The Vietnam War

After nearly a century of French colonial rule, Vietnam emerges independent, but divided.

President John F. Kennedy and his advisers consider how deeply the U.S. should get involved in South Vietnam, as a communist insurgency and Buddhist protests intensify.

Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the bombing of North Vietnam, and sends U.S. ground troops to the south.

North Vietnamese troops make their way down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, defying American air power; while the anti-war movement escalates, American soldiers realize this war is like no other.

As casualties mount on both sides, American soldiers face deadly ambushes and artillery; President Johnson assures the public that victory is within reach.

Shaken by the violence of the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, Americans begin to doubt President Lyndon B. Johnson's promise that victory is near; Johnson decides not to seek re-election.