The Vietnam War had its roots in the French colonization of Vietnam. France occupied Vietnam in the late 19th century, treating it as a colony and exploiting its resources. This colonization led to growing unrest among the Vietnamese people, who yearned for independence.

In 1945, following Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, Vietnam declared its independence under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, a nationalist and communist revolutionary. However, France sought to re-establish its control over the region and a conflict between the Vietnamese nationalists and French colonial forces erupted.

By 1954, after years of fighting, the Geneva Accords were signed, partitioning Vietnam along the 17th parallel into North Vietnam, governed by Ho Chi Minh and his communist forces, and South Vietnam, led by anti-communist regimes. This division set the stage for further escalation with the United States getting involved in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism.

The United States initially provided financial aid and military advisors to South Vietnam's government. However, as the communist insurgency in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, grew stronger, the U.S. intervention escalated. In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which U.S. destroyers claimed to have been attacked by North Vietnamese forces, led to Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, effectively giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers to escalate the U.S. military presence in Vietnam.