1. Vietnam Prior to U.S. Involvement
http://www.vietnamspirittravel.com/guide/emperor_tomb_hue.htm

2. Kansas Standards
1.2 Students will analyze the context under which
choices are made and draw conclusions about the
motivations and goals of the decision-makers.
3.1 Students will recognize and evaluate significant
beliefs, contributions, and ideas of the many
diverse peoples and groups and their impact on
individuals, communities, states, and nations.

3. Nine Centuries of Independence
939 Ngo Quyen frees the country by
vanquishing Chinese armies after 10
centuries of Chinese rule.
968 Dinh Bo Linh reorganizes the country
following the Chinese model.
1010 The Ly dynasty.
1226 Tran dynasty.
1428 The second Ly dynasty.
1524 Beginning of a long period of political
instability. While the Ly governs only
nominally, a feudal war rages between
the Trinh from the North and the
Nguyen from the South.
1802 With the help of French mercenaries,
the Nguyen dynasty begins.
Temple in memory of the first
Emperor of the Ly dynasty
http://www.vietnamspirittravel.com/guide/emperor_tomb_hue.htm

4. 1863 Cambodia becomes a French
colony.
1867 The southern part of Vietnam
(Cochinchina) becomes a
French colony.
1883 The northern part (Tonkin)
and the central part
(Annam)become French
colonies.
1887 Creation of the Indochina
Union (Cochinchina,
Annam, Tonkin, &
Cambodia).
1893 Laos becomes a French colony
and part of Indochina.
French Colonialism
Expansion of French colonialism (in blue)
http://historywarsweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/image/French_Indochina_Map.JPG

5. During 6 decades of colonial rule:
the French made little effort to develop
Indochina.
(few roads built, no high schools established)
The French generated revenue in four
ways:
1. Tax on all males age 18-60
2. Tax sale of opium, alcohol, and salt.
3. Establish a government monopoly on opium.
4. Require each adult male to perform unpaid
labor (15-20 days a year-clearing
jungles, removing rocks from rivers,
etc.).
60 Years of French Rule
http://www.studygroup-bd.org/imperialism-in-asia.html

6. 1940 Japan began stationing troops
in Indochina, mainly as a
staging ground for attacking
the Nationalist Chinese
regime.
1944 French try to regain Indochina
colony.
1945 Japan encouraged each of the
SE Asian nations to declare
their independence.
World War II

7. 1) Why might Ho Chi Minh have borrowed phrases from the
United States Declaration of Independence and the French
Rights of Man and the Citizen?
2) According to the Vietnamese Declaration of
Independence, how were the Vietnamese treated under
French Imperial rule?
3) What are some of the Vietnamese grievances against the
French? Provide specific examples.
4) Who ruled Vietnam after 1940? Why?
5) How and why did the Vietnamese justify their
independence from France?
6) Was Vietnam an independent nation following World War
II? Why or why not?
Declaration of Independence

8. • Fought between the French military
and the Viet Minh
• China and the Soviet Union supplied
the Viet Minh:
• Food
• Money
• Arms and ammunitions
• Anti-aircraft guns
• 2,000 military advisors to train
the Viet Minh guerrilla and turn it
into a fully organized army
• The U.S. supplied the French:
• 300,000 small arms
• $1 billion toward the military
effort – 80% of the French costs
First Indochina War
1946-1954
A French Foreign Legion unit
patrols in a communist
controlled area.
http://www.us-foreign-policy-perspective.org/index.php?id=301

9. Envoys Probe Indochina Rebellion
(1947)
Questions to consider:
1)Who is coming to Vietnam? Why is he
there? Why is his country concerned
with Vietnam?
2)How is the Minister received in the city
of Laos?
3)To what do the French compare the
Hanoi attack? Why?
4)How does the reporter refer to Vietnam
in relation to France?
1947 Universal Newsreel story

10. Report by the National Security Council on the
Position of the U.S. with Respect to Indochina
(27 February 1950)
 This report by the National Security Council illustrates the U.S. concern about the
spread of communism in South East Asia following World War II.
 The policy of containment was adopted by the U.S. fairly early on.
 “The Problem: To undertake a determination of all practical United States measures
to protect its security in Indochina and to prevent the expansion of communist
aggression in that area.”
Why were the
Vietnamese
fighting the
French?
Why did the U.S.
get involved?

11. 1950
• Democratic Republic of Vietnam and China recognized each
other diplomatically
• The Soviet Union quickly followed
• President Harry S Truman countered by recognizing the
French puppet government in Vietnam and Taiwan
• U.S. feared the Vietnam’s government was a pawn of
Communist China and, by extension, Moscow
• The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 marked a
decisive turning point
• U.S. thought that the colonial war in Indochina had
transformed into another war for communist
expansionism directed by the Soviet Union
First Indochina War
1946-1954

12. War in Indochina Goes On (1953)
Questions to consider:
1)Who are the two factions in
conflict in this story?
2)What types of weaponry is each
side using?
3)The reporter refers to
“Indochina’s Hot War.” How is
this different from a “Cold War”? 1953 Universal Newsreel story

13. • 7 May 1954 – French Union
garrison surrendered
• At the Geneva Conference, the
French negotiated a ceasefire
agreement with the Viet Minh
• Independence was granted to
Cambodia, Lao, and Vietnam
• Vietnam was temporarily
partitioned at the 17th parallel
pending elections in 1956
• More than 400,000 civilians and
soldiers died during the nine
years conflict
First Indochina War
1946-1954
http://historywarsweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/image/French_Indochina_Map.JPG