Vietnam--The+Path

After WWII, __France__ was in control of Vietnam. France became very wealthy because of the rice and rubber they got from Vietnam. The Vietnamese did not like that France was in control of them. There were many groups that wanted Vietnam to become an independent nation. __Ho Chi Minh__, a revolutionary leader, united three communist groups to form the Indochinese Communist Party. The party called for Vietnam to be independent and run by peasants and other workers. The ICP organized protests against the French government. The French then arrested suspected Communists and sentences Ho Chi Minh to be executed.

While France went to war with Vietnam, the US was struggleing against the Soviet Union. During this time, Communists gained control of China. This scared the US because __communism__ is spreading in Asia, and that is the last thing they want. France asked the US to help them fighting the Viet Minh. Truman said yes, and started sending money to the French.

France met with Viet Minh in May 1954; in this meeting they deciced that Vietnam was going to be split in half. Ho Chi Minh was the leader in North Vietnam while Ngo Dinh Diem was the president in South Vietnam. Diem was an anti-communisit, which lead to many anit-communists in the north to flee to the south. The US provided transportation for anyone who wanted to move from the north to the south. Diem was unpopular in the South; hence, Eisenhower sent more aid and advisers to South Vietnam. Viet Cong fought to overthrow the Diem government so they could all be under communist rule. During this time, Kennedy continued to send military advisors and equipment to South Vietnam. Later on, the US lost faith in Diem and supported a military coup who overthrew him. Against the US's wishes, the coup went on and killed Diem. After that, North Vietnam decided to attack at Gulf of Tonkin. Later on, LBJ Operation Rolling Thunder took place. Operation Rolling Thunder was constant bombing of North Vietnam.

All these events led to the US becoming more and more involved in the Vietnam War.