The French and Dien Bien Phu
In northwest Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh forces defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu. The French strong hold besieged by the Vietnamese communists for 57 days. The Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu signaled the end of French colonial influence in Indochina and cleared the way for division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel at the conference of Geneva. Communist leader Ho Chi Ming, later pro claimed the Independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam, hoping to prevent the French from reclaiming their former colonial possession. A treaty type proposal was made with the French for a short time but ended quickly as fighting broke out when French tried to reestablish colonial rule. Forwarding to 1949, the Viet Minh fought an increasingly effective guerilla war against France with military and economic assistance from newly Communist China. France then later received military aid from the United States if America. In November of 1953, The French occupied Dien Bien Phu, a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The first Viet Minh assault against the 13,000 entrenched French troops came on March 12, and despite massive air support, the French held only two square miles by late April. 57 days into Siege, the French positions collapsed, the fight led to the end of French colonial efforts in Indochina.
In northwest Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh forces defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu. The French strong hold besieged by the Vietnamese communists for 57 days. The Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu signaled the end of French colonial influence in Indochina and cleared the way for division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel at the conference of Geneva. Communist leader Ho Chi Ming, later pro claimed the Independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam, hoping to prevent the French from reclaiming their former colonial possession. A treaty type proposal was made with the French for a short time but ended quickly as fighting broke out when French tried to reestablish colonial rule. Forwarding to 1949, the Viet Minh fought an increasingly effective guerilla war against France with military and economic assistance from newly Communist China. France then later received military aid from the United States if America. In November of 1953, The French occupied Dien Bien Phu, a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The first Viet Minh assault against the 13,000 entrenched French troops came on March 12, and despite massive air support, the French held only two square miles by late April. 57 days into Siege, the French positions collapsed, the fight led to the end of French colonial efforts in Indochina.