Vietnam National University HCMC International University  Course: Vietnamese History and Culture Report The First Indochina War Lecturer: Vo Van Sen Student: Trần Minh Tú – BAFNIU13194 ABTRACT Vietnam has a long history which was full of wars and blood of Vietnamese people for one general purpose, independence The First Indochina War was the beginning of “The resistance of 30 years” of Vietnam to completely gain freedom The victory of Dien Bien Phu battle, the last battle in the First Indochina War, was one of the most memorable event because it put an end on eighty-year domination of French colonial In this report, based on many books, resources and websites, the reasons, the happening and the result of the First Indochina War is mentionedfor us to have a clearly view of what happening at that time and how Vietnam, which was a small country can defeat a powerful French colonial THE FIRST INDOCHINA WAR Background Information on Indochina French Indochina was the part of the French colonial empire in Indochina in Southeast Asia French Indochina was formed in October 1887 from territories Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina (who together form modern day Vietnam) and the Kingdom of Cambodia Laos was added after the Franco-Siamese War of 1893 The capital of French Indochina was the city of Hanoi, they spoke French and their form of government was a Federation, this represented the firm grip that France had over Indochina, an influence that was not always appreciated by the natives of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and similar countries French Indochina (also known as the French Indochina War, the The Anti-French War, the Franco-Vietnamese War, the Franco-Vietminh War, the Indochina War and the Dirty War in France and in contemporary Vietnam, as the French War) The First Indochina war was a war fought in French Indochina that the French occupied from 1887-1954 Who were the combatants? The French Union that contained-France, the State of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (with the United States provide a little support) Commanded by the following leaders (a brief description of each is given): Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1945-1946) was the Free France general during World War II; he became Marshal of France, in 1952 As new commander of the Far East French Forces, Leclerc's forces set forth in October 1945 in French Indochina, first cracking a Viet Minh blockade around Saigon, then driving through the Mekong delta and up into the highlands Admiral d'Argenlieu criticized Leclerc saying "I am amazed - yes, that is the word, amazed - that France's fine expeditionary corps in Indochina is commanded by officers who would rather negotiate than fight" General Leclerc, returned to Paris from Vietnam, now warned, "Anti-communism will be a useless tool unless the problem of nationalism is resolved." But his wisdom was ignored Jean-Étienne Valluy then replaced him Jean-Étienne Valluy (1946-1948) attempted to wipe out the Viet Minh in one stroke, but failed "If those gooks want a fight, they'll get it," said Valluy as he landed in Haiphong on December 17, his temper boiling over the slaughter of three French soldiers by Viet Minh militia in Hanoi that day The French surrounded the Viet Minh base, Viet Bac in 1947 by securing its only two roads and dropping paratroopers They almost captured Ho Chi Minh, who slipped into a camouflaged hole at the last minute But General Valluy, whose experience until then had been in Europe, quickly sized up his efforts as possible With a total of some fifteen thousand men, he was trying to defeat sixty thousand enemy troops over nearly eighty thousand square miles of almost impenetrable forest Unlike his 19th-century predecessors, he was up against not small insurgent bands but a disciplined army He could only withdraw to a thin string of forts along Route 4, a twisting road running through ravines and over high passes between the towns of Lang Son and Cao Bang Chronically exposed to Viet Minh ambushes, French soldiers dubbed it the Rue sans Joie, or Street without Joy Roger Blaizot (1948-1949) General Officer Commanding 1st Motorized Colonial Division, General Officer Commanding 9th Colonial DivisionFrench Liaison Officer to Supreme Allied Commander South-east Asia- 1945,General Officer Commanding Forces FrancaisesExtrême Orient He fought in a couple of battles but they resulted in a French Union defeat He was replaced by Carpentier in 1949 Marcel-Maurice Carpentier (1949-1950) was a French military officer who served in World War II and First Indochina War In 1949 he was appointed commander-inchief of French Union forces in Indochina, but in 1950 De Lattre replaced him Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1950-1951) commanded French troops in Indochina during the First Indochina War He won three major victories at Vinh Yen, Mao khé and Yen Cu Ha and defended successfully the north of the country against the Viet Minh but his only son, Bernard de Lattre de Tassigny, was killed in action during the war In 1951, illness forced de Lattre de Tassigny to return to Paris where he later died of cancer; he was posthumously made Maréchal de France After his return to France, his successors Salan and Navarre were far from having an equal success in Indochina Raoul Salan (1952-1953) Salan