AMERICA AND VIETNAM: A NEW ERA : From War to Rapprochement

Key dates in U.S. relations with Vietnam, starting with early American military involvement in that country’s civil war.

* 1961: President John F. Kennedy begins buildup of American forces in Vietnam.

* 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson launches first air strikes against North Vietnam and imposes a trade embargo on Hanoi.

* 1965: United States sends first organized combat units, beginning with U.S. Marines landing in central Vietnam.

* 1968: Viet Cong launch Tet offensive, attacking more than 100 cities in the south.

* 1970: Opposition to the war crests, partly in response to shooting deaths of four Kent State University students during anti-war protests.

* 1973: United States signs peace agreement, which calls for withdrawal of U.S. military from the south and the release of prisoners of war.

* 1975: Viet Cong capture Saigon and the rest of the country, triggering an exodus of refugees that will continue for years.

* 1988: Vietnam begins cooperating to determine the fates of U.S. troops still missing and unaccounted for.

* 1991: Washington lifts ban on U.S. travel to Vietnam.

* 1992: President George Bush allows U.S. companies to open offices in Vietnam in preparation for lifting trade embargo.

* 1994: President Clinton lifts trade embargo dating back in 1964.

VIETNAM COMPARED TO OTHER WARS THIS CENTURY

Years U.S. deaths U.S. war costs World War I 1914-1918 116,516 $19 billion World War II 1939-1945 405,399 $263 billion Korean War 1950-1953 54,246 $67 billion Vietnam War 1959-1975 58,000 $150 billion

Sources: Los Angeles Times library, World Book