French Indochina date
1887 - 1954
What did the French Indochina consist of?
Modern day Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
The Viet Minh aims
- they wanted independence from the French
- wanted to set up a communist gov. of Vietnam
Viet Minh leader/supporters
Ho Chi Minh
supported by the chinese
Viet Minh advantages over French
- local: they knew their terrain and could use it to their advantage
- willing to fight and die for their homeland and their future
French Indochina vs Viet Minh war
- 1954: FRA engaged in combat with Viet Minh
- FRA was confident that their superior tech could defeat the Viet Minh- set up a defended airbase at Dien Bien Phu
- French set up a trap for themselves
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP?
- Local conditions
- China’s help
- French problems
- Local support
- Viet Minh commitment
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP? (Local Conditions)
- the Viet Minh understood the country and its conditions
- saw access to the mountains was possible
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP? (China’s help)
- provided weapons and ammo
- 20,000 bikes to move supplies
- helped in planning
- sent some troops
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP? ( French problems)
- underestimated support for the Viet Minh and how well-armed they are
- French supply planes were shot down
- Troops lacked commitment, they were not fighting for their home
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP? (Local support)
- local villagers helped the Vietminh to dig five new roads to move supplies/ helped move supplies
- spied on the French
Why did Viet Minh win at DBP? (Viet Minh commitment)
- worked all day and night to build roads and move supplies
- fought for their independence from French rule
The Geneva accords - why was Vietnam divided?
- after Dien Bien Phi, French and Vietnamese representatives met at neutral Switzerland for peace talks.
- July 1954- Geneva accords signed. Neither side was happy
Reasons why North Vietnam was unhappy:
- Ho Chi Minh controlled less land than they had at the end of the war with France
- Ho Chi Minh would only run the North communist, Bad Dai would run the South with president DIEM (anti-communist)
Reasons why South Vietnam was unhappy:
- Vietnamese people could move 300 days after the accord. They worried people would desert the South for the communist North
- No US/ foreign troops could set up bases, and the south relied on American help - the USA refused to recognize the accords
Reasons why BOTH North and south Vietnam were unhappy:
- Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel with a demilitarized zone which no troops could enter. Both sides felt vulnerable to an attack
- No system pu in place for elections in 1956
What were the Viet Cong?
Communist fighters inside South Vietnam who wanted to overthrow the gov.
Why did the USA get involved in Vietnam?
The domino theory. Eisenhower feared the spread of communism
US involvement in Vietnam (1954- 1964)
March 1954- Dien Bien Phu, USA paid for 80% of French costs
May 1954- USA refused to help the French militarily
July 1954- USA joined in negotiations, but refused to accept the Geneva accords
Oct 1954- Eisenhower promised to support the S.V. gov.
Oct 1955- U.S. officials assisted with S.V. elections - Diem elected
July 1956 - Diem refused to hold elections. USA supported this
November 1960 - USA urged Diem to be more democratic after Viet Minh attempt to overthrow him
Jan 1961- Kennedy began sending military advisors to Vietnam
Jan 1962- 800 US green berets (special forces) helped set up hamlets (small settlements) - Strategic Hamlets Program
Jan 1963- US gave S.V. soldiers air support in the Battle of Ap Bac (they still lost)
Nov 1963- Kennedy assassinated. 16,000 US “advisors” in Vietnam by this time
Aug 1964- Gulf of Tonkin incident - the warship USS Maddox claims it came under attack. As a result, President Johnson authorized the use of U.S. forces in Vietnam.
Diem’s government (S.V.)
- referendum against Bao Dai rigged with US support
- catholic: favored catholics, BUT most people were buddhists
- nepotist
- little understanding of peasant’s lives
- refused to hold elections in 1956
examples of Diem’s oppression
- arrested political and religious opponents
- ‘denounce a communist campaign’
- 1957- he sent the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to find and arrest communists. 65,000 arrested and 2,000 killed
Kennedy’s approach to Vietnam
problems:
- 12,000 VC soldiers
- 1/2 of S.V. under partial communist control
- Diem not coping
approach:
- use ARVN (+ US support) to hunt and destroy VC
- win over the ‘hearts and minds’ of the villagers to pacify them
worsening oppression against buddhists (background)
In 1963, Diem’s position worsened - ARVN soldiers + US support lost the battle of Ap Bar despite outnumbering the VC 5: 1.
60 troops, 3 US advisors and 5 US helicopters were lost. Only 3 VC found dead -> BIG HUMILIATION.
worsening oppression against buddhists
- 9 were killed and 14 injured when ARVN soldiers fired at a Buddhist procession
- prohibition of flying flags on Buddha’s birthday
- Buddhist temples raided
- 11th June 1963 - Quang Duc burnt himself alive in Saignon in protest
