Origin of Vietnam Conflict

• • Vietnam was part of old French empire
  • Japan captured Vietnam during WW2
• • The Vietminh were formed under Ho Chi Minh
  • The Vietminh were a resistance group who wanted to remove foreign powers from Vietnam
  • Ho Chi Minh and Vietminh were popular with the Vietnamese
• • After WW2, France wanted Vietnam back
  • The Vietnamese wanted independence
  • This led to a war between the French and Vietminh in the 1950s
• • From 1949, China was already supporting the Vietminh
  • This led to the USA supporting the French as they were worried about the spread of communism in Southeast Asia
• • In 1954, the French were defeated by the Vietminh at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
  • The French's surrender led to the Geneva Accords