The Original Vietnam War
While the French Empire's early forays into colonial expansion may not have been as successful as those of, say, Britain or Spain, it nevertheless emerged in the early 20th century as a strong colonial power. Indochina, which includes modern-day Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of China, was one of its most profitable colonial possessions. Additionally, it was located strategically, which would be important in the next World Wars.
But that wouldn't endure for long because at the same time, nationalism was becoming more prevalent throughout the nation, particularly in Vietnam. Following the conclusion of World War II, the majority of the resistance fighters united under Ho Chi Minh's direction and proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, a people's republic in North Vietnam.
During the first Indochina War, which raged from 1946 to 1954, a native rebel force dealt a European colonial authority one of its most significant military setbacks. While the French presence in the area came to an end, they left behind a country split between royalist territory in the south and communist-backed regions in the north, which helped to set the stage for the future Vietnam War.
Date: 1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975(19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day)[A 2][10]
Location: South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand
Result: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong/PRG victory
- Withdrawal of U.S. coalition's forces from Vietnam in 1973 after the Paris Peace Accords
- Communist forces take power in South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
- Start of the boat people and refugee crises
- Start of the Cambodian genocide and the Third Indochina War
Territorial changes: Reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976
