Kristine+Truong

= **VIETNAM** = Vietnam's Communist Flag

Vietnam pro-communist flag( flag BEFORE the darn communist came!)

A Picture of Indochina (in this picture, you see communist North and pro-communist South Vietnam)

Way before the French came into Vietnam in the 1700s and 1800s, the Chinese had numerously invaded Vietnam and put Vietnam under their control. Like most imperialized country would do when faced with invasions, the Vietnamese engaged in years of resistance as well towards the Chinese.

In the 18th century, French invaded the area(picture) and established control (1883).

There were several reasons for the French invasion.
Because the Vietnamese lacked the weapons and technology to effectively resist the new western invaders, in 1862, the Vietnam king “Tu Dac” signed a treaty with the French rulers.
 * First, there were incidents where some French missionaries were expelled and even killed in Vietnam
 * Second, as France was competing against other European powers for economic and military superiority, they wanted to secure more strategic geographic positions to promote their international trade and capitalism.
 * Finally, the Vietnamese leadership could not decide whether it was best for the country to remain strictly Confucianist and isolated or to begin modernizing. These all led to Napoleon III's order for his navy to invade Vietnam in July 1857.
 * The Treaty of Saigon: This treaty gave control of southern Vietnam to France, which was then renamed **Cochinchina**.
 * In the year 1863, the governor of Cochinchina, Admiral de la Grandiere forced the Cambodian emperor to accept their dominion over the country.
 * In late 1884, a huge number of French troops had already conquered several places in Vietnam.
 * Vietnam officially became a French colony, known as **Indochina**

The most significant change during the French dominion in Vietnam was the development in the education system. **Vietnam under French rule** witnessed huge economic growth in plantation with the export of indigo, tea, coffee and tobacco. During the French rule in Vietnam, much emphasis was laid on the adoption of Christianity and Western style education.

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**Q1 Why did the French invade Vietnam?**

__A Picture of communist North Vietnam leader, Ho Chi Minh__

When WWII happened, Japan invaded Indochina (Sept. 1940) and Vietnamese nationalists fought with French to defeat the Japanese, including Ho Chi Minh and his troops • Vietnam: had thought to gain independence after defeating Japanese, but NO they didn't recieve it • Many Vietnamese troops turned fighting with the French

During the time of the Japanese invasion during WWII, a leader was in charge by the name of Ho Chi Minh who lead the communist in a fight against the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh saw an opportunity to free their country from foreign domination and formed an organization called the Vietminh( a guerilla campaign against Japanese). Vietnam won the fight.

Background of Ho Chi Minh:
• “ The Enlighten One” real name: Nquyen That Thanh • Grew up as a committed nationalists (against French) • 1945 Visited Soviet Union, inspired by Russian Revolution • Engulfed by communist ideas • Scared to return to Vietnam because of French, lived in China at Vietnam’s border

**Q2 What inspired Ho Chi Minh to become involve in communism?**

How the Viet Minh defeated the Japanese:
Viet Minh guerrillas harassed Japanese troops in the jungles and to help rescue downed American pilots.

In order to disarm the Japanese in Vietnam, the Allies divide the country in half at the 16th parallel. Chinese Nationalists will move in and disarm the Japanese north of the parallel while the British will move in and do the same in the south. During the conference, representatives from France request the return of all French pre-war colonies in Southeast Asia (Indochina). Their request is granted. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia will once again become French colonies following the removal of the Japanese. Ho declares himself president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and pursues American recognition but is repeatedly ignored by President Harry Truman.
 * March 9, 1945** - Amid rumors of a possible American invasion, Japanese oust the French colonial government which had been operating independently and seize control of Vietnam, installing Bao Dai as their puppet ruler.
 * Summer** - Severe famine strikes Hanoi and surrounding areas eventually resulting in two million deaths from starvation out of a population of ten million. The famine generates political unrest and peasant revolts against the Japanese and remnants of French colonial society. Ho Chi Minh capitalizes on the turmoil by successfully spreading his Viet Minh movement.
 * July 1945** - Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, World War II Allies including the U.S., Britain, and Soviet Union, hold the Potsdam Conference in Germany to plan the post-war world. Vietnam is considered a minor item on the agenda.
 * July 1945** - Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, World War II Allies including the U.S., Britain, and Soviet Union, hold the Potsdam Conference in Germany to plan the post-war world. Vietnam is considered a minor item on the agenda.
 * August 1945** - Japanese surrender unconditionally. Vietnam's puppet emperor, Bao Dai, abdicates. Ho Chi Minh's guerrillas occupy Hanoi and proclaim a provisional government.
 * September 2, 1945** - Japanese sign the surrender agreement in Tokyo Bay formally ending World War II in the Pacific. On this same day, Ho Chi Minh proclaims the independence of Vietnam by quoting from the text of the American Declaration of Independence which had been supplied to him by the OSS -- **"We hold the truth that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This immortal statement is extracted from the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. These are undeniable truths."**



