First Indochina War

• Outbreak of the First Indochina war


  ▪ After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the French returned and

  wanted to rule Vietnam again.

  ▪ They faced serious resistance from the Viet Minh

  ▪ Determined to take control of the whole country, the Viet Minh

  entered the city of Hanoi on 2 September 1945 and declared

  Vietnamese independence.
• First Indochina war


  ▪ The French refused to accept Vietnam’s claim to independence.

  ▪ Both sides tried to negotiate but tensions rose and fighting soon

  broke out in Dec 1946.

  ▪ The First Indochina War (1946-54) saw the Viet Minh use the same

  underground warfare tactics they used in WWII – now they are used

  against the French.
• First Indochina war (Role of China)


  By 1949, Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong defeated the KMT

  and set up a communist in China.

  ▪ China supported the Viet Minh by supplying food, medical supplies and weapons (from USSR)

  ▪ Mao also provided military advisors and training for the Viet Minh
• First Indochina War (Role of USA)


  ▪ Although USA was anti-colonial, the development of the Cold War and rise of Communist China turned USA against the Viet Minh.

  ▪ USA believed the Viet Minh and Ho was controlled by the USSR.

  ▪ They decided to support the French instead and supplied weapons
• First Indochina War Stalemate


  The First Indochina War dragged on to the early 1950s as both sides were at a stalemate and unable to win decisively.

  ▪ The French tried to lure the Viet Minh out into open battle against strongly defended bases

  ▪ They wanted to use their superior firepower to their advantage.
• First Indochina War (Battle of Dien Bien Phu)


  ▪ Dien Bien Phu was one of the strongly

  defended French bases.

  ▪ However, in 1954, the Viet Minh won

  a decisive victory over the large well-

  armed French forces there.

  ▪ They cut off their supply lines,

  depriving them of food and supplies.

  ▪ More than 2000 French troops were

  killed, and 11,000 captured after close

  to 2 months of fighting.
• END OF THE FIRST INDOCHINA WAR

  ▪ After Dien Bien Phu, the

  French lost interest in

  fighting for Vietnam.

  ▪ May 1945: the Geneva

  Conference held to discuss

  the end of the war.

  ▪ Attended by: France, the Viet

  Minh, USA, Soviet Union,

  China and Britain
• The Geneva Conference


  At the Geneva Conference in 1954, all parties

  involved agreed:

  ▪ Divide Vietnam into two along the 17th

  parallel. France would withdraw.

  ▪ Communist-dominated North Vietnam would

  be led by Ho Chi Minh

  ▪ Non-communist South Vietnam led by Prime

  Minister Ngo Dinh Diem

  ▪ Elections would be held by 1956 to establish a

  unified Vietnam