Outline of the Vietnam War

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Vietnam War:

Vietnam War, a civil war and a proxy war in the Cold War,^[1] occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War (1946–1954) and was fought between North Vietnam—supported by communist states such as the Soviet Union, China—and the government of South Vietnam—supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation Front, or NLF), a South Vietnamese communist common front, aided by the North, fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region which was won militarily. The People's Army of Vietnam, also known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large units to battle.

General history of the Vietnam War

Participants in the Vietnam War

North Vietnam and its allies

South Vietnam and its allies

Years in the Vietnam War

Military activity during the Vietnam War

Operations during the Vietnam War

Listed by starting date:

Operation Chopper – January 12, 1962 – U.S–South Vietnamese victory
Operation Sunrise – March 22-April 30, 1962 – Unsuccessful, increased support for the Viet Cong
Operation Quyet Thang 202 – April 27-May 27, 1964 – South Vietnamese victory
Operation 34A – (1964)
Operation Starlite – August 18–24, 1965 – Both sides claim victory
Operation Piranha – September 7–10, 1965 – U.S-South Vietnamese victory
Operation Hump – November 5–8, 1965 – U.S–Australian–New Zealand victory
Operation Harvest Moon – December 8–20, 1965 – U.S–South Vietnamese victory
Operation Marauder — January 1–8, 1966 – U.S-Australian–New Zealand victory
Operation Crimp – January 8–14, 1966 – U.S–Australian–New Zealand failure
Operation Van Buren — January 15-February 25, 1966 – U.S–South Korean victory
Operation Masher – January 24-March 6, 1966 – U.S–South Vietnamese–South Korean victory, reportedly 10,000+ civilian casualties
Operation Mastiff – February 21–25, 1966 – Inconclusive, failure to engage North Vietnamese forces
Operation Birmingham – April 1966 – Allied victory
Operation Crazy Horse – May 16, 1966 – U.S–ARVN–South Korean allies claim victory
Operation Hastings – July 15-August 3, 1966 – U.S–ARVN victory
Operation Prairie – August 1966 – Inconclusive, PAVN avoid destruction
Operation Thayer – September 13, 1966 – Allied victory
Operation Deckhouse Five – January 6, 1967 – U.S. failure
Operation Cedar Falls – January 8, 1967 – VC/NVA defends the Iron Triangle
Operation Junction City – February 21, 1967 – Inconclusive, allied strategic failure
Operation Francis Marion – April 6 – October 11, 1967 – Minor allied Pyrrhic victory, heavy VC/NVA casualties
Operation Baker – April 17, 1967 – U.S. victory
Operation Union – April 21 – May 16, 1967 – U.S. victory
Operations Malheur I and Malheur II – 11 May – July 1, 1967 – U.S. operational victory
Phoenix Program – 1967–1972 – Counterinsurgency program in SVN, 26,369 suspected VC assassinated, partial failure
Operation Speedy Express 1968–1969 – VC claims U.S. failure, heavy civilian casualties
Operation Scotland – See Battle of Khe Sanh – U.S. tactical failure
Operation Pegasus – August 8, 1968
Operation Dewey Canyon – January 22, 1969
Operation Apache Snow – May 10–20, 1969
Operation Chicago Peak – April 1970
Operation Texas Star – April – September, 1970 – U.S. failure
Operation Ivory Coast – November 21, 1970 – U.S. failure
Operation Jefferson Glenn – 1970–1971
Operation Lam Son 719 – February 8, 1971 – U.S-South Vietnamese failure
Ho Chi Minh Campaign January 24 – April 30, 1975
Operation Frequent Wind – April, 1975

Battles of the Vietnam War

Battle of Ap Bac – January 2, 1963
Battle of Go Cong – September 3, 1963
Battle of Kien Long – April 11–15, 1964
Battle of Long Dinh – February 28, 1964
Battle of An Lão – December 7–9, 1964
Battle of Binh Gia – December 28, 1964 – January 1, 1965
Battle of Sông Bé – May 10–15, 1965
Battle of Đồng Xoài – June 10, 1965
Battle of Ia Drang – November 14–18, 1965
Battle of Bong Son – January 28, – February 12, 1966
Battle of A Shau – March 9–10, 1966
Battle of Xa Cam My – April 11–12, 1966
Battle of Minh Thanh Road – July 9, 1966
Battle of Đức Cơ – August 9, 1966
Battle of Long Tan – August 18, 1966
Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) – December 4, 1966
Battle of LZ Bird – December 27, 1966
Battle of Tra Binh Dong – February 14–15, 1967
Battle of Ap My An – February 17, 1967
Battle of Con Thien – February 27, 1967 – February 28, 1969
Battle of Hills 881 and 861 – April 24 – May 9, 1967
Battle of Ong Thanh – October 17, 1967
First Battle of Loc Ninh – October 29 – November, 1967
Battle of Dak To – November 3–22, 1967
Battle of Tam Quan – December 6–20, 1967
Battle of Khe Sanh – January 21 – April 8, 1968
Tet Offensive – January 30 – February 25, 1968
Battle of Biên Hòa (1968) – January 24 – March 1, 1968
First Battle of Saigon – January 31, – February 3, 1968
Battle of Huế – January 31, – February 25, 1968
Battle of Kham Duc – May 10–12, 1968
Battle of Coral–Balmoral – May 12 – June 6, 1968
Tet 1969 – February 1969
Battle of Hamburger Hill – May 10–20, 1969
Battle of Binh Ba – June 6–8, 1969
Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord – March 12 – July 23, 1970
Cambodian Campaign – April 29 – July 22, 1970
Battle of Snuol – January 5 – May 30, 1971
Battle of Long Khánh – June 6–7, 1971
Easter Offensive – March 30 – October 22, 1972
First Battle of Quảng Trị – March 30 – May 1, 1972
Battle of Loc Ninh – April 4–7, 1972
Battle of An Lộc – April 20 – July 20, 1972
Second Battle of Quảng Trị – June 28 – September 16, 1972
Battle of Trung Nghia – June 8 – September 16, 1974
Battle of Ap Da Bien – October 3, 1973
Battle of Quang Duc – October 30, – December 10, 1973
Battle of Tri Phap – February 12 – May 4, 1974
Battle of Svay Rieng – March 27 – May 2, 1974
Battle of the Iron Triangle - May 16 – November 11, 1974
Battle of Phú Lộc – August 28 – December 10, 1974
Battle of Phước Long – December 13, 1974 – January 6, 1975
Battle of Ban Me Thuot – March 10–12, 1975
Battle of Xuân Lộc – April 9–20, 1975