became the commander-in-chief in Indochina Although he was probably the most experienced officer in Indochina, the new government led up by René Mayer wanted a new policy in Indochina and replaced him in January 1953 with Henri Navarre, who was previously in charge in the intelligence service, not on field operations Henri Navarre (1953-1954) In May of 1953, Navarre replaced Raoul Salan as commander of French forces in Indochina, in the midst of a war with the Viet Minh that was going badly for the French Navarre was charged to bring the war to an honorable end He quickly switched the French strategy from defensive to offensive operations Navarre created mobile strike forces and sent a large number of troops to Dien BienPhu, where they would sit on an important Viet Minh transport route and also perhaps draw the Viet Minh into a pitched battle in which the French forces would presumably have complete air and artillery superiority However, the French underestimated the capacity of the Viet Minh, who managed to place the French position under heavy artillery fire and eventually achieved a decisive victory that more or less ended the First Indochina War Vietnamese National Army Nguyen Van Hinh (1950-1954) Nguyen Van Hinh was appointed the Vietnamese National Army Chief of State by Emperor Bao Dai On November 8, 1954, after the First Indochina War he left South Vietnam in exile for France Ho Chi Minh After the August Revolution (1945) organized by the Viet Minh, Ho became Chairman of the Provisional Government (Premier of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and issued a declaration of independence that borrowed much from the French and American declarations Though he convinced Emperor Bao Dai to abdicate his government was not recognized by any country He repeatedly petitioned American President Harry Truman for support for Vietnamese independence, but Truman never responded In 1945, in a power struggle, the Viet Minh killed members of rival groups, such as the leader of the Constitutional Party, the head of the Party for Independence, and Ngo Dinh Diem's brother, Ngo DinhKhoi Purges and killings of Trotskyists, the rival anti-Stalinist communists, have also been documented In 1946, when Ho traveled outside of the country, his subordinates imprisoned 25,000 non-communist nationalists and forced 6,000 others to flee Hundreds of political opponents were also killed in July that same year All rival political parties were banned and local governments purged to minimize opposition later on Vo Nguyen Giap Principal battles: Lang Son (1950); HoaBinh (1951-1952); Dien Bien Phu (1954) Vo Nguyen Giap (1911-2013) How and why did it occur? The First Indochina War was one of a series of many wars and conflicts in Vietnamese history The nation of Vietnam has been oppressed many times throughout history and the Vietnamese have always opposed this If you look at the past record of Vietnam, this war was a natural reaction to the oppressive French forces, and the introduction of Ho Chi Minh's communist principles would have further flamed the fire of independence, this would have resulted in the many conflicts that followed The build up to the First Indochina War is not a very smooth ride The lead up involves many other countries aiding and opposing Vietnam along the way These countries include Japan, Britain, China and the United States The United States supported the French, as they were afraid of a communist outbreak in South-East Asia So the U.S chose the French China and Russia who were communist helped the Viet Minh as they were also communist and they disliked the U.S French President De Gaulle quotes that if France loses Indochina that France may not be well respected and powerful which implied war A brief summary of the key figures and events that led up to the war are given below, note that political unrest elsewhere on the globe would have influenced many of these events (these include the Cold War, unrest in many Asian and African countries and a dogmatic western culture) September 1945:Ho Chi Minh issues his Declaration of Independence from the French Ho Chi Minh then declares himself president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and pursues American recognition but is repeatedly ignored by President Harry Truman September 1945:On the deck of the U.S.S Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japanese representatives sign the Instrument of Surrender proclaiming their unconditional surrender, formally ending World War II 13 September 1945:British forces arrive in Saigon to disarm the Japanese in South Vietnam 22 September 1945:In South Vietnam, 1400 French soldiers released by the British from former Japanese internment camps enter Saigon and go on a deadly rampage, attacking Viet Minh and killing innocent civilians including children, aided by French civilians who joined the rampage 24 September 1945:Viet Minh successfully organize a general strike shutting down all commerce along with electricity and water supplies In a suburb of Saigon, members of BinhXuyen (a Vietnamese criminal organization), retaliate by massacring 150 French and Eurasian civilians, including children 26 September 1945:The first American death in Vietnam occurs, during the unrest in Saigon an OSS officer named Lt Col A Peter Dewey is killed by Viet Minh guerrillas who mistook