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PART D: VIETNAM'S FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE, Orange 2. - Coggle Diagram
PART D: VIETNAM'S FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE
Vietnamese resistance
● Despite the unfavourable post-war arrangements, Ho Chi Minh attempted to push for Vietnamese independence to be recognised, and continued to resist French attempts at re-occupation.
● In March 1946, Ho Chi Minh allowed the French troops to return to Hanoi temporarily, in exchange for French recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a free state within the French Union.
● Ho Chi Minh continued to negotiate for full independence and unification of Vietnam at the Fontainebleau Talks in July 1946.
● The talks failed as the French were unwilling to grant the Vietnamese any political concessions or promises of independence.
Vietnam'es fight for independence
The First Indochina War (1946-1954) 8 years!!
The First Indochina War broke out when the British and French forces re-occupied South Vietnam in 1946.
Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap led the Vietnamese in resisting French re-occupation and asserting their right to independence.
The war against the French lasted eight years until the Vietnamese secured their victory over the French in 1954.
Reason for Victory 1: Vietnamese Strengths
● The strengths of the Viet Minh gave them the advantage over the French forces during the war.
● As the majority of the Vietnamese had suffered under French colonial rule, and the people were also angry with the French for collaborating with the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation, Ho Chi Minh was able to garner mass support to fight the French.
● The use of sound military strategies, and support provided by the Chinese Communist Party helped the Viet Minh to defeat the French forces.
Reason for Victory 1a: Strong support base
● When the British and French forces re-occupied Saigon in South Vietnam, the Viet Minh fled to North Vietnam and established their headquarters in the mountainous region of Viet Bac.
● In North Vietnam, the Viet Minh started to implement reforms that would help improve the lives of the Vietnamese.
● They confiscated land from the landlords and re-distributed the land to the villagers.
● There were also education campaigns to increase literacy among Vietnamese villagers.
● The actions taken by the Viet Minh won the hearts and minds of the villagers, and gained their support and gratitude.
● These villagers thus became an important support base for the Viet Minh and provided supplies, intelligence reports, and manpower to fight the French.
Reason for Victory 1b: Effective military strategies
● Giap knew that his forces would not be able to win large-scale battles against the French forces, as the latter outnumbered the Viet Minh forces and were better equipped.
● Under the leadership of General Giap, the Viet Minh made effective tactical and strategic decisions in the war against the French forces, e.g. the use of guerrilla warfare.
o Carrying out 'hit-and-run' tactics, sabotage, and camouflage 🡪 hide in the jungle and draw the French forces to them rather than engage in battle in the open fields.
o To conceal themselves from the French forces, the Viet Minh dug a network of tunnels and underground shelters so that their soldiers could take refuge from the fighting above ground.
o The tunnels were furnished with facilities such as meeting rooms, dining areas, water wells, storage areas, ammunition rooms and sleeping chambers 🡪 Viet Minh forces could therefore strategise their next move in the safety of the tunnels and hide underground for long periods of time. The biggest tunnel system built by the Viet Minh stretched for more than 300 kilometres and is located in the Cu Chi district near Saigon.
Reason for Victory 1c: Support from the Chinese
● The Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War in October 1949, and established communist rule in China.
● In support of the communist revolution in Vietnam, China provided military aid to the Viet Minh.
● China equipped the Viet Minh with machine guns, large amounts of ammunition and communication equipment.
● The Chinese also advised the Viet Minh that it was important to fight a 'people's war' by mobilising support from all Vietnamese to contribute to the Viet Minh's war effort through the provision of transport, supplies and intelligence.
●The support from China thus played a significant role in bringing about the Viet Minh's eventual victory over the French.
Reason for Victory 2: French Weaknesses
● Although better equipped and larger in numbers, the French forces that were fighting in the First Indochina War could not gain the upper hand over the Viet Minh.
● During the war, France received support from the USA 🡪 In 1950, the USA granted millions of dollars in military aid as well as economic and technical assistance to France.
● Despite the initial advantages that the French had over the Viet Minh, they would ultimately suffer defeat and withdraw from Vietnam.
Reason for Victory 2a: Poor military planning and leadership
● A major weakness of the French forces was poor military planning and leadership.
● The French forces were not trained in guerrilla warfare, and were unable to develop effective counter-insurgency tactics against the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Minh.
●This was an important factor that led to the defeat of the French because the Viet Minh's guerrilla attacks resulted in massive casualties for the French forces.
● In addition, the French military commanders made fundamental errors such as the decision to engage in a battle against the Viet Minh forces in Dien Bien Phu, a remote area far away from the French headquarters in Hanoi.
● The remote location of the battle meant that the French were unable to sustain the fighting, as it took a longer time to send reinforcements when they suffered heavy casualties in the battle.
● As the fighting turned more violent, it became increasingly difficult for the French to send further reinforcements to the area.
● This error led to a significant military defeat for the French, which would ultimately signal the end of the First Indochina War.
Reason for Victory 2b: Unpopular political ally
●Apart from the military effort in fighting against the Viet Minh, the French also attempted to establish an alternative government for the State of Vietnam.
●The French hoped that this would rally the anti-communist political groups and strengthen French position in Vietnam.
● The French approached Bao Dai to be the Head of State for the State of Vietnam.
● They also helped to establish a military force known as the Vietnamese National Army (VNA) to support Bao Dai's government.
● However, Bao Dai was not a very charismatic leader and his reputation and political standing amongst the Vietnamese were undermined by years of collaboration with the French.
● Bao Dai's government was also made up of people with dubious reputations. Some of them were known to be involved in corruption and other crimes.
● The French thus failed to set up a strong government with adequate support from the Vietnamese that could challenge the communist government led by Ho Chi Minh.
French Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
● The French forces and the Viet Minh launched several attacks and military campaigns against each other in the early 1950s.
● However, none of the battles marked a turning point in the war as decisively as the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
● The French established a military base with a major force in Dien Bien Phu, a town in Northwest Vietnam, near the Vietnam-Laos border.
● The French had hoped to cut the Viet Minh's supply lines and establish a foothold with a large French force in the heart of the Viet Minh-controlled region.
● However, Dien Bien Phu was located at the bottom of a valley and the surrounding jungles were controlled by Giap's forces.
● The Viet Minh's artillery based in the jungles was thus invisible to the French forces in the valley below, allowing the Vietnamese to easily fire on the French forces without warning.
● When the Viet Minh decided to launch a surprise attack on the French forces, the French struggled to hold their position.
● The rainy season worsened the situation for the French as it made it difficult for them to obtain supplies and reinforcements by parachute.
● The monsoon rains also flooded the trenches and caused the bunkers to collapse. The fighting at Dien Bien Phu escalated as the Vietnamese repeatedly bombarded the French forces with heavy artillery.
● After two months of intensive fighting and heavy losses, the French were finally forced to surrender.
Orange 2.