Historical eventMay 181955

Operation Passage to Freedom

Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ended.

Everything on May 18Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, May 18 195571 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1950s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1955.

Place: Vietnam.

Type: mass migration and military operation.

What came before

Background Main articles: First Indochina War and Geneva Conference (1954) At the end of World War II, the Viet Minh had proclaimed independence under the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in September 1945. This occurred after the withdrawal of Imperial Japan , which had seized control of French Indochina during World War II. The military struggle restarted in November 1946 when France attempted to reassert control over Indochina with an attack on the northern port city of Haiphong . [ 1 ]

What happened

Operation Passage to Freedom was a term used by the United States Navy to describe the propaganda effort and the assistance in transporting 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to non-communist South Vietnam between the years 1954 and 1955. The French and other countries may have transported a further 500,000. In the wake of the French defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu,

May 18 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1955Operation Passage to Freedom
  2. 20062006 Nepalese revolution
  3. 2006Federal Parliament of Nepal
  4. 2009Sri Lanka Army
  5. 2009Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
  6. 2013Murder of Mark Carson
  7. 20152015 Colombian landslide
  8. 20182018 Santa Fe High School shooting
  9. 2018Cubana de Aviación Flight 0972
  10. 20192020 United States presidential election
  11. 20262026 Islamic Center of San Diego shooting

Also in 1955

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  • July 9Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein, Bertrand Russell (pictured) and nine other preeminent intellectuals and scientists issued the Russell–Einstein Manifesto…
  • July 9Russell–Einstein ManifestoThe Russell–Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction of the risk of nuclear warfare.
  • September 4Yumiko-chan incidentA white U.S. soldier raped and murdered a five-year-old local girl in Kadena, Okinawa.
  • October 29Naval mineAn explosion, likely caused by a World War II–era naval mine, capsized the Soviet ship Novorossiysk in the harbor of Sevastopol, with the…
  • January 7Marian AndersonMarian Anderson became the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
  • June 2Belgrade declarationThe USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration, legitimising different interpretations of Marxism in non-Soviet countries.

Everything we record for 1955 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Operation Passage to Freedom”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/operation-passage-to-freedom-1955-may-18, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Operation Passage to Freedom happen?

May 18 1955 — 71 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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