The+French+in+Vietnam

=Welcome to the Wiki page dedicated to enlightening students from all over the globe about the = =**French in Vietnam!** =

**Part One: French Bid for Colonial Power** The French had been in and out of Vietnam during the **17th** and **18th** centuries, as these were times when everyone was fighting for colonial power. Anyway in **1843** they decided they had had enough of those cheeky Vietnamese, so they moved in by force to claim what they renamed "French Indochina" - Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The French moved through Vietnam to the capital Saigon, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Many Vietnamese villages knew there was no stopping the French, so they would simply surrender. In **1874**, Emperor of Vietnam Tu Duc realised this as well - so he signed a treaty with the French giving them total control of Vietnam, as long as the French protected them from external forces. By **1887** the French had control over all of Vietnam. The French remained in Vietnam for a long time, and during this time a strong sense of Nationalism developed in Vietnam. The Vietnamese felt the French had 'invaded' for no reason, they felt that the were oppressing them. Although the French did help protect the Vietnamese and had a positive influence on Vietnamese education, they mostly treated the Vietnamese very poorly. This was all to end during the Cold War...

**Part** ** Two: The First Indochina War ** There had been many disagreements between the French and surrounding Asian nations since the French had taken control of Vietnam. In **1946** a conflict broke out between the French and the Viet Minh (a nationalistic movement formed by the Vietnamese) over a trading disagreement at Haiphong port. The French bombarded Haiphong port to try and get their way. This was the opening shot of the First Indochina War, often called the French Indochina War. The Viet Minh asked for a cease-fire, although they had no intentions of giving up. They retaliated against the French, despite the French's superior weaponry and technology. In Hanoi City, more hostilities arose between the French and the Viet Minh, and the Viet Minh were forced to evacuate Ho Chi Minh City. A period of guerrilla warfare ensued between the two opposing forces, as the French controlled all the cities and the fighting Viet Minh resided in remote areas. However when the Chinese reached the North Vietnam border, in 1949, the conflict become a conventional war between two armies equipped with modern weapons supplied by the United Staes, and the Soviet Union. By early `1954 the conflict was at a stalemate. The French had built up an incredibly large, and formidable base at Bein Phu. The French believed that this base would never fell to the Vietnam. However on March 13 1954 the Vietmanise attacked. Within days the garrison had been overrun. 2,200 French died during the siege, with thousands more taken prisoner. The Vietnamese sustained 23,000 casualties. The humilating defeat at Dien Bien Phu shocked the French, and brought an end to the War.

The French agreed to pull out, and Vietnam was split into two sections- A communist influence area, and Democratic infulence region. The French withdrawl from Vietnam Paved the way for America to enter....
 * [[image:http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/vietnam/story/dien.bien.phu/battle.jpg width="220" height="150"]] ||
 * The battle of Dien Bien Phu lasted from March until early May 1954 ||