The Vietnam War started in 1954. A key date marking the beginning is June 1, 1954, when the Saigon Military Mission was launched under the command of U.S. Air Force Col. Edward Lansdale. This mission marked the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, mostly in a support role for South Vietnam’s government under President Ngo Dinh Diem. The war lasted until 1975. The war itself arose after the end of French colonial rule following the Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, and the subsequent division of Vietnam at the 17th parallel through the Geneva Accords in July 1954.

From the U.S. perspective, full-scale involvement is often dated later, with direct military actions increasing notably from 1961 onwards and the large- scale deployment of U.S. soldiers beginning around 1965. Thus, the official start tied to the broader conflict is 1954, while U.S. active military involvement escalated later in the 1960s.