Battle of Phước Long begins

Congress passed the War Powers Resolution after years of expanding military action in Southeast Asia. It sought to reassert congressional authority over U.S. deployments, reflecting public and...

Chinese and South Vietnamese forces fought around the islands, which both governments claimed. The clash ended with Chinese control of the archipelago. Competing accounts of who initiated the firing...

A naval battle broke out as the People’s Republic of China moved to take control of the Paracel Islands, which the Republic of Vietnam also claimed. The conflict over maritime sovereignty continued...

Following the naval clash, Chinese forces occupied the Paracel Islands. Vietnam’s sovereignty dispute over the islands endured beyond the Vietnam War, illustrating how wartime partition and...

Richard Nixon resigned the U.S. presidency. The political crisis further weakened the ability of the U.S. executive to sustain promises of renewed military intervention in Vietnam, a factor understood...

After the Republic of Vietnam fell, former military officers and civil servants were required to register and attend “re-education.” Detention lasted far longer for many than the short periods...

North Vietnamese forces took Phước Long city and province. The United States did not intervene militarily, signaling to leaders in Hanoi that Washington was unlikely to return to direct combat. The...

People’s Army of Vietnam forces captured Phước Long city. The Republic of Vietnam’s defeat there, without a U.S. military response, informed strategic calculations on both sides before the final...

The campaign opened in the Central Highlands, where Vietnamese forces sought to break the Republic of Vietnam’s defensive position. The campaign rapidly became a turning point, setting off military...

The attack began a rapid series of military reversals for South Vietnam; the town fell on March 11. President Thiệu’s withdrawal decisions and command breakdown accelerated the collapse of...