In the early 1950s North Vietnam had already defeated the French Colonial Administration and since they defeated them, they wanted to unify all of Vietnam into Communism. The problem here is that South Vietnam wasn't communist. South Vietnam closely related with the West like the US but North related with China and the USSR.

After a humiliating defeat with Vietnam, the French and Vietnam's government the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam.

The United States got involved in 1955 but in a smaller involvement compared to how it was going to be in a couple years. This was when South Vietnam was requesting military ordinance, assistance, and replacing the French in fear of Communism since Harry Truman and Ho Chi Minh signed an agreement.

The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident was what really escalated the involvement of The United States.

It was on August 2nd 1964 a US destroyer ship the USS Maddox was reportedly fired upon in The Gulf of Tonkin by North Vietnamese forces. This spurred congress to ask permission to increase the American military presence in Indochina.

Fighting tactics were brutal and very homemade. One fighting tactic was when the NVA would make tunnels to flank around the American troops

Another fighting tactic was homemade traps such as pungi sticks, snake pits, and IEDs against american troops.

Lastly, another fighting tactic was using napalms and carpet bombing against the NVA.

November 14-17,1965 Battle of la Drang Valley

First major battle between American forces and both would claim this is as a victory and using this to learn each others tactics

Another battle was the Battle of Khe Sanh Jan 21st to July 5th 1968. US established a special forces base in Khe Sanh to intercept weapons on the Ho Chi Minh trail. With only 6,000 marines stationed there 15 to 20 thousand NVA troops surrounded the base and began their assault. This was then an under siege situation and leading to an abandonment of the base.

Tet Offensive January 30th-March 28th 1968. Tet being a traditional Vietnamese holiday had been observed as an unofficial cease fire so the US and other forces thought. They never expected an assault in that degree from NVA officials, with the Vietcong badly hurt from this and continual losses, this was the turning point of the war basically declaring this war isn't ending anytime soon.

Ho Chi Minh led a long and ultimately successful campaign to make Vietnam independent. He was president of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1969, and was the most important person during the Vietnam War

William Westmoreland was a military general who commanded U.S. forces in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He treated the conflict as a war of attrition, which diminished domestic support. He is known for serving and overseeing many battles not just Vietnam.

Võ Nguyên Giáp was a self-taught general of the People's Army of Vietnam, communist revolutionary, politician and centenarian. Regarded as one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century, Giáp commanded Vietnamese communist forces in various wars.