What event led to the U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was a pivotal event that escalated U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. In August 1964, the U.S. claimed that North Vietnamese forces had attacked American naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin. This incident prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to seek congressional approval for military action. Consequently, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted the president broad authority to use military force in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war. This marked the beginning of a significant increase in U.S. military presence and involvement in the Vietnam War, leading to a large-scale deployment of American troops and the deepening of U.S. engagement in the conflict.

Other events mentioned, such as the Tet Offensive, the fall of Saigon, and the Paris Peace Accords, occurred at different stages of the Vietnam War and resulted from the ongoing conflict rather than being the initial catalyst for U.S. military involvement. The Tet Offensive, for example, was a major military campaign conducted by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces in 1968 and significantly influenced American public perception of the war. The fall of Saigon in 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War, while the Paris Peace Accords, signed in