First Indochina War

Fought 19 December 1946 to 11 August 1954 in French Indochina between the French Union and the Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh. After French forces restored authority in Saigon in September 1945, full-scale war broke out in December 1946; with Chinese and Soviet aid, the Viet Minh defeated France decisively at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva Conference gave the Viet Minh control of North Vietnam, divided the country at the 17th parallel, and ended French rule in Indochina, setting the stage for the Vietnam War.