him for a French officer Before his death, Dewey had filed a report on the deepening crisis in Vietnam, stating his opinion that the U.S "ought to clear out of Southeast Asia." October 1945:35,000 French soldiers under the command of World War II General Jacques Philippe Leclerc arrive in South Vietnam to restore French rule Viet Minh immediately begin a guerrilla campaign to harass them The French then succeed in expelling the Viet Minh from Saigon November 1945:Ho Chi Minh attempts a compromise with the French by dissolving the Indochinese Communist Party February 1946:In a separate agreement with France, Chiang Kai-shek agrees to withdraw Chinese troops from Vietnam and allow the French to return in exchange for French concessions in Shanghai and other Chinese ports March 1946:Ho Chi Minh signs the Primary Agreement with France which allowed French forces back into Vietnam to replace Nationalist Chinese forces, in exchange for French recognition of his Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a free state within the Indochinese Federation and French Union Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh welcome the French, saying, "I love France and French soldiers You are welcome You are heroes." March 1946:Nationalist Chinese troops depart Hanoi and Vietnam March-July 1946:Armed and backed up by the French, the Viet Minh set about executing leaders and members of nationalist Vietnamese groups Ho Chi Minh’s lieutenant Le Duan said, "to wipe out the reactionaries" Known as the "Great Purge", the goal was to eliminate everyone thought dangerous to the Vietnamese Communist Party, and tens of thousands of nationalists, Catholics and others were massacred from 1946-1948 May 1946:Ho Chi Minh spends four months in France attempting to negotiate full independence and unity for Vietnam, but fails to obtain any guarantee from the French June 1946:In a major affront to Ho Chi Minh, the French high commissioner for Indochina proclaims a separatist French-controlled government for South Vietnam (Republic of Chochin China) July 1946:With French armored personnel carriers cordoning off the areas, the Viet Minh storm the headquarters of remaining nationalist groups, arresting most remaining opposition leaders who were later executed 27 August 1946:French President De Gaulle declares, "France is a great power Without the overseas territories which she would be in danger of no longer being one" French policy was now clear 23 November 1946:The French bombard HaiPhong and occupy it, killing 6,000 Vietnamese civilians Ho appeals to the US for the last time “To support independence" The American’s were split They either had to support the Viet Minh’s push for independence or support the French so there would be no communist outbreaks in Southeast Asia November-December 1946:After a series of violent clashes with Viet Minh, French forces bombard Haiphong harbor and occupy Hanoi, forcing Viet Minh forces to retreat into the jungle Where were the significant turning points in the war? There were 14 major battles or operations during the conflict Most have being won by the French, but the Viet Minh ended up winning the war How is that so? This is because the battle of Dien Bien Phu was a key strategic victory that paved the way for the Vietnamese victory and the surrender of 20,000 French troops On top of that, the commander of the Viet Minh, Ho Chi Minh, did not command one single battle they were all commanded by Vo Nguyen Giap and why did not the American’s participate with force like they did in the Second Indochina War otherwise known as the Vietnam War, after all they were worried about communism and supported the French at the Geneve Conference FRENCH TAKE ADVANTAGE 1946-1950 January1947 General Giap's Viet Minh forces join Ho at Tan Trao From the northern border jungles of Lang Son and westward to Truong Son (later to be known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail) the Viet Minh charter bases and hideouts 15,000 French troops hunt Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh leaders with no success French begin punitive raids on villages supporting the Viet Minh General Giap adopts a policy of avoiding all-out confrontation and conforms with Mao Tse-tung's key principal on warfare, "always maintain the initiative" February1947 French opinion poll shows 36% favored force, 42% favored negotiations, 8% thought France should leave Indo-China altogether 14% had no opinion October-22 December1947 French Operation Lea, a series of attacks on Viet Minh guerrilla positions in North Vietnam near the Chinese border, results in over 9,000 Viet Minh causalities, although most of the 40,000 strong Viet Minh force slips away through gaps in the French lines Operation Lea July1949 The French establish the (South) Vietnamese National Army January1950 China begins sending military advisors and modern hardware to the Viet Minh With supplies assured, General Giap declares that the guerrilla phase is now over and the counter-offensive had begun General Giap transforms his guerrilla fighters into conventional army units including five light infantry divisions and one heavy division February1950 The United States and Britain recognize Bao Dai's French-controlled South Vietnam government France requests US military aid STALEMATE-US SUPPORT FRENCH 1950-1952 February1950 Viet Minh