History - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 987

Communism & WWII
The first Marxist grouping in Indochina was the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League,
founded by Ho Chi Minh in Canton, China, in 1925. This was succeeded in February 1930
by the Vietnamese Communist Party, part of the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP).
As the desire for independence grew in Vietnam, the communists proved adept at tuning
into the frustrations and aspirations of the population, and effectively channelling their de-
mands for fairer land distribution.
War Gamesmanship
In WWII Japanese forces occupied much of Asia, and Indochina was no exception. With
many in France collaborating with the occupying Germans, the French in Indochina ended
up on the side of the Japanese.
In 1941, Ho formed the League for the Independence of Vietnam, much better known as
the Viet Minh. Receiving assistance from the US government, Ho resisted the Japanese/
French alliance and carried out extensive political activities throughout the war. Ho was
pragmatic, patriotic and populist, and understood the need for national unity.
A False Dawn
As events unfolded in Europe, the French and Japanese fell out and the Viet Minh saw its
opportunity to strike. By the spring of 1945, the Viet Minh controlled large parts of Viet-
nam. On 2 September 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared independence. Throughout this period,
Ho wrote no fewer than eight letters to US president Harry Truman and the US State De-
partment asking for US aid, but received no replies.
Having prevailed in Europe, the French wasted no time returning to Indochina, making
the countries 'autonomous states within the French Union', but retaining de facto control.
French general Jacques Philippe Leclerc pompously declared: 'We have come to reclaim
our inheritance.'
In the north, Chinese Kuomintang troops were fleeing the Chinese communists and pilla-
ging their way southward towards Hanoi. Ho tried to placate the Chinese, but as the months
of Chinese occupation dragged on, he decided 'better the devil you know' and accepted a
temporary return of the French.