Difference between revisions of "Dien Bien Phu"
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| − | Dien Bien Phu (sometimes Dienbienphu) is a town in northwest Vietnam, famous as the site of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. | + | Dien Bien Phu (sometimes Dienbienphu) is a town in northwest [[Vietnam]], famous as the site of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. |
| − | By 1954, Vietnamese nationalists under the leadership of Hồ Chí Minh had been waging a guerrilla war against the French colonial government of what was then French Indochina since 1946. The Vietnamese insurrection was receiving significant military aid from China, which had officially become a communist state in 1949. The United States, at the time staunchly committed to stopping the spread of communism as per the containment doctrine, was in turn financing 80% of the French war effort. | + | By 1954, Vietnamese nationalists under the leadership of [[Hồ Chí Minh]] had been waging a guerrilla war against the French colonial government of what was then French Indochina since 1946. The Vietnamese insurrection was receiving significant military aid from China, which had officially become a communist state in 1949. The United States, at the time staunchly committed to stopping the spread of communism as per the containment doctrine, was in turn financing 80% of the French war effort. |
Dien Bien Phu was intended to be a French bridgehead in the mountainous north of the country, which had long been a stronghold for the Viet Minh. However, Vietnamese general Võ Nguyên Giáp was able to quickly assemble a large force, including a minimum of sixty thousand men and a large amount of heavy weaponry. The French troops, outnumbered five to one and cut off from supplies, finally surrendered after a grueling two-month siege. | Dien Bien Phu was intended to be a French bridgehead in the mountainous north of the country, which had long been a stronghold for the Viet Minh. However, Vietnamese general Võ Nguyên Giáp was able to quickly assemble a large force, including a minimum of sixty thousand men and a large amount of heavy weaponry. The French troops, outnumbered five to one and cut off from supplies, finally surrendered after a grueling two-month siege. | ||
| − | The battle proved decisive in ending support for an already unpopular war, leading to a treaty and the division of French Indochina into Cambodia, Laos, and North and South Vietnam. Ultimately, the outcome of the war would provoke the similar Vietnam War a decade later. | + | The battle proved decisive in ending support for an already unpopular war, leading to a treaty and the division of French [[Indochina]] into [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]], and North and [[South Vietnam]]. Ultimately, the outcome of the war would provoke the similar Vietnam War a decade later. |
[[Category:Cities]] | [[Category:Cities]] | ||
Revision as of 21:12, August 27, 2007
Dien Bien Phu (sometimes Dienbienphu) is a town in northwest Vietnam, famous as the site of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
By 1954, Vietnamese nationalists under the leadership of Hồ Chí Minh had been waging a guerrilla war against the French colonial government of what was then French Indochina since 1946. The Vietnamese insurrection was receiving significant military aid from China, which had officially become a communist state in 1949. The United States, at the time staunchly committed to stopping the spread of communism as per the containment doctrine, was in turn financing 80% of the French war effort.
Dien Bien Phu was intended to be a French bridgehead in the mountainous north of the country, which had long been a stronghold for the Viet Minh. However, Vietnamese general Võ Nguyên Giáp was able to quickly assemble a large force, including a minimum of sixty thousand men and a large amount of heavy weaponry. The French troops, outnumbered five to one and cut off from supplies, finally surrendered after a grueling two-month siege.
The battle proved decisive in ending support for an already unpopular war, leading to a treaty and the division of French Indochina into Cambodia, Laos, and North and South Vietnam. Ultimately, the outcome of the war would provoke the similar Vietnam War a decade later.