1959 in the Vietnam War

1959 in Vietnam saw the country still split into South Vietnam and communist North Vietnam. South Vietnam was ruled by the corrupt President Ngo Dinh Diem. In August of this year was an election to choose the members of South Vietnam's National Assembly. The election was marred by intimidation and fraud yet even these methods couldn't prevent Phan Quang Dan from winning a seat. To prevent loss of power Diem had him arrested for voter fraud.

1959 was also the start all out military action when on September 16 two companies of the ARVN 23d Division were ambushed by a well-organized force of several hundred identified only as the 2d Liberation Battalion. The Americans had been in Vietnam since November 1, 1955. 1955 was when the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) that reorganized from a general Indochina into the different countries that the deployments were stationed. So on November 1, 1955 a Vietnamese MAAG was created.

August
The 1959 South Vietnamese legislative election was an election to choose the members of South Vietnam's National Assembly to serve a three year terms. The election was comfortably won, through fraud, by National Revolutionary Movement, the party of President Ngo Dinh Diem.

May
Group 559 was a transportation and logistical unit of the People's Army of Vietnam that was subordinate to the Rear Services General Directorate. It was established on 19 May 1959 in order to move troops, weapons, and material (by sea and land) from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and to build and maintain support facilities en route.
 * May 19

September
Two companies of the ARVN 23d Division were ambushed by a well-organized force of several hundred identified as the "2d Liberation Battalion"; the ARVN units lost 12 killed, 14 wounded, and most of their weapons. Thus starting the Vietnam War.
 * September 26