After the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam claims its independence at a peace conference in Geneva. At this point, Vietnam is divided into the Communist North and the anti-Communist South. By 1958, the Viet Cong began using guerrilla tactics in the South. In March of 1965, U.S. troops enter Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder begins the continuous bombing of North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Over the next year, the U.S. continues to increase the number of troops in the region. In January 1973, U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam and POWs were released when an agreement was reached, effectively ending the war for the U.S. The end of the war came in April 1975 in Saigon, when South Vietnam surrendered to the North.
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