1. The Vietnam War
1954 - 1975

2. About Vietnam
Located in southeast Asia in a
peninsula known as Indochina
Partly surrounded by the South
China Sea
About twice the size of Arizona
Only about 30 miles wide
South of China, East of Laos and
Cambodia

3. About Vietnam
Surrounded by mountains to the
west known as Annam Corillera
Has two long rivers: Mekong and
Red that flow into the South China
Sea
Country that has a large industry
in rice, tobacco, coffee, tea, and
sea food
Main religion: Buddhism
Main Language: Vietnamese

4. History of Vietnam
Founded by Hung Vuong in 2879 B.C.
First occupied by China from 111 B.C. to the
A.D. 939
Was known as “Nam Viet”
A revolt organized by Ngo Quyen drove the
Chinese out
Large native dynasties ruled afterwards and
the country was renamed “Dai Viet”
As time went on, the nation expanded their
territory south

5. History of Vietnam
By the mid-1500s, Dai Viet was
divided into two rival kingdoms:
Trinh in the north and Nguyen in
the south
By 1802, 300 years later, the Trinh
kingdom was defeated by Nguyen
lords lead by Nguyen Anh aka Gia
Long and the French
The Nguyen Dynasty was
established and the country was
reunited and renamed “Vietnam”

6. History of Vietnam
Around 1858, Napoleon III was sending
Frenchmen to the Indochina region to
establish military bases
For nearly 100 years, France would then
have a strong influence in Vietnam
French missionaries occupied prime areas
such as Saigon and Mekong
Vietnam was slowly becoming more
Westernized: French language, French
buildings, Roman Catholicism, railroads,
schools, hospitals (Church in Saigon [left])
Many of these new structures called for heavy
taxes on the Vietnamese people which led to
poor economic and living conditions

7. History of Vietnam
By 1930, Vietnamese
natives had enough
and wanted self-rule
Ho Chi Minh
organized the
Communist party and
planned for
independence

8. Japanese Occupation
From 1940 - 1945, during WWII,
Japan seized Vietnam from France
Ho Chi Minh became the leader
France tried to regain Vietnam
during the French-Indochina War
which lasted 8 years
France was defeated by the Viet
Minh in the Battle of Dien Bien
Phu in 1954 and Vietnam
officially claimed independence

9. The Geneva Conference
Geneva Accords – May 8, 1954: United
States, Britain, China, Soviet Union, France,
Viet Nam (Viet Minh representatives),
Cambodia and Laos meet to discuss a
solution for Southeast Asia.
An agreement is reached dividing the North
and South of Vietnam along the 17th parallel,
or at 17 degrees latitude.
The Accords also provide for elections to be
held in all of Vietnam within two years to
reunify the country.
The United States opposes the unifying
elections, fearing a likely victory by Ho Chih
Minh, leader of the Indochinese Communist
Party and causing a domino effect theory

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9QDRDLw6c

12. Review Questions
What country colonized Vietnam before WWII?
Who was the leader of the communist government of
North Vietnam?
What defined the border between North Vietnam and
South Vietnam?
What country had control of Vietnam during WWII?
What is the “Domino Effect” theory?