GGermany

The Indochina War – The end of French colonial rule in Vietnam (Part 2/2) | DW Documentary

  • September 25, 2024



The Indochina War – The end of French colonial rule in Vietnam (Part 2/2) | DW Documentary

The Indochina War was one of the bloodiest chapters in French colonial history. Beginning in 1946, the Vietnamese fought to gain their independence from France. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the fighting.

During the Second World War, Japan occupied large parts of Indochina — present-day Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Vietnamese Viet Minh group attempted to create an independent, Communist Vietnam. Under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, this was initially hoped to be achieved peacefully.

But the French government wanted to hold on to its colony and sent troops to Southeast Asia. The ensuing battles between the Viet Minh and the French forces, including local soldiers fighting on the side of the French, were marked by extreme ferocity. While the Viet Minh were soon supported by Communist China, the USA became involved in the conflict on the French side.

The documentary tells the story of this war of independence, which ended in 1954 with the defeat of the French. The film also looks at how this led first to the division of Vietnam and then to the Vietnam War.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/O0tOXVPT9DQ

#documentary #dwdocumentary
______

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to:
⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumentary
⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumental
⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocarabia
⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/dwdoku
⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/dwdochindi

For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610
Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/
Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental

We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G

26 comments

  1. "The Americans replaced the French in the region. They were to make exactly the same mistakes, initiate an even greater bloodbath and suffer an even deeper trauma" – I suppose a documentary about the Vietnam War is coming next?

  2. Đối với người dân Việt Nam chúng tôi, chiến tranh chống Pháp và Mỹ chưa bao giờ là nội chiến. Bởi vì mục tiêu chính của cuộc chiến là chống lại ngoại bang. Còn những kẻ phản quốc, bán nước, chỉ tồn tại khi có ngoại bang bơm tiền và ích lợi cho. Ngoại bang rời đi thì chúng có lý do gì để tồn tại. Nên không thể gọi là nội chiến.

  3. Bonjour de France. First thing first. It was necessary for France to keep its colonies after WW2 and all the destructions we had. Secondly, it was absolutely obvious that the communist menace had to be fought and if possible destroyed. It could have be different if…the men of that time have been…different, but they weren't. May the past struggles and horrors of the world teach us something. Peace.

  4. Yes, Vietnam's communist government was harsh, but it was not unreasonably harsh. It was miles better than being exploited by foreign people. The cost was high, but it was worth it. The dead are celebrated and remembered for their sacrifice. Vietnam's independence and choice of living was decided by the Vietnamese people henceforth. I often listened to my parents stories including of those villagers of same or above age. Therefore, I reject anyone who calls the Vietnamese having "lost" as such wording is an attempt of devaluing the sacrifice who genuinely fought for their freedom.

  5. The French government, military and corporates are well know for their arrogance and incompetence. They were cruel to Vietnamese & other colonies. Yet until now they never learn their lessons and still think they are world power.

  7. I always think of the civilians that were in the film and how they look and thought when they saw a man filming them and doing nothing to help them. Rest In Peace all of those who were affected by the war soldiers and civilians. (I am a Vietnamese) 🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳

  10. I disagree with the part "Vietminh slaugthered French prisoners". They were dying due to malnutritions and Vietnamese don't even have enough food to feed ourselves. Also the French was marched through jungles and mountains, terrains they are not familiar with.

  11. Tks ad for your film. Vietnamese people love peace and do not like war, but if an enemy invades and is forced to fight, we are determined to fight to the end to gain independence.

  14. Set up a puppet government and you call a invasion war is a civil war, so the German soldiers who came to Paris in June 1940 just tourists and that was France's civil war? How did France treat the French who supported the German army? US provided support to French in 1948, then they suppoes that Vietnam received support from the Soviet union and china in 1950 is join the cold war???, US lost and wrote history in a deceitful way.

  22. The Vietminh lack of experienced and skilled artillery men, normally you would position your artillery behind a hill or mountain to hide them from enemy sign, when the guiding units hold the height to guide artillery fire. That was what the French did, they hold heights and keep their gun behind, having airforce they were certain they can always have airplanes guiding their fire even if the height were lost, and they could bomb the artillery position of the enemy. To compensate that, the Vietminh put their gun very high in mountain surrounding Dien Bien Phu, dig in and fortified them, constructing tunnels and caves to protect them from return fire and airstrikes, this also gave them direct sign of the target, making their fire deadly accurate. The heights also gave them very good anti-air defense advantage. About 64 aircrafts where shot down over 160 were damaged in Dien Bien Phu. The French greatly underestimated capability of Vietminh military might and immagination. A history teacher in universtity turned general Vo Nguyen Giap defeated entire French elite force of generals and officers from military bloodlines and graduates of some of best Western military schools.

  25. Harsh Communist Regime? No sir, even-though our party called Vietnam Communist Party, we aim for socialism where people are equally treated. Now we live in freedom, in happiness and most important is in independence. And look, I am using internet to watch the video, to express my opinion on it without any restriction from the gov

Leave a Reply