MODERN VIETNAM
19th Century-Present
French Indochina: 1887-1953
¨ 
Included: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
¨ 
In Vietnam…
¤  Jesuits
active
¤  colonial economy focused on rice production
¤  racism & job discrimination
¤  troops fought in WWI
¨ 
Early on, Vietnamese respond with nationalism
¤  guerilla
warfare (fails)
¤  Western-educated middle class emerge to lead
¤  political parties repressed
¤  only Communist Party survived, led by…
Ho Chi Minh
¨ 
Sought self-determination at
Paris Peace Conference (1919)
¤  ignored
¨ 
supported peasant uprisings
¤  promised
land & social reforms
¤  “Vietminh” forms (1941)
¨ 
WWII
¤  French
leave (1940)
¤  Successful guerilla war vs.
Japanese (1940-45)
¤  French return after WWII to recolonize
Vietnam War: 1946-1975
¨ 
2 phases: Vietminh & Vietcong...
¤  …vs.
French (1946-54)
n  Vietminh
use guerilla war
n  USA aids France – WHY?
n  French defeated at
“Dien Bien Phu”
¤  …vs.
USA (1959-75)
n  carpet-bombing
n  war
atrocities
n  unpopular at home
n  US withdraws
n  communists unite Vietnam
Self-immolation of Thich Guang Duc – Saigon, Vietnam1963
“Before closing my eyes
and moving towards the
vision of Buddha, I
respectfully plead…to
take a mind of
compassion towards the
people of the nation
and implement religious
equality to maintain the
strength of the
homeland eternally.”
Vietnam After Victory: 1975-Present
isolated under communist
rule
¨  under-developed economy
¨  unresponsive dictatorship
¨  migrations from S. Vietnam
¨ 
¨ 
In past 20 years,…
¤  freer
economy
¤  Western companies invest
¤  stronger relationship with US