Conversation so far:
escalation of the war in vietnam began with what incident
The Gulf of Tonkin incident was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War.
when was the gulf of tonkin incident?
The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred August 2, 1964.
was there another name for the gulf of tonkin incident?
The Gulf of Tonkin incident is also known as the USS Maddox incident.

Question: who were the belligerents of the incident?
Self-contained rewrite: who were the belligerents of the gulf of tonkin incident?