Vietnam War Origins & First Indochina War (1940–1954)

Question 1

Why did the French colonize Indochina (including Vietnam)?

Answer 1

• Wanted raw materials like rubber and rice for French industry.
• By 1887, Vietnam was fully part of French Indochina.
• Used harsh colonial rule — high taxes, censorship, land seized from peasants.
• Vietnamese nationalists (e.g., Phan Boi Chau) began resisting.
• 1930s: Rebellions crushed, but opposition grew underground.

Question 2

What happened during the Japanese occupation of Vietnam in WWII?

Answer 2

• Japan invaded in 1940, kept Vichy French officials in place.
• 2 million Vietnamese died in the 1945 famine, partly due to Japanese rice exports.
• Viet Minh resisted Japan and gained support from rural peasants.
• Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence in Sept 1945 after Japan’s surrender.
• Created a power vacuum the French tried to reoccupy.

Question 3

How and why was the Viet Minh formed?

Answer 3

• Formed in 1941 by Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Indochinese Communist Party.
• Aimed to fight for Vietnamese independence — against both France and Japan.
• Used guerrilla tactics and local support to build strength.
• Membership grew to around 500,000 by 1954.
• Gained weapons from USA (during WWII) and later China.

Question 4

How did China influence the Vietnam conflict?

Answer 4

• In 1949, China became communist — boosted Viet Minh morale.
• China supplied weapons, training, and safe havens near the border.
• Helped tip the balance of power in favour of the Viet Minh.
• US worried about the Domino Theory — feared communism spreading.
• Soviet Union also began to support Ho Chi Minh.

Question 5

What were the main features of the French war effort in Vietnam?

Answer 5

• War began in 1946 after French bombed Haiphong (6,000 civilians killed).
• Guerrilla warfare made French tactics ineffective.
• US funded 80% of French war costs by early 1950s.
• French casualties: over 90,000 dead across the war.
• French public lost support due to cost and losses.

Question 6

Why was Dien Bien Phu a turning point in the First Indochina War?

Answer 6

• Battle lasted 55 days (March–May 1954).
• Viet Minh used artillery in the hills, surprising French.
• Around 10,000 French soldiers were captured or killed.
• Major blow to French pride — led to peace negotiations.
• Symbol of anti-colonial victory in the Cold War era.

Question 7

What was agreed at the 1954 Geneva Conference?

Answer 7

• Vietnam temporarily split at the 17th Parallel.
• North = Ho Chi Minh (Communist), South = Bao Dai (then Diem, backed by US).
• National elections planned for 1956 (never happened).
• Over 1 million moved from North to South (fearing communism).
• France agreed to leave Vietnam completely.
• Laos and Cambodia would become independent nations

Question 8

What were the short-term consequences of the 1954 Geneva Agreement?

Answer 8

• Vietnam officially divided — no immediate reunification.
• South Vietnam backed by $1.6 billion in US aid by 1955.
• Diem refused elections, claiming communists would rig it.
• Viet Cong (communist guerrillas) began forming in South.
• US started sending military advisors — first step toward war.