By 1952, the VNA had more than 120,000 soldiers and was fighting alongside the CEFEO in many anti-Viet Minh campaigns. Publisher: Alpha History In early 1949, the French, frustrated by a lack of progress in the war, changed tack. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. In a speech given on September 2, 1945, Ho announced the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, modeled nearly verbatim after the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, to half a million people assembled in Ba Dinh Square. Thus ended the conception that these states were united to form “French Indochina.” Some of the footage is graphic in nature! Indochina wars, 20th-century conflicts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, with the principal involvement of France (1946–54) and later the United States (beginning in the 1950s). A learned and articulate man, Giap spent most of the 1930s teaching history, while contributing to and editing several socialist newspapers. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. The Second Indochina War is a remarkable little book. “They were determined to go on h… Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. Danang Vietnam Vietnam War Military Photos Military History Hanoi First Indochina War French Foreign Legion Vietnam History War Photography HugeDomains.com - Shop for over 300,000 Premium Domains French; Bastille Day, 1954: Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion parade through the streets of Hanoi, two months after their compatriots surrendered at Dien Bien Phu Recruits were promised good pay and the opportunity to serve in France (promises that were later broken). While these groups welcomed Vietnamese independence, they harboured fears about communism and refused to support the Viet Minh, viewing them as lower class bandits led by political troublemakers. The medal on offer is an original full-size French campign medal die struck at the Paris Mint and described below: - France: Indochina Campaign Medal 1945-1954. It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Directly after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Vietnam's communist Viet Minh National Congress met in Tan Trao to ratify the Central Committee’s recommendation to begin a general uprising in the hopes of ousting the Japanese military command. The Indochina war that began with a win for Western forces in 1946 continued until 1954 when the loss of Dien Bien Phu after an epic siege of 55 days. The first two years of the war (1947-48) was marked by sporadic fighting. Giap and Ho Chi Minh adapted Mao’s strategies to conditions in their own country. When the news of Japan’s surrender in World War II arrived, the local Japanese military command turned over governance to the local authorities. Timeline of the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War). This change in tactics led to a decisive military confrontation at Dien Bien Phu. French Indochina included Cambodia and Laos plus Tonkin, Annam, and Cochin China. Vietnam War memory quiz – events 1946-1964, Vietnam War memory quiz – events 1965-1975, Vietnam War memory quiz – terms and concepts (I), Vietnam War memory quiz – terms and concepts (II). This is known as the Haiphon… ----- The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Despite heavily outnumbering French forces, the Viet Minh were hindered by severe weapons shortages, particularly a lack of artillery and munitions. See more ideas about first indochina war, war, vietnam war. From Indochina to Vietnam: Revolution and War in a Global Perspective. France had been a long-time occupier of Vietnam before 1954. Title: “The First Indochina War” French businessmen and a small number of Vietnamese became wealthy, while most became poorer. Citation information In 1954, during the French Indochina War, an Eurasian female smuggler and a group of French Foreign Legion mercenaries, infiltrate the enemy territory in order to destroy an arms depot. It was a composite military force containing native Frenchmen, pro-French Vietnamese and troops from other French colonies in Africa, as well as units of the French Foreign Legion. “The French had controlled Vietnam for a couple of generations,” explains Ed Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University and author of Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. The Indochina Wars were a series of conflicts in Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1989.. Hoping to undermine the Viet Minh’s supporter base, France set up an alternative Vietnamese government, more moderate and pro-French than the Viet Minh. .. $19.90. "Indochina is the first and best general history of French colonial Indochina from its inception in 1858 to its crumbling in 1954. The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina on December 19, 1946, and lasted until July 20, 1954. But in the end, the United States carried the heaviest burden in defending against that aggression. VNA officers were given the same command training as French soldiers. On November 23, 1946, the French fleet bombarded the Vietnamese sections of the city killing 6,000 Vietnamese civilians in one afternoon. The United States also saw the Indochina situation as a potential example of The Domino Theory, which holds that if a country falls to communism, weaker surrounding nations also eventually fall. Date accessed: December 31, 2020 Kindle Unlimited -- Korean War: A Captivating Guide to the Korean War History and Vietnam War: A Captivating Guide to the Second Indochina War just 2 of the War books, with others on other wars, and some of the major figures involved in them. Tension and hostility between the independence-seeking Viet Minh and returning French colonial forces led to the outbreak of the First Indochina War in late 1946. Out of the “United Action” approach came the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, referred to as the Manila Pact. The backing of the Vietnamese people was important because they could supply food, information and cover for Viet Minh troops (Giap often cited Mao Zedong’s saying: “A guerrilla soldier swims through the people like a fish swims through the