(i) After the Vietminh recaptured Hanoi from Japan in 1945, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed of which Ho Chi Minh became the Chairman.
(ii) The new republic faced several challenges. The French tried to regain control by using the emperor, Bao Dai, as their puppet.
(iii) The war began again between the Vietminh and the French. This war continued for eight years.
(iv) In the beginning of the war the Vietminh were forced to retreat to the hills. But finally the French were defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu.
(v) The Vietminh annihilated and captured more than 16,000 soldiers of the French Expeditionary corps.
(vi) The entire commanding staff, including a general, 16 colonels and 1,749 officers, were taken prisoner.
(vii) After the French defeat, peace negotiations were held in Geneva in which the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country.
(viii) North and South Vietnam were split. Ho Chi Minh and the Communists took power in the North Vietnam while Bao Dai’s regime was put in power in the South Vietnam.
