ORIGINS SPRING 2021: VIETNAM
Vietnam is a one party socialist republic with a population of nearly 100 million people and its economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Vietnam is briefly covered as a part of the Cold War in IGCSE history and were shocked and fascinated by our lessons on the Vietnam War. From there, editors Talya and Elisa researched the rich history and culture and devised multiple articles and allocated them to our 18 writers. There are a mix of articles ranging from the French Colonial era right up to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Each our writers has done a superb job and we are very happy to finally be able to publish their work for you to read. We hope that you learn
something new and enjoy this edition as much as we have enjoyed making it!
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Many thanks to Mary Qurban for the amazing artwork and to our writers once again for their hard work.
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"Nothing is more precious than independence and liberty!"
Ho Chi Minh 1966
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Please find a link to the articles below, alongside a map and significant dates.
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Significant Dates
1858 - French colonial rule begins.
1930 - Ho Chi Minh founds the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP).
1941 - ICP organises a guerrilla force, Viet Minh, in response to invasion by Japan during World War II.
1945 - The Viet Minh seizes power. Ho Chi Minh announces Vietnam's independence.
1946 - French forces attack Viet Minh in Haiphong in November, sparking the war of resistance against the colonial power.
1950 - Democratic Republic of Vietnam is recognised by China and USSR.
1954 - Viet Minh forces attack an isolated French military outpost in the town of Dien Bien Phu. The attempt to take the outpost lasts two months, during which time the French government agrees to peace talks in Geneva. Vietnam is split into North and South at Geneva conference.
1956 - South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins campaign against political dissidents.
1957 - Beginning of Communist insurgency in the South.
1959 - Weapons and men from North Vietnam begin infiltrating the South.
1960 - American aid to Diem increased.
1962 - Number of US military advisors in South Vietnam rises to 12,000.
1963 - Viet Cong, the communist guerrillas operating in South Vietnam, defeat units of the ARVN, the South Vietnamese Army.
1964 - Gulf of Tonkin incident: the US says North Vietnamese patrol boats fire on two US Navy destroyers. US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorising military action in region.
1965 - 200,000 American combat troops arrive in South Vietnam.
1966 - US troop numbers in Vietnam rise to 400,000, then to 500,000 the following year.
1968 - Tet Offensive - a combined assault by Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army on US positions - begins. More than 500 civilians die in the US massacre at My Lai. Thousands are killed by communist forces during their occupation of the city of Hue.
1969 - Ho Chi Minh dies. President Nixon begins to reduce US ground troops in Vietnam as domestic public opposition to the war grows.
1970 - Nixon's national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, and Le Duc Tho, for the Hanoi government, start talks in Paris.
1973 - Ceasefire agreement in Paris, US troop pull-out completed by March.
1975 - North Vietnamese troops invade South Vietnam and take control of the whole country after South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh surrenders.
1976 - Socialist Republic of Vietnam proclaimed. Saigon is re-named Ho Chi Minh City. Hundreds of thousands flee abroad, including many "boat people".
1979 - Vietnam invades Cambodia and ousts the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot. In response, Chinese troops cross Vietnam's northern border. They are pushed back by Vietnamese forces. The number of "boat people" trying to leave Vietnam causes international concern.
1986 - Nguyen Van Linh becomes party leader. He introduces a more liberal economic policy.
1989 - Vietnamese troops withdraw from Cambodia.
1992 - New constitution adopted allowing certain economic freedoms. The Communist Party remains the leading force in Vietnamese society.
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1994 - US lifts its 30-year trade embargo
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1995 - Vietnam and US restore full diplomatic relations. Vietnam becomes full member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
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2000 - US President Bill Clinton pays a three-day official visit. The US pledges more help to clear landmines left over from the Vietnam war. The Vietnamese government estimates nearly 40,000 people have been killed by unexploded munitions.
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2005 - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai makes the first visit to the US by a Vietnamese leader since the end of the Vietnam War.
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2007 January - After 12 years of talks, Vietnam becomes the 150th member of the World Trade Organization.
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2007 July - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reappointed, promises to push through economic reforms.
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2008 October - US and international media campaigners condemn the guilty verdicts on two Vietnamese journalists Nguyen Viet Chien and Nguyen Van Hai, who had helped to expose a major corruption scandal. Nguyen Van Hai pleads guilty and is spared imprisonment.
2008 November - Vietnam says it plans to enforce a two-child policy in an attempt to control population growth.
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2010 May - Human Rights Watch accuses Vietnam of intensifying its suppression of online dissent.
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2011 October - China and Vietnam sign an agreement to manage the South China Sea dispute. It includes a hotline to deal with emergencies and a provision for twice-yearly bilateral meetings.
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2013 February - Twenty two people sentenced for trying to overthrow the government, in what is seen as a renewed clampdown on freedom of expression.
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2013 August - New decree bans internet users from discussing current affairs online.
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2014 October - The United States says it will partially lift its embargo on arms sales to Vietnam, which has been in place for three decades. Washington says the move applies to weapons for maritime purposes only.
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2016 May - US lifts long-standing ban on selling weapons to Vietnam.
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Taken from BBC Vietnam Profile Timeline
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