Vietnam War Fast Facts - CNN

Vietnam War Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 1938 GMT (0338 HKT) April 12, 2024

The Fall of Saigon: 40 years later
vietnam fall of saigon evacuation anniversary orig mg_00015805

    JUST WATCHED

    The Fall of Saigon: 40 years later

Replay
More Videos ...

MUST WATCH

The Fall of Saigon: 40 years later 03:53

(CNN)Here's a look at the Vietnam War.

Causes of Vietnam War

1883-1945 - Cochin-China, southern Vietnam, and Annam and Tonkin, central and northern Vietnam, along with Cambodia and Laos make up colonial empire French Indochina.
    1946 - Communists in the north begin fighting France for control of the country.
      1949 - France establishes the State of Vietnam in the southern half of the country.
      Read More
      1951 - Ho Chi Minh becomes leader of Dang Lao Dong Vietnam, the Vietnam Worker's Party, in the north.
      North Vietnam was communist. South Vietnam was not. North Vietnamese Communists and South Vietnamese Communist rebels, known as the Viet Cong, wanted to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the country.
        The Vietnam War
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        South Vietnamese troops wade through water to flush out communist rebels, known as the Viet Cong, in 1962. Several years earlier, North Vietnamese communists began helping the Viet Cong fight South Vietnamese troops. They wanted to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the country, which split in 1954.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        South Vietnamese troops wade through water to flush out communist rebels, known as the Viet Cong, in 1962. Several years earlier, North Vietnamese communists began helping the Viet Cong fight South Vietnamese troops. They wanted to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the country, which split in 1954.
        Hide Caption
        1 of 30
        On July 21, 1954, Vietnam signs the Geneva Accords and divides into two countries at the 17th parallel: the communist-led north and U.S.-supported south. Vietnam had been a part of the colonial empire French Indochina until communists in the north began fighting France for control of the country.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        On July 21, 1954, Vietnam signs the Geneva Accords and divides into two countries at the 17th parallel: the communist-led north and U.S.-supported south. Vietnam had been a part of the colonial empire French Indochina until communists in the north began fighting France for control of the country.
        Hide Caption
        2 of 30
        A man appears fearful as he is questioned by South Vietnamese soldiers in August 1962.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A man appears fearful as he is questioned by South Vietnamese soldiers in August 1962.
        Hide Caption
        3 of 30
        American planes drop napalm on Viet Cong positions in 1962. Hoping to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the U.S. also sent aid and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese government. The number of U.S. military advisers in Vietnam grew from 900 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1962.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        American planes drop napalm on Viet Cong positions in 1962. Hoping to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the U.S. also sent aid and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese government. The number of U.S. military advisers in Vietnam grew from 900 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1962.
        Hide Caption
        4 of 30
        U.S. troops in Vietnam salute the coffins of seven American soldiers who were killed in a helicopter crash circa 1963.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        U.S. troops in Vietnam salute the coffins of seven American soldiers who were killed in a helicopter crash circa 1963.
        Hide Caption
        5 of 30
        graphic warning - multiple images
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Hide Caption
        6 of 30
        Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, burns himself to death on a street in Saigon -- the capital of South Vietnam -- on June 11, 1963. He lit himself on fire to protest alleged persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, burns himself to death on a street in Saigon -- the capital of South Vietnam -- on June 11, 1963. He lit himself on fire to protest alleged persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.
        Hide Caption
        7 of 30
        A father holds the body of his child as South Vietnamese Army Rangers look down from their armored vehicle in March 1964. The child was killed as government forces pursued guerrillas into a village near the Cambodian border.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A father holds the body of his child as South Vietnamese Army Rangers look down from their armored vehicle in March 1964. The child was killed as government forces pursued guerrillas into a village near the Cambodian border.
        Hide Caption
        8 of 30
        The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Maddox, seen here, was anchored in the Gulf of Tonkin when it was attacked by the North Vietnamese in August 1964. After U.S. President Lyndon Johnson falsely claimed that there had been a second attack on the destroyer, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which authorized full-scale U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War. Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam in retaliation for the Tonkin attack.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Maddox, seen here, was anchored in the Gulf of Tonkin when it was attacked by the North Vietnamese in August 1964. After U.S. President Lyndon Johnson falsely claimed that there had been a second attack on the destroyer, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which authorized full-scale U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War. Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam in retaliation for the Tonkin attack.
        Hide Caption
        9 of 30
