The
Vietnam War:
Struggle for Inpendence
The independence struggle from 1945-1954 was between the French, the colonial
ruler of French Indochina and the Communist-led Vietminh headed by revolutionary
leader Ho Chi Minh.
After Japan's surrender to the Allies in August 1945, the Communist-led
Vietminh was more than ever determined to win over the French. The emperor,
Bao Dai was forced to abdicate. On September 2, they declared Vietnam to
be independent and announced the creation of a new country called North
Vietnam. At the same year, US President Harry S. Truman sent military aid
to train South Vietnam in using the US weapons. The decisive battle of the
war developed in the spring of 1954 when the Vietminh attacked the French
fortress of Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam and the French surrendered
on May 8th 1954 after battling for 55 days. French and North Vietnam agreed
to a truce and to partition the country temporarily along the 17th parallel.
