✦ History

First Indochina War

December 19, 1946 – August 1, 1954

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.

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Battles 3

September 16 – October 18, 1950
Battle of Route Coloniale 4 Võ Nguyên Giáp, Marcel Carpentier, Hoàng Văn Thái
November 10, 1951 – February 25, 1952
Battle of Hòa Bình Võ Nguyên Giáp, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Hoàng Văn Thái
March 13 – May 7, 1954
Battle of Dien Bien Phu Dien Bien Phu Võ Nguyên Giáp, Henri Navarre, Christian de Castries

Key commanders

Viet Minh 5

Souphanouvong belligerent leader Phạm Văn Đồng belligerent leader Trường Chinh belligerent leader Võ Nguyên Giáp belligerent leader Hoàng Văn Thái military commander

France 5

Henri Navarre belligerent leader Jean de Lattre de Tassigny belligerent leader Christian de Castries military commander Marcel Carpentier military commander Raoul Salan military commander

Other 1

Ho Chi Minh belligerent leader