        A South Vietnamese reconnaissance unit walks hip-deep in water as a U.S. helicopter skims over reeds in the Mekong Delta in October 1964. They were on the lookout for Viet Cong guerrillas.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A South Vietnamese reconnaissance unit walks hip-deep in water as a U.S. helicopter skims over reeds in the Mekong Delta in October 1964. They were on the lookout for Viet Cong guerrillas.
        Hide Caption
        10 of 30
        Injured people receive medical aid after an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on March 30, 1965.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Injured people receive medical aid after an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on March 30, 1965.
        Hide Caption
        11 of 30
        A suspected Viet Cong is kicked by a South Vietnamese soldier in October 1965. The prisoner was one of 15 captured in a raid near Xom Chua.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A suspected Viet Cong is kicked by a South Vietnamese soldier in October 1965. The prisoner was one of 15 captured in a raid near Xom Chua.
        Hide Caption
        12 of 30
        Women and children crouch in a muddy canal as they take cover from intense Viet Cong fire at Bao Trai, about 20 miles west of Saigon, in January 1966.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Women and children crouch in a muddy canal as they take cover from intense Viet Cong fire at Bao Trai, about 20 miles west of Saigon, in January 1966.
        Hide Caption
        13 of 30
        Staff Sgt. Harrison Pell, a wounded American soldier, drinks from a comrade's canteen during a January 1966 firefight between U.S. troops and a combined North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Staff Sgt. Harrison Pell, a wounded American soldier, drinks from a comrade's canteen during a January 1966 firefight between U.S. troops and a combined North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force.
        Hide Caption
        14 of 30
        A Viet Cong soldier holds an anti-tank gun during the Tet Offensive, a massive surprise attack launched in 1968 by the North Vietnamese. The attack hit 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A Viet Cong soldier holds an anti-tank gun during the Tet Offensive, a massive surprise attack launched in 1968 by the North Vietnamese. The attack hit 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
        Hide Caption
        15 of 30
        South Vietnamese Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the National Police, fires his pistol into the head of suspected Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem on a Saigon street on February 1, 1968, early in the Tet Offensive.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        South Vietnamese Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the National Police, fires his pistol into the head of suspected Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem on a Saigon street on February 1, 1968, early in the Tet Offensive.
        Hide Caption
        16 of 30
        A young refugee carries an elderly woman on his back while crossing a bridge in Hue, Vietnam, in 1968.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A young refugee carries an elderly woman on his back while crossing a bridge in Hue, Vietnam, in 1968.
        Hide Caption
        17 of 30
        Troops look at the aftermath of an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in 1968.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Troops look at the aftermath of an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in 1968.
        Hide Caption
        18 of 30
        A U.S. Army first sergeant guides a medevac helicopter through the jungle to pick up casualties suffered near Hue in April 1968.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A U.S. Army first sergeant guides a medevac helicopter through the jungle to pick up casualties suffered near Hue in April 1968.
        Hide Caption
        19 of 30
        A South Vietnamese woman mourns over the body of her husband, which was found with 47 others in a mass grave near Hue in April 1969.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A South Vietnamese woman mourns over the body of her husband, which was found with 47 others in a mass grave near Hue in April 1969.
        Hide Caption
        20 of 30
        U.S. President Richard Nixon points to a map in the White House after telling the nation that American troops have attacked, at his order, a communist complex in Cambodia in April 1970. Nixon ordered troops to invade border areas in Cambodia and destroy supply centers set up by the North Vietnamese.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        U.S. President Richard Nixon points to a map in the White House after telling the nation that American troops have attacked, at his order, a communist complex in Cambodia in April 1970. Nixon ordered troops to invade border areas in Cambodia and destroy supply centers set up by the North Vietnamese.
        Hide Caption
        21 of 30
        On May 4, 1970, National Guard units fired into a group of anti-war demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. The shots killed four students and wounded nine others. Anti-war demonstrations and riots occurred on hundreds of other campuses throughout May.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        On May 4, 1970, National Guard units fired into a group of anti-war demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. The shots killed four students and wounded nine others. Anti-war demonstrations and riots occurred on hundreds of other campuses throughout May.
        Hide Caption
        22 of 30
        U.S. artillerymen relax under a crudely made peace flag at the Laotian border in 1971. In February 1971, U.S. and South Vietnamese troops invaded southern Laos in an effort to stop North Vietnamese supply routes. This action, ordered by President Nixon, was done without consent of Congress, and it led to more anti-war protests.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        U.S. artillerymen relax under a crudely made peace flag at the Laotian border in 1971. In February 1971, U.S. and South Vietnamese troops invaded southern Laos in an effort to stop North Vietnamese supply routes. This action, ordered by President Nixon, was done without consent of Congress, and it led to more anti-war protests.
