Chapter 9

Geneva Conference, 1954: ● May 1954: after French govt and public lost interest in retaining Vietnam as a colony as the cost outweighed the benefits, an international conference commenced → Viet Minh demanded the recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and removal of French troops, where Vietnam was then divided into 2 along the 17th parallel ○ Part of the agreement was that elections would be held by 1956 to establish a single govt for a unified Vietnam North Vietnam in 1950s ● After Geneva Conference: Ho worked fast to consolidate his hold on NV ○ Thousands fled from NV early on, but at the same time many Viet Minh soldiers and supporters also fled northwards → strengthening the regime as it got rid of potential opponents ● Ho also had much support from NV ○ He was recognised as a great leader who fought the Japanese invaders and the French + introduced land reforms which ensured land was confiscated from larger landowners and redistributed to peasant farmers → however this led to decline in agricultural output and later on, Famines ● To ensure (political) stability of the govt, NV was ruthless in dealing with opponents ○ When faced with violent resistance from large landowners during land redistribution → thousands ended up being executed South Vietnam in 1950s ● End of Geneva Conference: Diem was the PM of SV ○ He was an anti-communist + prepared to imprison/exile communists + a patriot who hoped to modernise Vietnamese economy and society to strengthen the country against interference by foreign powers, so he introduced modernisation programmes → However his regime proved to be increasingly unpopular bc of his authoritarian methods (regime frequently imprisoned/executed opponents)

A rigged referendum ● July 1955: Diem announced Vietnam-wide elections agreed at G.C. would not be held + in October he held a referendum to remove Head of State/last emperor of Vietnam and install himself as President BUT referendum was rigged (votes didn’t add up) ● Diem’s actions had the support + involvement of US → SV depended heavily on US financial and military support → show how deeply involved US is with Vietnam’s political affairs Problems of SV An unpopular and corrupted regime: ● US tried to pressure Diem into land reforms bc this would help increase support for the regime and help counter effects of communist propaganda BUT diem was not interested ○ His supporters mainly came from landlord class, and even with the “land-reforms”, they did not benefit peasants as much and many landlords clung onto their wealth → (1960) the reform programme was completely stalled ● His regime was also very corrupt ○ Practiced nepotism: appointing his brothers as key offcials and diplomats + appoint his sister-in-law as the First Lady ○ Refused to hold elections for local councils ● This led to widespread protests, often led by well-organised, well-educated and influential Buddhist monks whom the regime showed little respect for (e.g. Diem’s pro-catholic policies antagonising the Buddhist majority in the country) + some protested by setting themselves on fire (self-immolation) → made him even more unpopular ● US: frustrated by Diem, but could not find anyone better → by 1950s, had supported his regime with almost $1.6 billion, but the regime was still weak and unable to prevent communist insurgency in the countryside SV insurgency 1954-1960 ● Viet Minh who believed in the reunification of Vietnam also opposed Diem’s regime + after his announcement of not holding the nationwide election → they started to wage a low-level campaign of disruption and harassment against the regime

● Diem responded with harsh and repressive measures ○ Thousands of SUSPECTED communists were locked up, tortured, even executed + he also tried to strike at the insurgent’s military base (with some success at 1954-1957) BUT it did not stem the insurgency ○ May 1959: NVCP approved Group 559 → which transported weapons, ammunition and other equipment to VC (insurgents who had formally organised themselves by 1960) ○ 1957-1960: 1700 assassinations carried out (could be anyone associated with SV govt, like police, officers of the law etc) + they also staged hundreds of attacks on govt forces ○ VC later created a supply route: HCM Trail VC+SV Govt ● Guerilla Warfare: (conflict started escalating in 1960s) using HCM trail, VC sent reinforcements and supplies to guerilla fighters, including abt 40000 NVA troops between 1961-1963, who attacked SV govt forces, officials and buildings ● VC also chose to avoid well-defended SV positions in urban areas, focusing on making countryside unsafe for govt forces + also attacked US Air Force supply bases ● Strategic Hamlet Programme: peasants were relocated (sometimes by force) to fortified villages away from control and influence of VC + removing civilians allowed superior firepower of US Air Force and SVA to destroy VC without civilians being caught in crossfire BUT bc peasants lost their livelihood → contributed to dislike of Diem’s regime + even attracted more support for VC and NV by allowing the NVA and NC to pretend to be them to hide from American troops and SVA Involvement of China ● After communist victory in China in 1949, Mao saw US as his biggest threat → concerned about a possible invasion by US allies (backed by US forces) → He believed if Vietnam became a non-communist country allied with US → he would be vulnerable to attack from SK, V, and GMD in Taiwan → hence he was very eager to support a group that created an anti-US buffer in V, esp if it was communist + He felt a bond of loyalty to Ho + he

believed involvement in VW would help unite the Chinese people behind his leadership (he did the same in KW and it strengthened his position) Involvement of USSR ● 1960s: USSR was cautious about getting involved ○ He was not as involved in Asia in early 1960s → bc of Sino-Soviet Split where China and USSR’s relationship deteriorated in mid 1950s → both were less keen to cooperate → meaning NV had to play a balancing act between USSR and China’s interests to gain aid and support from both sides ● Mind-1960s: Soviets began to show more interest in Vietnam ○ Sino-Soviet Split: USSR and China were in a contest with CHina over leadership of the communist world → bc showing support for another ocmmunist state was important in asserting U