From 1825, the brutal persecution of the Catholic community, originally converted by French priests in the 17th century, gave France the excuse to colonize Cochin-China, Annam and Tonkin, and then merge them with Laos and Cambodia.
* 1920 "Quoc ngu" (Roman script) replaces Chinese script.
* 1930 Ho Chi Minh founds Indochina Communist Party.
* 1940 Japanese invade but tolerate Vichy administration until 1945.
* 1941 Viet Minh resistance founded in exile in China; aided by USA.
* 1945 Viet Minh take Saigon and Hanoi. Emperor abdicates. Republic with Ho Chi Minh as president.
* 1946 French (rearmed by UK) re-enter. First Indochina War.
* 1954 French defeated at Dien Bien Phu. Vietnam divided at 17║N. USSR supports North; USA arms South. Communist opposition in South secretly armed by North down Ho Chi Minh Trail.
* 1960 Groups opposed to President Diem's repressive regime in South unite as Viet Cong.
* 1961 USA sends in military advisors.* 1964 US Congress approves war.
* 1965 Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu takes over military government of South. First US combat troops arrive; in three years, they number 500,000.
* 1965û1968 Operation Rolling Thunder û intense bombing of North by South and USA.
* 1967 Anti-war protests start in USA and elsewhere.
* 1968 Tet (New Year) Offensive û 105 towns attacked simultaneously in South with infiltrated arms. Viet Cong suffer serious losses. Peace talks begin. USA eases bombing and starts withdrawing troops.
* 1969 Ho Chi Minh dies. War intensifies again in spite of talks.
* 1970 USA begins secret attacks in Laos and Cambodia and new mass bombing of North to try to stop arms reaching Viet Cong.
* 1972 11-day Christmas Campaign is heaviest US bombing of war.
* 1973 Paris Peace Agreements signed, but fighting continues.
* 1974 One million refugees flee the North.
* 1975 Fall of Saigon to combined forces of North and Provisional Revolutionary (Viet Cong) Government of South. Further one million flee after end of war.
* 1976 Vietnam united as Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with Le Duan continuing to hold the real power as General Secretary of Communist Party. Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
* 1977 Vietnam begins incursions into Kampuchea (Cambodia).
* 1978 Thousands of ethnic Chinese flee Vietnam.
* 1979 Nine-Day War with China. Chinese troops destroy everything for 25 miles inside Vietnam. Chinese pushed back. Vietnam ousts Pol Pot in full-scale invasion of Kampuchea and installs friendly regime. "Boat-people" (illegal emigrants) now creating crisis of international proportions. At UN conference, Vietnam agrees to allow legal emigration, but exodus continues.
* 1986 Nguyen Van Linh appointed General Secretary. Initiates liberal economic "doi moi" (renovation) policy.
* 1987 Fighting in Thailand as Vietnam pursues Kampuchean resistance fighters across border.
* 1989 Troops leave Cambodia.
* 1991 Open anti-communist dissent made a criminal offense.
* 1992 Revised constitution allows foreign investment, but essential role of Communist Party is unchanged.