Air campaigns of the Vietnam War

Naval campaigns of the Vietnam War

Military medals

South Vietnam

North Vietnam

United States

Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross rare
Navy Cross uncommon
Air Force Cross uncommon
Silver Star uncommon
Distinguished Flying Cross uncommon
Air Medal frequent
Purple Heart frequent
Bronze Star frequent
Presidential Unit Citation rare
Vietnam Service Medal very common
National Defense Service Medal very common
Commendation Medal common

Prominent figures of the Vietnam War

South Vietnamese

American

South Korean

North Vietnamese

Cambodian

Soviet Union

China

Media relating to the Vietnam War

Non-fiction

David H. Hackworth. 1989 About Face
A.J. Langguth. 2000. Our Vietnam: the War 1954–1975.
Mann, Robert. 2002. Grand Delusion, A: America's Descent Into Vietnam.
Windrow, Martin. 2005. The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam.
Bernard Fall. 1967. Hell in a Very Small Place: the Siege of Dien Bien Phu.
Harvey Pekar. 2003. American Splendor: Unsung Hero
Prados, John. 2000. The Blood Road: The Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Vietnam War.
Prados, John. 1999. Valley of Decision: The Siege of Khe Sanh.
Shultz, Robert H. Jr. 2000. The Secret War Against Hanoi: The Untold Story of Spies, Saboteurs, and Covert Warriors in North Vietnam.
Plaster, John L. 1998. SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam.
Murphy, Edward F. 1995. Dak To: America's Sky Soldiers in South Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Nolan, Keith W. 1996. The Battle for Saigon: Tet 1968.
Nolan, Keith W. 1996. Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann.
Nolan, Keith W. 1992. Operation Buffalo: USMC Fight for the DMZ.
Nolan, Keith W. 2003. Ripcord : Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970.
Robert S. McNamara. 1996. In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.
Larry Berman. 2002. No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger, and Betrayal in Vietnam.
Bergerud, Eric M. 1994. Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning: The World of a Combat Division in Vietnam.
Bernard Edelman. 2002. Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam.
Darrel D. Whitcomb. 1999. The Rescue of Bat 21.
Oberdorfer, Don. 1971. Tet: the Story of a Battle and its Historic Aftermath.
LTG Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. 1992. We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young.
Duiker, William J. 2002. Ho Chi Minh: A Life.
John Laurence. 2002. The Cat from Hue: A Vietnam War Story.
Gloria Emerson. 1976. Winners and Losers: Battles, Retreats, Gains, Losses and Ruins from a Long War.
Philip Caputo. 1977. A Rumor of War.
Al Santoli. 1981. Everything We Had: an Oral History of the Vietnam War by 33 American Soldiers Who Fought It.
Robert C. Mason. 1983. Chickenhawk.
Michael Herr. 1977. Dispatches.
Joseph T. Ward. 1991. Dear Mom: a Sniper's Vietnam.
Hemphill, Robert. 1998. Platoon: Bravo Company.
Noam Chomsky. 1967. The Responsibility of Intellectuals.
Moore, Robin. 1965 The Green Berets (ISBN 0-312-98492-8)
Tim O'Brien. 1973. If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send Me Home.
Frank W. Snepp III. 1977. Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam
Strunk, John. 2015. "We Walked Across Their Graves" Vietnam 1967-The Que Son Valley
Hayes, Roger. 2000. On Point

Fiction

Robert Olen Butler. 1992. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
Nelson Demille. 2002. Up Country.
Garth Ennis. 2003. The Punisher: Born
Daniel Ford. 1967. Incident at Muc Wa (filmed 1976 as Go Tell the Spartans).
Graham Greene. 1955. The Quiet American (filmed 1958, 2002).
Larry Heinemann. 1986. Paco's Story.
Gustav Hasford. 1979. The Short-Timers (filmed 1987 as Full Metal Jacket).
Duong Thu Hương. 2005. No Man's Land.
Phillip Jennings. 2005. Nam-a-Rama.
Denis Johnson. 2007. Tree of Smoke.
Karl Marlantes. 2010. Matterhorn.
William Pelfrey. 1984. The Big V.
Stephen King. 1999. Hearts in Atlantis. (filmed 2001 as "Hearts in Atlantis")
Walter Dean Myers. 1995. Fallen Angels
Bao Ninh. 1995. The Sorrow of War.
Tim O'Brien. 1978. Going After Cacciato.
Tim O'Brien. 1990. The Things They Carried.
Edward B. Robinson. 2006. The Godhead
James H. Webb. 1978. Fields of Fire.
John M. Del Vecchio. 1982. The 13th Valley.
Wayne Care. 1989. Vietnam Spook Show.

Film

Other

The musical Miss Saigon
The straight play Letter from the South^[3]
The Peking Opera Letter from the South^[4]^[5]^[6]
The lianhuanhua Letter from the South^[7]