Vietnam War

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Vietnamese boat people

Vietnam (1954–76)

Watch the Viet Cong's guerrilla communist forces move down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia

Track the rapid escalation of the Vietnam War under Pres. John F. Kennedy's administration

Kennedy, John F.: presidential address on the Pathet Lao

For Students

U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967.

Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War

Montagnards; Vietnam War

Key Facts of the Vietnam War

Ngo Dinh Diem

Vietnam War Timeline

Causes and Effects of the Vietnam War

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Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Vietnam War. Fall of Saigon. Helicopter pilot radio transmissions during the United States Saigon evacuation dated: April 29, April 30, 1975. Partial text: 200 Americans left... Do not let South Viets follow too closely. Use Mace...do not fire...

40th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966

9 Questions About the Vietnam War Answered

Discover

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Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

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Vietnam War: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Correction: Media-AP-Photograph-Challenged story • May 17, 2025, 12:23 PM ET (AP)

12 television shows influenced by the Vietnam War • May 7, 2025, 5:40 PM ET (AP)

Associated Press finds 'no definitive evidence' to change credit for famous Vietnam War photo • May 6, 2025, 3:09 PM ET (AP)

The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, but the battle with Agent Orange continues • Apr. 30, 2025, 11:31 AM ET (AP)

For some Americans, the end of the Vietnam War after Saigon fell 50 years ago is still deeply felt • Apr. 29, 2025, 10:21 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Second Indochina War
Date	1954 - 1975
Location	Vietnam
Participants	United States • Viet Cong
Context	Indochina wars

Did You Know?

The total tonnage of bombs the United States dropped on North Vietnam surpassed that of the bombing of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.
As of January 15, 2018, 1,601 American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War remained unaccounted for.
Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr., was the only soldier ever sentenced in connection with the My Lai Massacre.

Photos and Videos

Vietnamese boat people

Vietnam (1954–76)

Kennedy, John F.: presidential address on the Pathet Lao

Montagnards in the Vietnam War

self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc in protest during the Vietnam War

Watch the Viet Cong's guerrilla communist forces move down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia

Track the rapid escalation of the Vietnam War under Pres. John F. Kennedy's administration

Examine the state of the U.S.-backed and Diem-led South Vietnamese army against the communist Viet Cong

Learn about the U.S. government's prior knowledge of the military coup against and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem

Analyze the effects of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed under the Lyndon Johnson administration during the Vietnam War

See All Videos, Images and Audio →

Topics

Agent Orange domino theory boat people The Deer Hunter

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Timeline

North Vietnamese torpedo boat seen from the Maddox during the Gulf of Tonkin incident

Gulf of Tonkin incident

August 2, 1964 - August 4, 1964

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

August 5, 1964

Battle of Ia Drang

Battle of Ia Drang

November 14, 1965 - November 18, 1965

See how the North Vietnamese-backed Viet Cong launched surprise attacks across South Vietnam

Tet Offensive

January 31, 1968

My Lai Massacre

My Lai Massacre

March 16, 1968

Fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon

March 4, 1975 - April 30, 1975

Read More: Vietnam War Timeline

Key People

Melvin Laird

American public official

James Stockdale

United States admiral

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

president of United States

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

president of United States

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

president of United States

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

president of North Vietnam

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

United States statesman

Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford

president of the United States

Harold K. Johnson

United States Army officer

William Westmoreland; Lyndon B. Johnson

William Westmoreland

United States general

John Kerry

John Kerry

United States senator and secretary of state

Tim O'Brien

Tim O’Brien

American author

Abrams, Creighton Williams, Jr.

Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr.

United States general

William Yarborough

United States Army officer

Robert S. McNamara

Robert S. McNamara

United States statesman

Seymour Hersh

American journalist

Norodom Sihanouk

Norodom Sihanouk

king of Cambodia

Vo Nguyen Giap

Vo Nguyen Giap

Vietnamese general

Ngo Dinh Diem

Ngo Dinh Diem

Vietnamese political leader

Mike Mullen.

Mike Mullen

United States admiral

Quiz

Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966

The Vietnam War Quiz

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars

U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967.

Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War

D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.

A History of War

List

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966

9 Questions About the Vietnam War Answered

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century