Indochina War

War of independence 1946–54 between the nationalist forces of what was to become Vietnam and France, the occupying colonial power.

In 1945 Vietnamese nationalist communist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed an independent Vietnamese republic, which soon began an armed struggle against French forces. France in turn set up a noncommunist state four years later. In 1954, after the siege of Dien Bien Phu, a ceasefire was agreed between France and China that resulted in the establishment of two separate states, North and South Vietnam, divided by the 17th parallel. Attempts at reunification of the country led subsequently to the Vietnam War.