Article on "the vietnamese and their fight for independence "
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The Vietnamese and their fight for Independence
The Vietnam War has its roots in the country’s colonial history. In the 19th century France gradually conquered Vietnam. It eventually ruled Vietnam as part of French Indochina, which also included Cambodia and Laos.p French rule continued until World War II, when Japan occupied Vietnam. In 1943 a Vietnamese nationalist group known as the Viet Minh began fighting the Japanese for Vietnam’s freedom. The group was led by the communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh—a man who was to play a major role in Vietnamese history. Ho’s Viet Minh liberated much of northern Vietnam from Japanese control.
After Japan lost World War II, Ho declared Vietnam’s independence on Sept. 2, 1945. France, however, believed that Indochina was still rightfully its colony and was determined to retake control. By the end of the year, the French had seized southern Vietnam, but the communist-led Viet Minh retained control of the north. From 1946 to 1954 the Viet Minh fought France in what became known as the First Indochina War. The United States, which was opposed to the spread of communism, helped fund and equip the French. Ho built support among the Vietnamese people and waged an increasingly successful guerrilla war from bases in the countryside. After suffering a major defeat in 1954, France decided to pull out of Vietnam.