This article is about the specific polity Democratic Republic of Vietnam and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1954 and controlled the northern portion of Vietnam. It was a member of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. In 1975 it conquered South Vietnam.
Establishment
July 1954: The Geneva Conference involved several nations and It was intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War. The part of the conference that dealt with the dismantling of French Indochina proved to have long-lasting repercussions. The crumbling of the French Empire in Southeast Asia would create the eventual states of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (the future Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnam), the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were a series of wars which were waged in Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1991, by communist Indochinese forces (mainly the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) against anti-communist forces (mainly French, the State of Vietnam, American, Cambodian, Laotian Royal, and Chinese forces). The term "Indochina" originally referred to French Indochina.
1.1.First Indochina War
Was a war between France and the Viet Minh coalition whose goal was the independence of Vietnam from Indochina. At the end of the war the French left French Indochina, which was dissolved and succeeded by the State of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos and the Kingdom of Cambodia.
1.1.1.1954 Geneva Conference
The Geneva Accords, that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 26 to July 20, 1954, dealt with the dismantling of French Indochina. The dissolution of the French Empire in Southeast Asia created the states of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (the future Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnam), the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos.
1.2.Vietnam War
Was a a Cold War-era proxy war between North Vietnam (supported by the USSR and China) and South Vietnam (supported by the United States) with actions taking place also in the nearby countries of Laos and Cambodia. The war ended with the reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.
January 1960: Communist expansion in Vietnam until 1959.
January 1968: Communist expansion in Vietnam until 1967.
June 1969: U.S. forces abandon Hill 937 (Vietnam).
June 1969: The U.S. command ordered the capture of Hill 937 (a strategic hill in Vietnam).
January 1972: Communist expansion in Vietnam until 1971.
January 1973: Communist expansion in Vietnam until 1972.
January 1973: Battle of Cửa Việt.
February 1973: Battle of Cửa Việt.
April 1973: Battle of Hồng Ngự.
May 1973: Battle of Hồng Ngự.
September 1973: Battle of Trung Nghia.
October 1973: Battle of Quang Duc.
November 1973: Battle of Quang Duc.
May 1974: The People's Army of Vietnam 9th Division, led by General Van Tien Dung, captured Rach Bap and An Dien from the South Vietnamese forces.
August 1974: Battle of Phú Lộc.
November 1974: Battle of the Iron Triangle.
December 1974: Battle of Phú Lộc.
January 1975: Battle of Phước Long.
March 1975: Communist expansion in Vietnam by 10 March 1975.
April 1975: Communist expansion in Vietnam by 8 April 1975.
1.2.1.Early Phase of the Vietnam War
Was the early phase of the Vietnam war with the first battles between North and South Vietnam.
March 1960: Battle of Tua Hai.
July 1964: Battle of Nam Dong.
August 1964: Battle of Nam Dong.
1.2.2.American Intervention in the early phase of the Vietnam War
Were a series of battles between North and South Vietnam that saw the latter being supported by U.S. on field troops for the first time.
June 1965: In 1965, during the Vietnam War, the Vietcong forces achieved significant conquests in the Chu Pong-Ia Drang complex. This territory was located in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam and was strategically important for both the Vietcong and the American forces led by General William Westmoreland. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam, also known as North Vietnam, gained control of this area, further escalating the conflict.
June 1965: Battle of Dong Xoai.
November 1965: Battle of Ia Drang.
January 1966: Operation Crimp.
January 1967: Operation Cedar Falls.
July 1968: Battle of Khe Sanh.
1.2.3.Tet Offensive
Was a military campaign launched by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces of South Vietnam supported by the United States.
January 1968: Battle of Quang Tri (1968).
January 1968: Battle of Bến Tre.
January 1968: Battle of Huế.
February 1968: Battle of Bến Tre.
March 1968: Battle of Huế.
1.2.4.Easter Offensive
Was a military campaign launched by forces of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces of South Vietnam supported by the United States.
April 1972: Battle of Loc Ninh.
April 1972: Battle of An Lộc.
May 1972: The First Battle of Quảng Trị took place in 1972 during the Vietnam War. It was a major offensive by the North Vietnamese Army, led by General Võ Nguyên Giáp, against the South Vietnamese Army and their American allies. The battle resulted in the capture of Quảng Trị province by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
May 1972: Battle of Kontum.
May 1972: Battle of An Lộc.
June 1972: Battle of Kontum.
September 1972: Second Battle of Quảng Trị.
1.2.5.1975 Spring Offensive (Vietnam War)
Was the final North Vietnamese campaign in the Vietnam War that led to the capitulation of Republic of Vietnam.
March 1975: Battle of Ban Me Thuot.
March 1975: Communist conquest of Hue.
March 1975: Communist conquest of Qui Nhon.
March 1975: Communist conquest of Da Nang.
April 1975: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam captured Nha Trang and Nha Trang AB on 2 April.
April 1975: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam captured Phan Rang Air Base.
April 1975: Battle of Xuân Lộc.
April 1975: Fall of Siagon to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
July 1976: The Vietnam War ended on 30 April 1975 and saw South Vietnam come under the control of a Provisional Revolutionary Government, which led to the reunification of Vietnam on 2 July 1976, creating the Socialist Republic of Vietnam of today.
Disestablishment
July 1976: The Vietnam War ended on 30 April 1975 and saw South Vietnam come under the control of a Provisional Revolutionary Government, which led to the reunification of Vietnam on 2 July 1976, creating the Socialist Republic of Vietnam of today.
Selected Sources
Fall, B.B. (1967): Street Without Joy, 4.Edition. Stackpole, Harrisburg
Indochina - Midway in the Geneva Conference: Address by the Secretary of State, May 7,1954 (1). Yale Law School. Retrieved on 6 April 2024 on https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/inch022.asp
Kinder, H. / Hilgemann, W. (1985): Von der Französischen Revolution bis zur Gegenwart in dtv-Atlas zur Weltgeschichte Band 2, 20. Edition, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, München 1985, p. 514
Tertrais, H. / Mazoyer, K. (2004): Atlas des guerres d'Indochine, 1940-1990. De l'Indochine française à l'ouverture internationale, Éd. Autrement, Paris, p. 35
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Democratic Republic of Vietnam
