Research Project: The Main Turning Point (posted by Eliza)

The Vietnamese fought for their independence from 1945 to 1975, first against the French then, starting in 1959, against the Americans. I want to know at which point between 1945 and 1975 was the most important for the future of Vietnam. Some people say the main turning point was in the early days with Ho Chi Minh's independence speech. Many more say it was with the Tet Offensive in 1968, but I definitely think it was with the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was a big turning point in the Vietnam war because it was the event that led to the French pulling out. Throughout November 1953, French troops were steadily parachuting into the small village of Dien Bien Phu. Henry Navarre, a French General, decided to put a base in this valley because the French could now intercept the supply routes coming in through Laos. Henry Navarre did not think that the North Vietnamese could get artillery up on the mountains surrounding them. He was wrong. General Giap, the Viet Minh general who planned the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, had first thought to attack on January 25. His strategy being “Fight Fast, Win Fast” which is basically a rapid and focused attack on the French's stronger points. However, on Jan 24, General Giap changed everything about the plan. The Viet Minh would now attack on the evening of March 13, their strategy being “steady attack, steady advance”. Giap was glad he did, for now the French had practically no chance. By March, up to 4,000 French simply gave up and waited on the riverbank, and more than 16,000 French were either killed or captured. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu led to the Geneva Accords, in which the French told the public that they had finally given up on their former colony.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu also improved the Viet Minh's self-confidence. Beating the French made the Viet Minh feel as if they were invincible, and I do not blame them because, after all, they were one of the first colonized countries to dramatically win in a pitched battle. Later, when the North Vietnamese were fighting the Americans, the Communist forces used some of the same strategies as in Dien Bien Phu. For instance, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu created the idea of a supply route for heavy artillery and troops that goes through the jungle. In the American War, this was better known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The Tet Offensive was inspired by the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The North Vietnamese leader, Le Duan, wanted to attack a bunch of places at once. He dared to fight the Tet Offensive because of the idea of Dien Bien Phu, which was basically that they could defeat a western power in a pitched battle. The Tet Offensive started in January 1968. The first part of the Tet Offensive ended in February. It led to the pitched Battle of Hue. It was the bloodiest battle of the American War with people shooting around in the streets and everything being chaos. Many people think that the Tet Offensive was a success because it was all over the news in the United States. Actually, it was not a success for the North Vietnamese because they lost a lot of troops and they did not push the Americans out. Dien Bien Phu, on the other hand, pushed the French out, which is a big reason why the Tet Offensive is NOT the biggest turning point.

The big lesson that I take from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu comes from a Ho Chi Minh quote. He was talking to General Giap before the battle and he said, "Only fight if you know you're going to win." Metaphorically, you should not put yourself in a place where you have to fight a losing battle.