        Hide Caption
        23 of 30
        South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children after a napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places in June 1972. A South Vietnamese plane accidentally dropped napalm on South Vietnamese troops and civilians. The terrified girl in the center had ripped off her burning clothes while fleeing.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children after a napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places in June 1972. A South Vietnamese plane accidentally dropped napalm on South Vietnamese troops and civilians. The terrified girl in the center had ripped off her burning clothes while fleeing.
        Hide Caption
        24 of 30
        North Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nouyen Duy Trinm signs a ceasefire agreement in Paris on January 27, 1973. The last American ground troops left in March of that year. Fighting would resume between North and South Vietnam, but the United States did not return.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        North Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nouyen Duy Trinm signs a ceasefire agreement in Paris on January 27, 1973. The last American ground troops left in March of that year. Fighting would resume between North and South Vietnam, but the United States did not return.
        Hide Caption
        25 of 30
        Air Force Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm, a released prisoner of war, is greeted by his family in Fairfield, California, as he returns home on March 17, 1973.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Air Force Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm, a released prisoner of war, is greeted by his family in Fairfield, California, as he returns home on March 17, 1973.
        Hide Caption
        26 of 30
        A cargo net lifts refugees from a barge so they can be evacuated from the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, on April 1, 1975.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A cargo net lifts refugees from a barge so they can be evacuated from the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, on April 1, 1975.
        Hide Caption
        27 of 30
        Mobs of Vietnamese people scale the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on April 29, 1975, trying to get to a helicopter pickup zone. A day later, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam when North Vietnamese troops entered Saigon. Saigon is now called Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the late North Vietnamese leader.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        Mobs of Vietnamese people scale the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on April 29, 1975, trying to get to a helicopter pickup zone. A day later, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam when North Vietnamese troops entered Saigon. Saigon is now called Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the late North Vietnamese leader.
        Hide Caption
        28 of 30
        A CIA employee helps Vietnamese evacuees onto a helicopter near the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on April 29, 1975. Near the war's end, about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/vietnam-saigon-evacuation-anniversary/index.html">100 Marine, Air Force and Air America choppers evacuated an estimated 7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese</a> out of the South Vietnamese capital in under 24 hours. It was the largest helicopter airlift in history.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        A CIA employee helps Vietnamese evacuees onto a helicopter near the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on April 29, 1975. Near the war's end, about 100 Marine, Air Force and Air America choppers evacuated an estimated 7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese out of the South Vietnamese capital in under 24 hours. It was the largest helicopter airlift in history.
        Hide Caption
        29 of 30
        U.S. President Barack Obama stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington in May 2012. The black granite memorial bears the names of more than 58,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam War.
        Photos: The Vietnam War
        U.S. President Barack Obama stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington in May 2012. The black granite memorial bears the names of more than 58,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam War.
        Hide Caption
        30 of 30
        05 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED03 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED04 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED06 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED07 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTEDgraphic warning - multiple images09 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED12 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED11 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED10 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED13 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED14 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED16 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED15 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED18 Vietnam War timeline17 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED19 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED20 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED21 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED22 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED23 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED24 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED25 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED08 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED26 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED27 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED28 Vietnam War timeline RESTRICTED31 vietnam war timeline RESTRICTED01 Vietnam War 0421 RESTRICTED30 Vietnam War timeline

