2.  In the 1950's the United States began to send troops to Vietnam.  During the following 25-years the ensuing war would create some of the strongest tensions in US history.  Almost 3 million US men and women were sent thousands of miles to fight for what was a questionable cause. In total, it is estimated that over 2,5 million people on both sides were killed.

3. Before the War.  In 1860, France began its domination of Vietnam and had, by the late 19th century. During WWII, the Japanese took control of much of the area and set up a puppet regime.  After WWII and until 1955, France fought hard to regain their former territories in the region, but with a poorly organized army and little determination among the troops, their efforts soon collapsed. Vietnamese Nationalists and Communists began to join forces to fight France. The French were finally defeated at Dien Bien Phu on the 8th of May 1954 by the communist general Vo Nguyen Giap.  The French troops withdrew, leaving a buffer zone separating the North and South. Vietnam was divided at 17° north latitude. To the South, the U.S and France set up an anti- Communist government under the leadership of Ngo Dinh Diem. The communist regime set up its headquarters in Hanoi under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh to the North.

4. Before the War  Between 1955 and 1960, the North Vietnamese with the assistance of the southern communist Vietcong, tried to take over the government in South Vietnam, and in November 1963 President Diem was overthrown and executed. The following year, the North Vietnamese began a massive drive to conquer the whole country aided by China and Russia.  Fearing a communism spread though the entire region, the United States grew more and more wary of the progress of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietcong. In case of the growth of Communism in Southeast Asia, the U.S sent troops to support the South.

5. During the War  President Lyndon B. Johnson told the Congress that two American Destroyers were attacked by North Vietnamese patrol boats and with the permission of the Congress, U.S sent troops to Vietnam.  With the huge cost of war, the Vietnam War became unpopular in the U.S. Johnson he handed the hot potato to Richard M. Nixon who planed the Vietnamization which helped the U.S troops to pull out gradually with massive bombing against North Vietnam and neighboring Laos and Cambodia to destroy the hiding places of Vietcong.  After all American troops leaving, the North Vietnamese finally conquered South Vietnam in early 1975.

6. The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of 347 to 504 unarmed citizens in South Vietnam, all of whom were civilians and some of whom were woman, children, and elderly people conducted by U.S Army forces on March 16, 1968. Many of the victims were sexually abused, beaten, tortured, maimed, or even killed, and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe during the war. Later 26 U.S soldiers were charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai. My Lai Massacre

7. Anti-Communist Forces : South Vietnam United States South Korea Australia Philippines New Zealand Khmer Republic Thailand Kingdom of Laos Communist forces: North Vietnam Viet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao People's Republic of China Soviet Union North Korea

8. Anti-Communist forces  U.S: To prevent the spread of Communism and the expanding influence of Soviet Union and China, U.S. sent troops to support the South Vietnam.  South Vietnam: To establish a united country support by western force.  South Korea ;new Zealand ; Austria: Support the Anti-Communist allies. Communist forces: North Vietnam: Led by Ho Chi Minh. Its goal was to liberate the whole Vietnam and spread Communism in Southeast Asia. China: To prevent the expansion of U.S. forces and protect herself from invasion; support the Southeast Communists. Soviet Union: To interfere the war to support North Vietnam to go against the U.S. North Korea: to support the Soviets.

9.  1955 Ngo Dinh Diem ‘elected’ as president of South Vietnam  1957 Vietminh start guerrilla war in South Vietnam  1961 Kennedy pledges extra ‘aid’  1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution  1965 Operation Rolling Thunder, 200 000 US combat troops 1968 Nixon elected 1969 Cambodia bombed, ‘Vietnamization’ 1971 My Lai court case 1973 Cease-fire, US leaves 1975 NLF( Liberation of South Vietnam ) captured Saigon

10.  All American troops pulled out.  Within the U.S, the war was unpopular and a lot protesters appeared.  The North Vietnamese overran South Vietnam.

11.  After 1975, the North Vietnam gained total control of the South, and tried to purify people by Communism ideology.  A lot of people tried to escape from the Communists’ rule by boats and ships.  Now Vietnam has changed and remaining normal relations between the U.S.