May 27, 1954
Ceasefire
Vietnam & France agree a ceasefire
Database labels: Ceasefire
Vietnam War authority guide
Geneva Accords 1954: Indochina Ceasefire and Division of Vietnam
The 1954 Geneva settlement followed the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and brought the First Indochina War to an end. Negotiations involved France, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the State of Vietnam, Britain, the Soviet Union, China, Laos and Cambodia, while the United States participated without signing the Final Declaration.
The agreements created a temporary military demarcation line in Vietnam and anticipated nationwide elections, while also addressing Laos and Cambodia. The settlement did not produce a durable political solution, and the division of Vietnam became the framework within which the later Vietnam War developed.
22 matching database rows18 consolidated chronology entries1954Key people: Ho Chi-Minh, Pierre Mendes, Sihanouk, Dwight David Eisenhower
People in the records
Ho Chi-Minh, Pierre Mendes, Sihanouk, Dwight David Eisenhower, John Foster Dulles, Chou En-Lai, Robert Anthony Eden, Nguyen Quoc Dinh
Places in the records
Geneva
How duplicates are handled
Near-identical rows with the same date and place are consolidated for this page. The underlying database records remain unchanged and searchable on the main Vietnam War page.
Consolidated database chronology
Timeline of related events
Chronology is ordered by year, month and day where those fields are present.
May 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
The US does not want to recognize Beijing & Hanoi. Seeks unification through free elections supervised by the UN. Ignores the "Final Declaration", pledges unity through United Nations supervised elections. Ignores the "Final Declaration". Despite general agreement the "Final Declaration" is not signed
Database labels: Conference of Geneva; Election · 2 related database rows consolidated
May 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Vietnam & France agree a ceasefire. Elections will be held in South Vietnam supervised by France
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 20, 1954
Accords of Geneva
Represents the SVN during the signing of the Geneva Accords
Database labels: Accords of Geneva · 2 related database rows consolidated
July 20, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Opening day of the Geneva Conference to discuss peace in Vietnam
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
A ceasefire with France is agreed.
Database labels: Ceasefire; Conference of Geneva · 2 related database rows consolidated
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Present at the Geneva Conference which partitions Vietnam
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Agrees to temporarily divide Vietnam in half pending elections unite Vietnam.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Despite general agreement the "Final Declaration" is not signed.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
French troops be withdraw from north Vietnam & the Vietminh will withdraw from the sth.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
South Vietnam, Laos & Kampuchea will become independent states protected by SEATO.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Territory north of the 17th Parallel will go to the Government of Ho Chi Minh.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
The US does not want to recognize Beijing & Hanoi.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Vietnam is partitioned above latitude 17 degrees north.
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Serves with Molotov as joint Chairman of the Geneva Conference
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Conference of Geneva
Sihanouks Royal Government is granted international recognition
Database labels: Conference of Geneva
July 27, 1954
Independence of Kampuchea
The Conference of Geneva recognizes the independence of Kampuchea, Kampuchea
Database labels: Independence of Kampuchea
August 1954
Operation Passage to Freedom
The Geneva Accords also provided a 300 day grace period, so that civilians could relocate to North or South Vietnam.
Database labels: Accords of Geneva; Operation Passage to Freedom · 2 related database rows consolidated
Sources and historical verification
This authority page consolidates World History Database records into a readable chronology. The database rows are research-index entries; important claims should be checked against primary documents and specialist histories.
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Provenance
Compiled and edited by the World History Database from structured historical records. This page consolidates 22 matching rows into 18 chronology entries to reduce duplicate and near-duplicate display. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.