        Other Facts

        1954 - North Vietnamese begin helping South Vietnamese rebels fight South Vietnamese troops, thus BEGINS the Vietnam conflict.
        April 30, 1975 - South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, ENDING the Vietnam conflict.
        The war was estimated to cost about $200 billion.
        Anti-war opinion increased in the United States from the mid-1960s on, with rallies, teach-ins, and other forms of demonstration.
        North Vietnamese guerrilla forces used the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of jungle paths and mountain trails, to send supplies and troops into South Vietnam.
        The bombing of North Vietnam surpassed the total tonnage of bombs dropped on Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II.
        Today, Vietnam is a communist state.

        US Troop Statistics

        Source: Dept. of Defense
        8,744,000 - Total number of US Troops that served worldwide during Vietnam
        3,403,000 served in Southeast Asia
        2,594,000 served in South Vietnam
        The total of American servicemen listed as POW/MIA at the end of the war was 2,646. As of April 12, 2024, 1,577 soldiers remain unaccounted for.

        US Deaths

        Battle: 47,434
        Non-Battle: 10,786
        Total In-Theatre: 58,220
        1.3 million - Total military deaths for all countries involved
        1 million - Total civilian deaths

        Timeline

        September 2, 1945 - Vietnam declares independence from France. Neither France nor the United States recognizes this claim. US President Harry S. Truman aids France with military equipment to fight the rebels known as Viet Minh.
        May 1954 - The Battle of Dien Bien Phu results in serious defeat for the French and peace talks in Geneva. The Geneva Accords end the French Indochina War.
        July 21, 1954 - Vietnam signs the Geneva Accords and divides into two countries at the 17th parallel, the Communist-led north and US-supported south.
        1957-1963 - North Vietnam and the Viet Cong fight South Vietnamese troops. Hoping to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the United States sends more aid and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese government. The number of US military advisers in Vietnam grows from 900 in 1960 to 11,000 in 1962.
        1964-1969 - By 1964, the Viet Cong, the Communist guerrilla force, has 35,000 troops in South Vietnam. The United States sends more and more troops to fight the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, with the number of US troops in Vietnam peaking at 543,000 in April 1969. Anti-war sentiment in the United States grows stronger as the troop numbers increase.
        August 2, 1964 - Gulf of Tonkin - The North Vietnamese fire on a US destroyer anchored in the Gulf of Tonkin. After US President Lyndon Johnson falsely claims that there had been a second attack on the destroyer, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which authorizes full-scale US intervention in the Vietnam War. Johnson orders the bombing of North Vietnam in retaliation for the Tonkin attack.
        August 5, 1964 - Johnson asks Congress for the power to go to war against the North Vietnamese and the Communists for violating the Geneva Accords against South Vietnam and Laos. The request is granted August 7, 1964, in a Congressional joint resolution.
        January 30, 1968 - Tet Offensive - The North Vietnamese launch a massive surprise attack during the festival of the Vietnamese New Year, called Tet. The attack hits 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. Both sides suffer heavy casualties, but the offensive demonstrates that the war will not end soon or easily. American public opinion against the war increases, and the US begins to reduce the number of troops in Vietnam.
        March 16, 1968 - My Lai Massacre - About 400 women, children and elderly men are massacred by US forces in the village of My Lai in South Vietnam. Lieutenant William L. Calley Jr. is later court-martialed for leading the raid and sentenced to life in prison for his role but is released in 1974 when a federal court overturns the conviction. Calley is the only soldier ever convicted in connection with the event.
        April 1970 - Invasion of Cambodia - US President Richard Nixon orders US and South Vietnamese troops to invade border areas in Cambodia and destroy supply centers set up by the North Vietnamese. The invasion sparks more anti-war protests, and on June 3, 1970, Nixon announces the completion of troop withdrawal.
        May 4, 1970 - National Guard units fire into a group of demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. The shots kill four students and wound nine others. Anti-war demonstrations and riots occur on hundreds of other campuses throughout May.
        February 8, 1971 - Invasion of Laos - Under orders from Nixon, US and South Vietnamese ground troops, with the support of B-52 bombers, invade southern Laos in an effort to stop the North Vietnamese supply routes through Laos into South Vietnam. This action is done without consent of Congress and causes more anti-war protests in the United States.
        January 27, 1973 - A cease-fire is arranged after peace talks.
        March 29, 1973 - The last American ground troops leave. Fighting begins again between North and South Vietnam, but the United States does not return.
          April 30, 1975 - South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City.
          May 25, 2012 - US President Barack Obama signs a proclamation that puts into effect the "Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War" that will continue until November 11, 2025. Over the next 13 years, the program will "honor and give thanks to a generation of proud Americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced."