Declaration of War
War breaks out in Saigon
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1955 in Vietnam
Explore 21 historical events and records for Vietnam in 1955.
Historical records for Vietnam in 1955
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 21 of 21 unique records.
21Unique records
1 of 1Page
15Named events on this page
3Named people on this page
3Places on this page
April
Rebellion of Binh Xuyen
Supporters of Diem defeat Bao Dai & force Binh Xuyen rebels out of the capital
May
Capture of Saigon
Supporters of Prime Minister drive the Binh Xuyen rebels out of the capital
Alliance France and South Vietnam
France agrees to deploy troops against the Vietminh
July
Alliance Ho Chi-Minh and give North Vietnam $338m in economic aid
China promises to give North Vietnam $338m in economic aid
Accords of Geneva
Rejects the Geneva accords & the elections, a decision backed up by the USA. Diem refuses to hold the reunification elections, pointing out that the State of Vietnam had not signed the Geneva Accords
Election
Rejects the Geneva accords & the elections, a decision backed up by the USA. Diem refuses to hold the reunification elections, pointing out that the State of Vietnam had not signed the Geneva Accords
President of Vietnam
Appointed Prime Minister of Southern Vietnam, 2nd term
September
Deputy PM Appointed
Appointed Deputy Prime Minister while retaining major military responsibilities
October
Dismissal
Bao Dai dismisses Prime Minister Diem but Diem refuses to resign
Constitution of Vietnam
Diem proclaims a South Vietnamese Republic. A constitution was written by a rubber stamp legislature which gave Diem the power to create laws by decree and arbitrarily give himself emergency powers
Referendum
Diem proclaims a South Vietnamese Republic. A referendum gives PM Diem an overwhelming majority over Bao Dai
US-Backed Referendum
Consolidates power in South Vietnam with US support
Constitution of Vietnam
Diem declares himself President & a Republic is declared
President of Vietnam
Appointed President of Southern Vietnam, Emperor Annam is rejected
Constitution of Vietnam
Diem scheduled a referendum for October 1955 on whether South Vietnam should become a republic, Diem wins the referendum, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam. Diem refuses to hold the reunification elections, pointing out that the State of Vietnam had not signed the Geneva Accords
Election
Diem refuses to hold the reunification elections, pointing out that the State of Vietnam had not signed the Geneva Accords
Independence of Vietnam
Diem scheduled a referendum for October 1955 on whether South Vietnam should become a republic, Diem wins the referendum, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam
President of Vietnam
Diem scheduled a referendum for October 1955 on whether South Vietnam should become a republic, Diem wins the referendum, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam
Referendum
Diem scheduled a referendum for October 1955 on whether South Vietnam should become a republic, Diem wins the referendum, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam
Republic of Vietnam
Diem scheduled a referendum for October 1955 on whether South Vietnam should become a republic, Diem wins the referendum, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.