sea”). It ended with the French defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phuand French withdrawal from Vietnam. Ho’s attempt to garner support from the United States was useless because, unknown by him, the fate of Indochina had already been decided at the Potsdam Conference. Once Hanoi fell, the Viet Minh declared its independence, established the provisional government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), and made Ho president and minister of foreign affairs. One invaluable source of ideas was a 1936 pamphlet called Problems of Strategy in China’s Revolutionary War, written by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. After the March 1945 coup d'état orchestrated by the Japanese against the French in Indochina, Roosevelt proclaimed that France was not competent enough to maintain its colonial possessions. Bao Dai’s new government was encouraged to form a new military force, the Vietnamese National Army (VNA). Increasing United States involvement over the years culminated in a major war from 1965 to 1973 – the effects of which are still felt today. It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Giap was not daunted by these shortcomings. "Vietnam 1946" is a deep historical study and synthesis of a momentous year in Vietnam and the French Indochina Union, when major decisions were made, leading to a 30 years' war for Vietnam independence, which was further aggravated by the 'Cold War" between the West and the Soviet Union. The First Indochina War (called the Indochina War in France and the French War in Vietnam) began after the end of World War II in 1945 and lasted until the French defeat in 1954. The intention was to make the war costly and unpopular back in France. The Viet Minh had superior numbers but lack the weapons, munitions and technology of the French. But because of political instability in South Vietnam and fears that a communist leadership would not allow free elections, Dulles later argued that it was in the best interest of the U.S. to allow Diem to hold a rigged referendum ahead of the elections that had been mandated by the Geneva Conference. After their 1944 return to Vietnam, Giap was tasked with overseeing the Viet Minh’s military forces. The wars are often called the French Indochina War and the Vietnam War (q.v. The Allies had agreed to a Japanese surrender of their occupation of Indochina above the 17th parallel and the British surrender south of that line. This series offers original studies on the long struggles for Vietnam. 5. He was encouraged to form a national army, which later provided support to the French CEFEO. Having traveled to France to sign a cease-fire agreement and to negotiate eventual freedom for the Vietnamese people, Ho Chi Minh felt betrayed by the French government when the puppet government of Bao Dai was established in his absence in 1947. The goals of the North Vietnamese in South Vietnam were summarized in Ho Chi Minh's three-point battle cry: "Defend the North, Free the South, and Unite the Country." This was itself a tactical move because Viet Minh support was much weaker in the south, which contained higher numbers of Vietnamese middle class, Francophiles, Catholics, Confucians, Buddhists, political liberals and moderates. Anxious to re-establish their colony of 60 years, the French brought in forces in 1946 that included soldiers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. During the first phase of the war, many CEFEO troops had no uniforms or standard-issue weapons; they had to rely on whatever they could scrounge or capture. See more ideas about First indochina war, French foreign legion, Vietnam war. The CEFEO was able to quickly capture and control the major cities, while the Viet Minh followed Giap’s strategic plan and withdrew into the mountains. See more ideas about first indochina war, vietnam war, vietnam. This Vietnam War website is created and maintained by Alpha History. Paris sought to undermine the Viet Minh by establishing the independent republic of Vietnam. By the end of 1946, Giap’s northern Viet Minh units boasted 60,000 men – but they were armed with only 40,000 rifles. Log into your account. America`s Vietnam War in Indochina. In July 1954, after one hundred years of colonial rule, a defeated France was forced to leave Vietnam. In addition, Viet Minh soldiers were largely untrained and had little understanding of military organisation, discipline or strategy. But if he stays agile and keeps his mobility, he will finally vanquish the elephant, who will bleed to death from a multitude of small cuts.”. The Second Indochina War, 1954-1975, grew out of the long conflict between France and Vietnam. With hostilities ended, Laos and Cambodia were recognized as independent countries, and Vietnam was partitioned along the 17th parallel. Second Indochina War: A military conflict known commonly in the United States as the Vietnam War and in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America or the American War, that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1955 (with some sources citing 1956 or 1959 as the starting date) to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Driven by anti-communist agendas, the Chinese and British allowed the restoration of French colonial rule, rather than leaving Vietnam in the hands of “red bandits”. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. The decision not to allow free elections fueled the Viet Minh’s resolve to re-unify Vietnam. France was economically devastated by World War II so the French government had to mobilise the CEFEO on a shoestring budget. French Indochina was the collective name for the French colonial regions of Southeast Asia from colonization in 1887 to independence and the subsequent Vietnam Wars of the mid-1900s. After France's defeat by the Vietnamese in the First Indochina War, the U.S. became embroiled in a second war, which Americans call the Vietnam War. President Franklin D. Roosevelthad a keen sense for foreign policy. On November 23, 1946 the French fleet began a naval bombardment of the city that killed over 6,000 Vietnamese civilians in one afternoon according to one source or over 2,000 a…