Vietnam has a long history dating back to ancient times with the establishment of the Van Lang state in the 7th century B.C. and has undergone many stages of development and foreign occupation. Notably, Vietnam was a French colony from the late 19th century until after World War II, with significant resistance movements and struggles for independence throughout that period. Regarding the Vietnam War specifically, it lasted from 1954 to 1975. The conflict officially began after the French colonial rule ended in 1954, and Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The war involved North Vietnam and its communist allies fighting against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war escalated in the early 1960s and ended in 1975 with the reunification of Vietnam under communist control. Key timeline points:
- Vietnamese independence struggle from French rule culminated in 1954 (Battle of Dien Bien Phu).
- The Vietnam War is generally marked as starting in 1955.
- The conflict ended on April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.
Thus, Vietnam as a nation has existed for over two millennia, but the Vietnam War occurred between 1954 and 1975 as a major historical conflict in the country's history.
