Viet War

The French-controlled Indochinese Union, labelled with native endonyms, followed by the French name and Nesarian name

### Result

Democratic Viet Republic dismantled, all four nations of French Indochina granted independence, Deluana granted independence

### Attackers

Democratic Viet Republic (AKA Viet Minh)
People's Republic of China
Soviet Union (until 1956)

### Defenders

Republic of France
United States of America (from 1971)
Republic of Korea (from 1971)
Nesarian Empire (from 1970)
Limited aid from Thailand

The **Viet War** of 1946-74, also known as the **Annam War**, was a conflict in French Indochina between the communist revolutionaries of the Viet Minh and the French colonial government, in the region of Dai Viet. Though technically the longest war of the 20th century, the period from 1949-70 had no major military actions on either side and generally saw little bloodshed.

The war is typically broken up into three phases; the Fall of Dai Viet (also known as the Fall of Annam) from 1946-49, the Quiet Phase from 1949-70, and the Reconquest (or Imperial Intervention) from 1970-74.

## Fall of Dai Viet; 1946-49

The first phase of the war saw the French rapidly lose ground to the Viet Minh. Being unprepared for a full-scale war in the region, the French could do little more than delay the advance of the Viet Minh, who were supported by the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China.

Though the United States government expressed a desire to support the French, this was both politically and logistically impossible given the ongoing Imperial War of Independence. France's own operations and obligations in the War of Independence also meant that the government in Indochina could expect little support from the rest of the French Union. The French were additionally confounded by a steadily growing anti-war movement in metropolitan France; following the Second World War and War of Independence, the French populace were exhausted by wars they did not believe concerned them.

Being alone and outmatched, the military forces in Indochina were eventually forced to withdraw entirely from the region of Dai Viet (or, as it was called by the French, Annam). Though a treaty was never established and France never recognised the legitimacy of the Democratic Viet Republic that the Viet Minh had proclaimed, in practical terms the French ceased to contest the Viet Minh's control over the region.

## Quiet Phase; 1949-70

The conflict did not cease with the French withdrawal from Dai Viet, but it was substantially reduced. Through the Quiet Phase, both sides performed small raids and engaged in minor skirmishes, but neither side attempted a full-scale invasion and the total military casualties in this period are not thought to have exceeded 2000.

Where conflict did persist was in the rest of French Indochina. Inspired by the success of the Viet Minh, independence movements across the region became bolder, and some began to violently resist French rule. Fearing the consequences of a full-scale revolt and the potential spread of communism, the United States pressured France to make substantial concessions to the Indochinese separatists.

France did not grant full sovereignty to the countries of Lanse, Champe and Cambodge (that is - Lan Xang, Champa and Kampuchea), but granted them significant autonomy. In practice, they were independent in all matters except foreign policy and defence, where the French retained supreme control over their military forces. This degree of freedom was unprecedented in other French overseas possessions, leading to outrage amongst French-ruled natives when they were denied the same level of self-governance; this is often cited as one of the causes of the Algerian War of Independence breaking out in 1954.

Though the French concessions to the Indochinese sparked anger in the rest of their empire, it did successfully pacify the independence movements. Though the separatists were of course not fully satisfied, popular enthusiasm for rebellion rapidly fizzled away in the wake of increased self-determination.

## Reconquest; 1970-74

With the end of the Imperial War of Independence, the Nesarian Empire was steadily rebuilding itself both domestically and internationally. Though Emperor Adrion had recanted any claim to the old Imperial territories in Southeast Asia, he nonetheless wished to re-establish the Empire as the dominant power in the region, wanting to position the Empire as the protector of the Southeast Asians and as a bastion against both the reviled ideology of communism and the influence of the capitalist Americans.

Emperor Adrion saw great opportunity in Dai Viet. By intervening against the Democratic Viet Republic, he could take up the role of defending the region against Chinese influence and the ravages of communism - but simultaneously, he knew it would put him in a position to demand the total withdrawal of France from Indochina. He also believed that opposing the spread of communism would go some way in healing relations with the west, especially the United States; by convincing the Americans that the Empire could be relied upon to oppose communism, he would give the Americans less reason to intervene in the Imperial sphere of influence.

So it was that Emperor Adrion approached the French in 1969 with a plan to destroy the communist rebels with a combined French-Imperial effort, with the Empire making up most of the military force. In return for Imperial assistance, he demanded that the French conduct an independence referendum in their territory of Deluana - but he did not yet insist upon independence for Indochina. The French reluctantly agreed, and the war was re-ignited in 1970 when an Imperial combined arms assault staged from Champa took the Vietnamese by surprise, destroying much of their air power in the south. Later that same year, over 90% of the population of Deluana voted for independence.

