: VIETNAM