In the late 1940s, the French struggled to control its colonies in Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. … On May 7, 1954, the French-held garrison at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam fell after a four month siege led by Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, the French pulled out of the region.
What did the French do to the Vietnamese?
French colonists were interested in acquiring land, exploiting labour, exporting resources and making profit. 3. Vietnamese land was seized by the French and collectivised into large rice and rubber plantations. Local farmers were forced to labour on these plantations in difficult and dangerous conditions.
When did the French occupy Vietnam?
From the late 1800’s to 1954, Vietnam was part of a French colony called French Indochina. When the French first became interested in Indochina French missionaries sought to convert the Vietnamese to Catholicism, the religion of France.
What did Vietnam have that France wanted?
In 1949, in order to provide a political alternative to Ho Chi Minh, the French favored the creation of a unified State of Vietnam, and former Emperor Bảo Đại was put back in power. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became associated states of the French Union and were granted more autonomy.
Did the French start the Vietnam War?
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. … The Chinese accepted one Vietnamese government under Hồ Chí Minh, then in power in Hanoi (Tonkin’s capital).
Is Vietnam still communist?
Government of Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a one-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society.
Why did the French fail in Vietnam?
The French lost their Indochinese colonies due to political, military, diplomatic, economic and socio-cultural factors. The fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 signalled a loss of French power. … Duncanson records that Indochina once constituted the Associated States of Indochina – being Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
What was one result of French rule in Vietnam?
All leaders were required to renounce their Vietnamese citizenship. …
Why did the US get involved in Vietnam?
China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
How many years did France occupy Vietnam?
The French Indochina War broke out in 1946 and went on for eight years, with France’s war effort largely funded and supplied by the United States. Finally, with their shattering defeat by the Viet Minh at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, the French came to the end of their rule in Indochina.
Why was Vietnam divided?
Vietnam would be divided by a demilitarised zone (the DMZ), with the French withdrawing their forces from Vietnam north of the zone and the Viet Minh withdrawing their forces from the south. … Before long Diem’s authoritarian regime was challenged by local communists, backed by the regime in North Vietnam.
Is Vietnam an ally of the US?
As such, despite their historical past, today Vietnam is considered to be a potential ally of the United States, especially in the geopolitical context of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and in containment of Chinese expansionism.
What was the war in Vietnam over?
The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.
Why did US public opinion turn against the Vietnam War?
Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.