III.

Course of the War

The well-armed forces fighting for the French included members of the French foreign legion, units drawn from France’s colonies in Africa, and Vietnamese allies of the French, in addition to the all-volunteer French army. Lacking the firepower of the French, DRV leaders adopted the strategy of “people’s war” borrowed from Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong. During the first stage, Viet Minh units retreated into the mountains north of the Red River delta to organize guerrilla forces and seek broad support from the population. Once the Viet Minh achieved military equilibrium with the enemy, they began to launch attacks on French posts in vulnerable areas. The Viet Minh hoped then to complete their victory with a major counteroffensive against French-held areas in the lowlands and along the coast.

At first, the war went according to Ho Chi Minh’s plan. Viet Minh forces successfully evaded French assaults, and Mao Zedong's new government in China strengthened Ho’s forces with growing military assistance. Meanwhile, to obtain U.S. support and gain approval among the local population, the French established an autonomous Vietnamese government led by former emperor Bao Dai in 1949. Bao Dai agreed to cooperate with France to defeat the Communist-led Viet Minh. In 1950 Ho’s chief strategist, Vo Nguyen Giap, began to prepare a major campaign to seize the Red River delta and drive the French to their knees. But Giap miscalculated. French troops, armed with military equipment that had recently arrived from the United States, were able to blunt the offensive and drive the Viet Minh back into the mountains.

For the remainder of the war, Viet Minh strategists concentrated on attacking vulnerable French outposts throughout Indochina, while avoiding direct confrontation on an open battlefield. Lacking the military strength to defeat the enemy, Ho Chi Minh counted on the French public growing weary with the war effort and on increasing support for his movement among the Vietnamese people. In early 1954, with the conflict at a stalemate, France agreed to open negotiations on a cease-fire later that spring in Geneva, Switzerland. Seizing the opportunity, Ho Chi Minh and his colleagues decided to attack an isolated French military post at Dien Bien Phu in mountainous northwest Vietnam. They hoped that a decisive victory on the battlefield would strengthen their position as peace talks opened. Dien Bien Phu fell to a concerted Viet Minh assault on May 7, one day before the opening of talks at Geneva.