January 12, 1962
Chopper
US helicopters ferry 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep an NFL stroghold
Database labels: Chopper
Vietnam War year hub
Vietnam War in 1962: Timeline, Events, Battles and People
The World History Database contains 21 Vietnam/Indochina records dated 1962. After consolidating near-identical rows that describe the same dated event, this year hub presents 20 distinct chronology entries. Frequently represented events include Sunrise, Operation Ranchand, Plot, Aid to Vietnam, Chopper. Frequently represented people include John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Ngo Dinh Diem, Maxwell Taylor, Mike Mansfield, Robert Francis Kennedy.
21 database rows20 consolidated events
Key events
Sunrise, Operation Ranchand, Plot, Aid to Vietnam, Chopper, Farm Gate, Chairman
People
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Ngo Dinh Diem, Maxwell Taylor, Mike Mansfield, Robert Francis Kennedy, Cyrus Vance, John Paul Vann
Places
Saigon, Washington, Mekong Delta, Binh Duong, Hue, Vietnam
Chronology for 1962
January 13, 1962
Farm Gate
Farm Gate aircraft fly their 1st combat mission
Database labels: Farm Gate
February 2, 1962
Operation Ranchand
Bombing trails used by the Viet Cong, 6 million acres treated with herbicides by 1971
Database labels: Operation Ranchand
February 8, 1962
MACV Established
Establishes Military Assistance Command Vietnam
Database labels: MACV Established
February 8, 1962
MACV Formation
Becomes first commander of Military Assistance Command Vietnam
Database labels: MACV Formation
March 22, 1962
Sunrise
An operation to corral peasants into armed stockades & seal them off from the Vietcong. 50 hamlets are infiltrated & taken over by Viet Cong who kill village leaders
Database labels: Sunrise
March 1962
Sunrise
Diem orders bombing raids against suspected Viet Cong-controlled hamlets
Database labels: Sunrise
May 1962
Aid to Vietnam
5,000 troops are present in South Vietnam
Database labels: Aid to Vietnam
1962
Advisory War
Serves as a prominent American adviser in South Vietnam
Database labels: Advisory War
1962
Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
Avoids losing his life when the Presidential Palace is bombed. Announces on the radio that he owes his life to "divine protection"
Database labels: Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem; Plot · 2 related database rows consolidated
1962
Chairman
Appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Database labels: Chairman
1962
Diem Regime Influence
Remains an influential figure in the Diem family's political network
Database labels: Diem Regime Influence
1962
Mobilization
Sent to Vietnam by Kennedy, reports the US has spent $2 billion in 7 yrs
Database labels: Mobilization
1962
Operation Ranchand
The goal is to clear vegetation alongside highways to prevent Vietcong concealment. Forests are sprayed with "Agent Orange," an herbicide containing deadly dioxin
Database labels: Operation Ranchand
1962
Plot
Helps drop a bomb on Diem in his Presidential Palace, Diem survives
Database labels: Plot
1962
Secretary of Army
Appointed Secretary of the Army
Database labels: Secretary of Army
1962
Strategic Hamlet Program
Promotes the Strategic Hamlet Program against communist influence in the countryside
Database labels: Strategic Hamlet Program
1962
Sunrise
Thao believes this will win sympathy for the Vietcong. Oversees the programm to create peasant built stockades
Database labels: Sunrise
1962
Vietnam Assessment
Directs Pentagon assessments of the expanding advisory war
Database labels: Vietnam Assessment
1962
Visit to Saigon
Visits Siagon & states that America is going to win the War
Database labels: Visit to Saigon
Explore related Vietnam War guides
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.
Provenance
This year page is generated from World History Database records for 1962. Near-identical rows sharing date and place context are consolidated for display while the original database remains unchanged. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.