French Rule in Vietnam
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.3.1
The End of French Rule in Vietnam
The French had colonised Vietnam in the 19th Century, but during WW2, it had been taken over by Japan. In 1945, France wanted to reclaim Vietnam as a French colony.
Imperial France
- France had controlled Vietnam before WW2, but during the war it had been taken over by Japan and in 1945 France wanted Vietnam back.
- However, French rule was opposed by the nationalist group, the Viet Minh (set up by Ho Chi Minh) who wanted Vietnamese independence.
- The Viet Minh were strongest in the Northern part of Vietnam.
Fear of communism
- In 1949 China became communist, and the USA was scared communism would spread into Vietnam as China sent military supplies to the Viet Minh.
- In response, the USA sent the French military supplies and advisors.
- They were paying about 80% of France’s military costs by 1954.
French defeat
- In the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French were surrounded and defeated by the Viet Minh after 55 days of fighting and left Vietnam.
- The USA didn’t help because they didn’t want to get involved in another large scale war after WW2 and had spent a lot of money on a recent war in Korea.
Reasons the French lost
- The Viet Minh knew the area well and used it to their advantage to surprise the French.
- China supported the Viet Minh with troops and supplies.
- Local villagers helped the Viet Minh by moving supplies and spying on the French army.
Reasons the French lost cont.
- The Viet Minh were committed and worked round the clock to defeat the French.
- The French underestimated the Viet Minh, and the French troops did not care about France having control of Vietnam.
The Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords on 21st July 1954 were attended by nine countries. They agreed the following.
The agreements:
- Vietnam was temporarily split in two along the 17th parallel, with a demilitarised zone in the middle.
- Elections would be held in 1956 to decide who would rule the whole of Vietnam, but no clear system was agreed.
- No foreign military forces could set up military bases anywhere in Vietnam.
The agreements cont.:
- Ho Chi Minh would control a small area of the North.
- Bao Dai would run the South, but was soon replaced by Ngo Dinh Diem- a strong anti-communist.
- Nobody could move into the other half of the country for 300 days.
Responses to that Accords
- The USA and the South Vietnamese refused to agree to the demands.
- The North was forced to accept the demands by their ally China, although they felt that they had been given a smaller area than the one they had controlled in 1945.
Test yourself on French Rule in Vietnam
Which battle in 1954 caused France to leave Vietnam after being defeated by the Viet Minh?
How many countries attended the Geneva Accords on 21st July 1954?
How many days did the Geneva Accords order no one to move into the other half of Vietnam? (i.e. stay in the North or the South)
Who refused to accept the Geneva Accords?