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The Vietnam War
1954 - 1975
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
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
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
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”
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
History of Vietnam
By 1930, Vietnamese natives had enough and wanted self-rule
Ho Chi Minh organized the Communist party and planned for independence
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
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9QDRDLw6c
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?