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From the 1800's until WWII, Vietnam was part of French Indonesia. In the year 1941, a Vietnamese communist named Ho Chi Minh began to stir up nationalist feelings.
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On the same day that Japan surrenders to the Allies,(Sep. 2, 1945) Ho Chi Minh gives a speech declaring the Independence of Vietnam.
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France didn't want to recognize Vietnam's independence and was determined to get rid of the Viet Minh. November 1946, some French warships attacked the city of Haiphong killing 6,000 civilians.
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The battle that decided it all happened when the Viet Minh made a surprise attack on the Military base of Dien Bien Phu, in northern Vietnam.
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After negotiations and China & the Soviet Union pressuring them, Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords splitting Vietnam in two for a while. Viet Minh moved to the north, while the French moved south.
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April 7, President Eisenhower delivered a message saying that if Vietnam fell under communism, the remaining countries in Southeast Asia will too That even Japan might fall under communism, this later serve as a motive to stop Vietnam.