Before WWII Vietnam was controlled by France. During WWII, Japan took over Vietnam. The leader of Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh. He turned to communists for help. In 1939 he created a formal communist party, the goal was to lead revolts and strike against the French. On September 2nd, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence of France. By the end of 1945 Japan was forced out of Vietnam and France took over again. The U.S. aided the French during the French Indochina War by giving the French $15 million as aid to fight off the communist threat. The Geneca Accords were designed to secure peace in Vietnam but would eventually contribute to war. The leader of the Communistic North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh and the leader of the anti-communistic South Vietnam was Ngo Dinh Diem. The practices of Diem that angered the South Vietnamese was no land distribution to peasants, and angered majority of the buddhist population by restricting buddhist practices. He also was brutal and repressive.
The Vietcong were communist guerillas. Some were trained, most of the South were hated. On November 1, 1963, Ngo Diem was overthrown by Republic of Vietnam officers. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was when the North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in Gulf of Tonkin. On 1965, 200,000 American soldiers were sent to Vietnam and on 1967, 500,000 American troops were sent to Vietnam. The fighting tactics used by the Vietcong were unpredictable, unconventional, deceitful, depriving. The Americans attempt to expose the Vietcong tunnels and hideouts was to search and destroy missions. Richard Nixon was the president through the 1968 election and his policy of Vietnamization was to drop bombs on U.S. tunnels and hideouts. On April 30th, 1975, communist took over Saigon, Vietnam, U.S. and allies retreated and evacuated. This is the day all communist were dominated by North.