John Foster Dulles
The Geneva Accords “temporarily” divided Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. Why such a disappointing outcome for Ho Chi Minh and his comrades? At the time Ho’s primary allies, the USSR and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), had other geopolitical considerations that outweighed any benefits to be gained from digging in their heels for Ho Chi Minh… READ MORE>>
Posted in Asia, History, Politics, Vietnam, War
Tagged Asia, China, Geneva Conference, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Image via Wikipedia
In a feat that foreshadowed his greatest logistical triumph years later at Dien Bien Phu, Giap achieved both strategic and tactical surprise at Vinh Yen. He had marched two divisions many miles, and yet the French didn’t know when, or where, the Vietminh were going to attack. The French units at the point of attack had no warning when Giap ordered a regiment to storm Vinh Yen. Just as he had surmised, the French predictably sent a mobile group charging down the road to the rescue. With their arrival an entire Vietminh division came out of the jungle. De Lattre then sent in another mobile group. Another Vietminh division appeared. Suddenly the Vietminh had two mobile groups pinned down and surrounded. The Vietminh attacked in mass formations in daylight…. MORE>>
Posted in Asia, Essays, History, Vietnam, War
Tagged Dien Bien Phu, First Indochina War, History, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Minh, Vietminh, Vietnam
Image via Wikipedia
In November and December 1946 fighting broke out in Haiphong and Hanoi between the Vietminh and the French. This signaled the vanishing point for any chance of a peaceful solution in Indochina. With the onset of the First Indochina War millions who had previously been on the fence were suddenly forced to take a side– the vast majority lined-up against the French…. MORE>>
Image via Wikipedia
No more than ten percent of Vietnamese received any formal schooling at all. But some of those who received western-based schooling were to have enormous political impact. The schools were filled with the sons of government officials and merchants, both French and Vietnamese. They became versed in the French concept of Liberté, Égalité and Fraternité. So it isn’t surprising that some of these students would become oppositional to a colonial system that looked down on and exploited the native population. These were young people for the most part, and many felt that their elders had debased themselves for French favors. The result was the emergence of a strong strain of Vietnamese self-awareness with a powerful anti-French edge. And it was the better educated who would drive the virulent anti-French sentiments as time went on…. MORE>>
Posted in Asia, Biography, Essays, History, Vietnam, War
Tagged Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Vietnam War
BBC In Our Time The Guardian Talking Points Memo The Intercept France24 Media Matters For America Currently Reading Recently Read
Parallel Narratives 