begin an offensive against French outposts in North Vietnam near the Chinese border May 1950 US announce military and economic aid to the pro- French regimes of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia US aid was to jump from an initial $10 million to exceeding $1,000 million by 1954, 78% of the French war bill, even though all concerned conceded that the war could not be won 26 July1950 United States military involvement in Vietnam begins as President Harry Truman authorizes $15 million in military aid to the French American military advisors will accompany the flow of U.S tanks, planes, artillery and other supplies to Vietnam Over the next four years, the U.S will spend $3 Billion on the French war and by 1954 will provide 80 percent of all war supplies used by the French 16 September1950 General Giap begins his main attack against French outposts near the Chinese border As the outposts fall, the French lose 6,000 men and large stores of military equipment to the Viet Minh 27 September1950 The U.S establishes a Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Saigon to aid the French Army September-October 1950 General Giap launches his first major counter offensive against the French and overwhelms French forts in the far north French losses in this period were 6,000 troops killed or captured Equipment losses included more than 900 machine guns, 125 mortars, 13 heavy guns, 1,200 automatic rifles, 8,000 rifles and 450 trucks December1950 French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed High commissioner and Commander in Chief of Indochina The French forces adopt a more offensive role with more use of air support 13 January1951 20,000 Viet Minh under Gen Giap begin a series of attacks on fortified French positions in the Red River Delta The open areas of the Delta, in contrast to the jungle, allow French troops under the new command of Gen Jean de Lattre to strike back with devastating results from the 'De Lattre Line' which encircles the region 6,000 Viet Minh die while assaulting the town of Vinh Yen near Hanoi in the first attack, causing Giap to withdraw 14-15 January1951 Two Viet Minh divisions attack a French force of 8,000 troops at Vinh Yen, 56 kilometers North West of Hanoi Air support plays a major role The Viet Minh under Giap retreat suffering heavy losses (Estimated 6,000 to 9,000 killed, 7,000 to 8,000 wounded with 600 captured) French napalm exploding outside the 'De Lattre Line.' 23-28 March1951 In the second attack, Giap targets the Mao Khe outpost near Haiphong But Giap withdraws after being pounded by French naval gunfire and air strikes 3,000 Viet Minh are killed 29 May- 18 June1951 Giap makes yet another attempt to break through the De Lattre Line, this time in the Day River area southeast of Hanoi French reinforcements, combined with air strikes and armed boat attacks result in another defeat for Giap with 10,000 killed and wounded Giap's leadership is questioned by the Viet Minh leadership A scapegoat in the form of Nguyen Binh is found and Giap and Ho continue to lead the Viet Minh Giap restructures his command and tightens control over various functions Among the French casualities is Bernard de Lattre, the only son of General De Lattre November1951 US Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy visits Vietnam and declares, "in Indo-China we have allied ourselves to the desperate effort of the French regime to hang on to the remnants of an empire" 16 November1951 French forces link up at HoaBinh, a Viet Minh staging area 80 kilometers West of Hanoi Gen De Lattre attempts to seize the momentum and lure Giap into a major battle but overextends his forces by setting up additional posts Giap takes advantage and inflicts heavy casualties Giap then withdraws and allows the French to retake their positions 20 November1951 Stricken by cancer, ailing Gen De Lattre is replaced by Gen Raoul Salan De Lattre returns home and dies in Paris two months later, just after being raised to the rank of Marshal December1951 Giap begins a careful counter-offensive by attacking the French outpost at Tu Vu on the Black River Giap now avoids conventional warfare and instead wages hit and run attacks followed by a retreat into the dense jungles His goal is to cut French supply lines 31 December1951 By year end 1951, French casualties in Vietnam surpass 90,000 January1952 General de Lattre de Tassigny dies of cancer and is succeeded by General Raoul Salan Salan orders the withdrawal of French forces from posts along the Black River between HoaBinh and Viet Tri and finally Viet Binh 22-26 February1952 The French withdraw from HoaBinh back to the De Lattre Line aided by a 30,000 round artillery barrage Giap's forces continually ambush French forces during the retreat and destroy many elements of the French rearguard Casualties for each side surpassed 5,000 during the Black River skirmishes VIET MINH TAKE ADVANTAGE 1952-1954 October1952 Giap's take the offensive and orders his troops to the delta area between the Black and Red Rivers, withdraws, then attacks Nghia Lo 11 October1952 Giap now attempts to draw the French out from the De Lattre Line by attacking along the Fan Si Pan mountain range between the Red and Black Rivers 18 October1952 Giap's forces attack Nghia Lo several times and overrun the French position, followed by nearby posts The Viet Minh