Indochina was an eclectic mix of ethnicities and religions. It was a valuable nation due to its resources and strategic location in Southeast Asia. Indochina had a number of invaders during its history, including a lengthy tenure by France. The French successfully maintained control of Indochina until the Second World War when Japan claimed control of the region. The Vietnamese struggled under the oppressive rule of both France and Japan. Eventually, Vietnamese nationalists, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, organized an opposition movement against foreign invaders. After the Japanese fell to Allied forces in August 1945, Ho declared Vietnamese independence as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but soon after the French returned to regain control of the region, which sparked the First Indochina War.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 01:41:49 +0000