Watch this opening scene. What is happening?

Why did the French leave Vietnam in 1954? Wednesday, 18 April 2018 Why did the French leave Vietnam in 1954? The Indochinese War and the consequences of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Where is Vietnam? Vietnam is situated in South-East Asia. Wednesday, 18 April 2018 Where is Vietnam? Vietnam is situated in South-East Asia. Along with neighbouring countries Cambodia and Laos it is situated on a peninsula half way between India and China. 100 years ago, Vietnam didn’t even exist as a separate country...

French Indo-China Wednesday, 18 April 2018 100 years ago European countries had been busy grabbing land and building up huge empires. They had shared Africa out among themselves. They also took over land in Asia. France took over an area of land called Indo-China – what is now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 French Indo-China This area had lots of jungle and was perfect for rubber plantations. Cheap supplies of rubber from French Indo-China helped France grow rich. However the local population were exploited and used as slave labour for many years. Any rebellions against French rule were brutally crushed.

How did WWII affect Indochina? Wednesday, 18 April 2018 How did WWII affect Indochina? During WWII the situation in Indochina became chaotic as it was briefly captured by Japan and added to their expanding empire. A local resistance leader called Ho Chi Minh led a peasants army called the Vietminh, which fought against the Japanese. However following the defeat of Japan in 1945 Indochina seemed to be finally free of foreign rule. Ho Chi Minh, declared that the country was free and renamed it Vietnam. However a year later in 1946 the French returned – they wanted their old land back…

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 Activity Watch a video sequence and write a short profile of Ho Chi Minh. This will help you understand the longer term background to the Vietnam War so only brief notes are needed. Where was Indo-China? Why did the French take control of it 100 years ago? Who was Ho Chi Minh? What happened to Indo China during WW2? What happened at the end of WW2? Click above or watch DVD part 1 (0 to 6 minutes)

Indo-China and Ho Chi Minh 1890 to 1945 Wednesday, 18 April 2018 What did you note down? Indo-China and Ho Chi Minh 1890 to 1945 In the late 1800’s France took control of an area which became known as French Indo-China. It had valuable rubber plantations which helped many French companies grow rich. France treated the local population really poorly, almost as slave labour in their own country. A local resistance leader called Ho Chi Minh emerged to help his people fight back against French rule. He developed guerrilla tactics which involved unconventional jungle warfare. During WW2 (1940 – 1945) Japan captured Indo-China and Ho Chi Minh fought against their rule as well. In 1945 when the Japanese left, Ho Chi Minh declared his country to be free and renamed it Vietnam. However in 1946 France returned to reclaim their territory. Click above or watch DVD part 1 (0 to 6 minutes)

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Indochinese War 1946 - 1954 In 1946 a war broke out between France and Ho Chi Minh for the control of Vietnam. The French were strong in the south of the country. Ho Chi Minh’s forces (the Vietminh) were strong in the north. The war between them was to last for 8 years and became known as the Indochinese War.

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Indochinese War 1946 - 1954 Why was the Indochinese War such a brutal one? During WWII the Vietminh had become expert at guerrilla warfare. This will be studied in detail in a coming lesson, however it meant that during WWII they had become experts in jungle warfare. They were no longer the pushover they had been during the years of French Imperialism. But another factor also intensified the fighting…

The ‘Cold War’ Like in Korea, the Cold War affected this war. Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The ‘Cold War’ Like in Korea, the Cold War affected this war. Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh were Communist. They wanted all of Vietnam to be a Communist country. China decided to supply Ho Chi Minh with modern weapons. The USA didn’t want Vietnam to fall to Communism. Therefore the US gave the French $3m to support them in the war. They even offered them an atom bomb (which thankfully the French declined)!

What ended the Indochinese War? Wednesday, 18 April 2018 What ended the Indochinese War? As the war continued, the Viet Minh grew stronger. The French believed that they had the upper hand, but were becoming increasingly complacent. The war finally came to a climatic end at a French military base called Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu In 1954 French forces lured the Viet Minh into a battle around their military base at Dien Bien Phu in the North of Vietnam. The French had 16,000 well-armed soldiers at the base and believed they would easily defeat the Viet Minh. The French also reinforced the area with well-armed parachutists to make sure they had superiority.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu However the Viet Minh were very determined. They were led by a skilled General called Vo Nguyen Giap. One estimate is that he attacked with 100,000 Viet Minh soldiers.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Viet Minh dragged heavy artillery through miles of thick jungle to surround the French. The Battle lasted 55 days from 13th March to 7th May 1954. The Viet Minh gradually wore down the French.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu By the end of the battle 2,200 French soldiers had been killed and 11,000 surrendered. The rest escaped by being airlifted out of the area. After this humiliating defeat, the French agreed to a peace conference in Geneva.

The Geneva Peace conference Wednesday, 18 April 2018 The Geneva Peace conference The following was agreed: Vietnam was divided into 2 countries along the 17th parallel. North Vietnam was controlled by Ho Chi Minh & communists. South Vietnam was controlled by Ngo Dinh Diem – a capitalist. There would be a general election in 1956 to decide its future. So, a straight-forward future…?

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 Activity Our studies of the Vietnam War officially begin with the French defeat in Vietnam, at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Read the paragraph on page 160 of your text book and try to summarise its contents in your book. Rather unhelpfully the book refers to ‘the Collapse of French rule of Vietnam in 1954’, without specifically mentioning the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Page 160