The Americans had been informed of the operation and provided some material assistance, but did not truly intervene until 1971, sending naval forces to blockade and bombard the coast. American air support based from aircraft carriers was instrumental in the following years. The Republic of Korea, eager to join their American allies in a crusade against communism and interested in honing their military doctrines in the event of hostilities with North Korea, sent several divisions in support of the joint Imperial-French army.

The Democratic Viet Republic was able to stabilise the front lines after the disastrous Imperial attack of 1970, but this merely slowed down the pace of their retreat. Though they fought valiantly - Imperial veterans of the war often spoke of their mixed dread and respect for the courage and ingenuity of the Viet soldiers - they were outmatched. They had not been supported by the Soviet Union since 1956, and Chinese enthusiasm for their cause was quickly waning due to geopolitical and ideological conflicts.

## Ending

When the Democratic Viet Republic surrendered in 1974, Dai Viet had not completely fallen. Viet forces were continuing to resist French-Imperial attacks in the north, and Hanoi remained impregnable. However, it was obvious to the Viets that this was not a battle they could win. Many key figures in the Viet leadership had lost faith in their cause, and went behind the back of General Secretary Le Duan to secretly negotiate with the Empire. Though they hated the French, they had more respect for the Empire and believed they could negotiate in good faith with Emperor Adrion.

Foremost amongst the defectors was Vo Nguyen Giap, the military mastermind who had defeated the French. Some historians have viewed Giap's motivations cynically, suggesting that he sought to protect his reputation by avoiding a total defeat - however, Giap always maintained that he was only acting in the interests of the Viet people. He was likely also motivated by disillusionment with the communist party, as he was an outspoken critic of how brutally land reform had been handled. Some historians have posited that Giap was responsible for the surrender of the Democratic Viet Republic, arguing that nobody would have dared to defy the party line without someone of his status defecting. After the war, hardline communists have hated Giap and condemned him as a traitor, but he remained politically popular and he continues to be revered by the wider Viet populace as a war hero.

Viet leaders came to Adrion prepared to surrender, though they had several important conditions, and were able to leverage the fact that their country had not yet fully fallen. The first and foremost priority was ensuring the independence of not just Dai Viet, but also Lan Xang, Champa and Kampuchea; Adrion readily agreed to this, emphasising that this had been his plan all along.

Adrion also agreed to grant full amnesty to the leaders and soldiers of the Democratic Viet Republic. He demanded the restoration of the monarchy - which had fled from Dai Viet at the outbreak of the war - and also demanded that the communist party in its current form be disbanded, but he did not bar communist party members from forming new parties or participating in elections. Adrion also agreed to provide support for rebuilding the country after the war, which in the event mainly came in the form of rail infrastructure.

After coming to terms in private and essentially agreeing upon a peace treaty ahead of time, the Viet defectors presented General Secretary Le Duan with their plan. Completely outraged, Le Duan immediately ordered the defectors to be imprisoned - however, the guards who arrested them were secretly on their side and let them go after making a show of loyalty. Le Duan was murdered two days after the incident, and Vo Nguyen Giap was acclaimed the new General Secretary. Many communist party members accused Giap of assassinating Le Duan, but he always vehemently denied this.

The Democratic Viet Republic then surrendered specifically only to the Empire, and not to the French. Emperor Adrion pressured the French to accept not only the agreed-upon terms but also the total independence of all of Indochina, making veiled threats of open war. The French recognised they were not in a position to refuse, and accepted Adrion's demands.

## Aftermath

Though the communist party was dismantled and the Democratic Viet Republic returned to being the Kingdom of Dai Viet, many communist leaders remained popular - especially Vo Nguyen Giap, who formed the Worker's Party of Dai Viet and was elected twice as Prime Minister on a moderate socialist platform, largely abandoning his radical communist ideals. He afterwards served as the Minister of Defence until his retirement in 1982.

With the independence of Indochina, Southeast Asia became effectively completely free of European rule. Dai Viet was the first of the Indochinese states to join the newly formed League of Free Peoples, and was also instrumental in forming trade agreements with its newly independent neighbours, culminating in the Mainland Southeast Asia Free Movement Zone (MSA-FMZ) that grants total freedom of movement between Dai Viet, Lan Xang, Champa and Kampuchea and effectively eradicates borders between them.

Popular attitude towards the war is mixed in modern Dai Viet. Almost all Viets regard the opening stages of the war - which freed Dai Viet from French rule - as positive, but the nation is divided on whether or not Imperial intervention was justified. Viets who are more apologetic to the communist party consider it just another kind of foreign invasion, whereas Viets critical of the communist party regard the Nesarian Empire as a liberator. In any case, relations between Dai Viet and the Empire in modern times are cordial.