What years are recognized as the duration of the Vietnam War?

The years recognized as the duration of the Vietnam War are 1955 to 1975. This timeframe is significant because it represents the period when the conflict escalated into a large-scale military engagement involving U.S. forces following the earlier involvement of French colonial interests and subsequent support for the South Vietnamese government.

The beginning of this period is often identified as 1955, when the U.S. began providing military assistance to the South Vietnamese government as part of its Cold War strategy to contain communism. The war effectively concluded in 1975, when North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, leading to the reunification of Vietnam.

Other date ranges may highlight specific phases or events within the broader context of the conflict, but 1955 to 1975 encompasses the entire span of significant U.S. involvement and the various military engagements that characterized the Vietnam War.