then advance westward for a month and are forced to halt after over-extending their supply line 29 October1952 The French counter Giap's move by launching Operation Lorraine targeting major Viet Minh supply bases around Nghia Lo in the Viet Bac region The operation involves nearly 30,000 troops and aims at drawing the Viet Minh into a fullscale battle Giap outsmarts the French by ignoring their maneuvers and stays in position along the Black River Operation Lorraine 14-17 November1952 The French cancel Operation Loraine and withdraw back toward the De Lattre Line but must first fight off a Viet Minh ambush at Chan Muong 20 January1953 Dwight D Eisenhower, formerly Allied commander in Europe during World War II, is inaugurated as the 34th U.S President April1953 Communist forces mass to invade Laos Giap deploys his divisions with little encounter Giap realizing that he cannot sustain his primitive supply line withdraws but the Viet Minh now have freedom of movement through a large part of northern Laos and could dominate the territory west of the Black River Giap keeps the French forces tied down April1953 US Vice President Nixon arrives in Hanoi and tells the French, "It is impossible to lay down arms until victory is won" May 1953 French General Henri Navarre appointed as Commander in Chief and is sent by Premier Rene Mayer with orders to return in a month and report He reports " that there was no possibility of winning the war in Indo-China" THE ENDGAME - DIEN BIEN PHU 1954 20 November1953 The French under new commander Gen Henri Navarre begin Operation Castor, construction of a series of entrenched outposts protecting a small air base in the isolated jungle valley at Dien Bien Phu in northwest Vietnam The French hope to draw the Viet Minh into a pitched battle 800 French paratroopers parachute into Dien Bien Phu and begin preparations for a fortified camp, building two airstrips to link the base with Hanoi Location of Dien Bien Phu January1954 Operation "Atlante" begins It is designed to clear the coastal areas of Viet Minh, but ends in March without achieving the objective March1954 The Dien Bien Phu garrison now includes a dozen battalions, two groups of 75mm guns, 28 105mm howitzers, four 155mm howitzers, mortars, and 10 light tanks Six Grunman fighters armed with napalm are on alert on the airfield Three main bastions form the defense of the larger airstrip, while the main stronghold includes the village itself Four smaller outposts formed the outer defense 13 March1954 50,000 Viet Minh under Gen Giap begin their assault against the fortified hills protecting the DienBien Phu air base They outnumber the French by nearly five-to-one 30 March–1 May 1954 The siege at Dien Bien Phu occurs as nearly 10,000 French soldiers are trapped by 45,000 Viet Minh French troops soon run out of fresh water and medical supplies The French urgently appeal to Washington for help The U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff now consider three possible military options: sending American combat troops to the rescue; a massive conventional air strike by B-29 bombers; the use of tactical atomic weapons President Eisenhower dismisses the conventional air raid and the nuclear option after getting a strong negative response to such actions from America's chief ally, Britain Eisenhower also decides against sending U.S ground troops to rescue the French, citing the likelihood of high casualty rates in the jungles around Dien Bien Phu No action is taken May1954Dien Bien Phu falls At 5:30 p.m., 10,000 French soldiers surrender at Dien Bien Phu, depriving France of any bargaining power at Geneva By now, an estimated 8,000 Viet Minh and 1,500 French have died May-late July 1954 French survivors are marched for up to 60 days to prison camps 804 k's away Nearly half die during the march or in captivity THE GENEVA CONFERENCE The Geneva Conference lasted from May – July 21, 1954 It was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Vietnam It produced a set of treaties known as the Geneva Accords, signed on behalf of France by Pierre Mendès-France and of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam by Pham Van Dong How does it affect modern day Vietnam and France? Indochina and especially Vietnam still has many lasting French buildings and the like The third largest religion in Vietnam is Roman Catholic, due to the coming of Christianity in Vietnam Vietnam has the fourth-largest Roman Catholic population in Asia Throughout the French occupation of Indochina, French culture has deeply influenced the lives of the Vietnamese An example of this are Vietnamese bakeries The Vietnamese learned to bake breads and pastries, etc from the French In Western Countries it is rumored to be that Vietnamese bakeries have the best produce money can buy Of course there are still traditional bakeries in Vietnam Vietnam remains to have its former colonizers traditions while still holding their own REFERENCES Jack Johnston (2008) First Indochina War Available https://viet-nam.wikispaces.com/First+Indochina+War J Llewellyn et al (2010).The First Indochina War, Alpha History.Available http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/first-indochina-war/ Moise, Edwin E The First Indochina War The Vietnam Wars 1998 22 May 2008 War Crimes Limited (UK) Vietnam: First Indochina War 1946-1954 22 May 2008