Ho Chi Mina's Involvement In The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a long and costly war that pitted the communist state of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war began in 1954 though conflict in the region stretched back to the mid 1940s, after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh. You may ask who is Ho Chi Minh? Well Ho Chi Minh was the man who was the president of the communist Viet Minh in North Vietnam. and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam, and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people including 58,000 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War more than half were Vietnamese

During the war, the country had been overrun by the Japanese. When the Japanese retreated, the people of Vietnam took the opportunity to establish their own government lead by Ho Chi Minh. However, after the end of the war, the Allies gave back South Vietnam to the French while the north was left in the hands of the non-communist Chinese. The Nationalist Chinese treated the North Vietnamese very badly and support for Ho Chi Minh grew. He had been removed from power at the end of the war. The Chinese pulled out of North Vietnam in 1946 and the party of Ho Chi Minh took over the Viet Minh.

In October 1946 the French announced their intention of reclaiming the north which meant that the Viet Minh would have to fight for it. The war started in November 1946 when the French bombarded the port of Haiphong and killed 6,000 people. The French tried to win over the people of the north by offering them ‘independence’. However, the people would not be allowed to do anything without French permission. They made someone else leader and his name was Bao Dai. The Russians and Eastern Europe refused to recognise his rule. They claimed that Ho Chi Minh was the real ruler of