This is the first of a series of nine chronological histories being prepared by the Marine Corps history and Museums Division to cover the entire span of marine Corps involvement in the Vietnam conflict. This particular volume covers a relatively obscure chapter in U.S. Marine history- the activities of Marines in Vietnam between 1954 and 1964. The narrative traces the evolution of those activities from a one-man advisory operation at the conclusion of the French-Indochina War in 1954 to the advisory and combat support activities of some 700 Marines at the end of 1964. As the introductory volume for the series this account has an important secondary objective: to establish a geographical, political and military foundation upon which the subsequent histories can be developed.