Background of the Vietminh:
• Received weapons and ammunition from the Soviet Union • During the period: learned a considerable amount about military tactics • After bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki= Japanese surrender

Fighting broke out - French troops vs. Vietminh
 * Q3 What were the Vietminh?**

May 1954, French defeated in the North, and in the South, they didn’t want to be apart of the pro-communist system • US got involved (feared communism would spread throughout Asia)

In early 1965, the United States began air raids on North Vietnam and on Communist-controlled areas in the South

• Divided by the 17th parallel of latitude-(look at map)- (south supported by US and north supported by Russia and China) “Geneva Peace Accord”

-Media criticism of the war and antiwar activism in America. -Restrictions placed by civilian politicians on the military's operations or, conversely, blamed U.S. military chiefs for not providing civilian laders with a sound strategy for victory. -U.S. leaders underestimated the tenacity of the enemy.
 * Sent large numbers of troops to South Vietnam
 * IN 1973, the US withdrew from the war
 * reasons why:

The Vietnam War continued: This part of the war focused on the tensions between North and South Vietnam.
 * North Vietnam under control of Ho Chi Minh
 * South Vietnam under control of Bao Dai(emperor)

The Vietminh OBVIOUSLY were amazing fighters, mostly due to their fighting tactics, such as the guerilla fighting tactic. They were able to fight and defeat the Chinese, French, Japanese, and the U.S. However, besides from the fact that Vietnam has a strong military, currently, Vietnam is facing ton of issues.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!!!!
[|The Vietnam War- Common Tactics] Here's a short clip of Vietnamese war tactics.

Conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam:
North and South Vietnam fought each other because after the split, Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam while, pro-communist, under the control of Bao Dai controlled the south. The south didn’t want any involvement with the North = BOO COMMUNIST!!!!!!!!!!!! =
 * The Vietminh improved their guerilla tactics in war
 * In 1959, North Vietnam dramatically increased its military assistance to the Vietcong, which then began attacking South Vietnamese military units.
 * Communist-Vietnam won! :((((

AFTERMATH:
1. The communists punished possibly 1 million Vietnamese who had opposed by sending them to "reeducation camps." About 165,000 died in these camps. Many South Vietnamese fled and became "boat people." The United States accepted 823,000 of these while Canada and Australia accepted 137,000 each.

2. The Vietnam War caused a lot of controversy in the United States. A large-scale peace movement demonstrated against the war and conscription. Some student protestors were even killed for protesting.

3. Many people felt like they were lied to by the United States government about Vietnam due to cover ups about bombings in Cambodia and Laos and the killing of Vietnamese civilians like that of the My Lai Massacre.

4. The United States used chemical agents such as Agent Orange to destroy crops and jungle areas. The effects of these chemical agents are still felt today in Vietnam.

5. North Korea beat South Korea in the Vietnam War

6. Somewhere between 2 and 5.7 million people died in the war. Between 365,000 and 587,000 civilians died. 58,159 American troops died.


 * Q4 What was one aftermath of the Vietnam War? **

Current Issues of Vietnam:
[|A Doctor relives fall of Saigon] Here's an article about a doctor from Saigon, who relived one of the most scariest and memorable day of his life through a picture.