What was the catalyst in the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

There was no shot heard around the world (Concord Bridge-Revolutionary War); there was no Ft. Sumter (US Civil War); there was no un-restricted submarine warfare (WWI); there was no Pearl Harbor (WWII); there was no invasion of the South (Korean War); Vietnam grew like a cancer...no one knew about it, no one suspected it, no one even worried about it (matter of fact no one even heard of the place...nor could they even pronounce the name properly)...it just happened!

Answer 2

Naval action between units of the North Vietnamese Navy & US Navy on 02 August 1964 & alleged action on 04 August 1964 in the Tonkin Gulf ignited open warfare between North Vietnam and the US.

Answer 3

Handling the local Viet Cong (VC) in South Vietnam was one thing. When northern troops began infiltrating down into the South, that was another. That may have been the "catalyst."