Discover how the United States worked with the communist Viet Minh against the Japanese in World War II
During World War II the communist Viet Minh were the only effective Vietnamese force resisting the Japanese occupation of French Indochina. From Vietnam Perspective (1985), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Relive the big events of 2025.Media Editor: Lee Goldstein
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about V-J Day, the Potsdam Conference, and the end of World War II in this interview with Jeff Wallenfeldt, senior editor of geography and history at Encyclopædia Britannica, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of V-J Day.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.It's no wonder that the man called the Little Corporal has captivated the public for 200 years.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Have you heard about these three inventions from the Vietnam War?
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.After South Vietnamese Premier Ngo Dinh Diem canceled reunification elections scheduled for 1956, the communist Viet Minh decided on war. From Vietnam Perspective (1985), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), though well-equipped and trained by U.S. advisers, was poorly motivated and poorly led in its fight against the Viet Cong. From Vietnam Perspective (1985), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Scenes of the last American helicopter leaving Saigon, South Vietnam, April 30, 1975.
Transcript
NARRATOR: The United States became involved in Vietnam, both militarily and politically, during World War II. At the start of World War II, the Japanese, seeking to exploit the vast resources of Southeast Asia, occupied French Indochina. Between 1941 and 1945, the only effective resistance to the Japanese in French Indochina was that of the Vietnamese Communists, known as the Viet Minh. To help the Viet Minh, and their leader Ho Chi Minh, fight the Japanese, the United States supplied the Viet Minh with arms and ammunition. In return, the Viet Minh supplied the United States with military intelligence concerning the Japanese and helped rescue downed American pilots.
By 1945, the Viet Minh had won control over a large part of Vietnam's northern Tonkin Province and had seized the capital city of Hanoi. On September 2, 1945, the same day that the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence from France.
By 1945, the Viet Minh had won control over a large part of Vietnam's northern Tonkin Province and had seized the capital city of Hanoi. On September 2, 1945, the same day that the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence from France.