Ho Chi Giap Research Paper

General Vo Nguyen Giap is perhaps the most important figure in the early history of communist Vietnam -- with the exception of Ho Chi Minh. General Giap’s skills and expertise of were an essential element of the French defeat in 1954. However General Giap cannot be held solely responsible, the political skills of Ho Chi Minh (the leader of the Viet Minh independence movement) cannot be underestimated. There were many reasons for the French defeat in Vietnam, abundant mistakes were made and the Viet Minh were lead by two of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. Giap orchestrated the defeat of the French and was particularly important in the battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Ho Chi Minh was an experienced revolutionary and passionate nationalist
Many Vietnamese men were forced to serve in France during WW1 and those who returned brought with them the revolutionary concept of nationalism and as a result the nature of the resistance changed to a more national approach rather than regionally focussed.

Additionally, in 1905, Japan became the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power during a large naval battle. The Vietnamese determination and motivation were boosted, demonstrating that they could potentially defeat the French, one of the most influential European powers at the
It was the final undoing of the French. In 1953, as both sides prepared for peace talks in the Indochina War, French military commanders selected Dien Bien Phu as the location for a fight with the Viet Minh. Viet Minh guerrillas and troops from the People’s Army of Vietnam surrounded Dien Bien Phu during the build up of the garrisons. The Viet Minh concealed artillery and supplies in camouflaged caves on the mountain face. The Viet Minh’s initial assault on the French almost immediately proved the vulnerability and flawed defence of the French. The French supplies and weapons were flown in by plane; however, this usually led to the shelling of the aircraft. The Viet Minh used local peasants to bring in supplies and weaponry, through dense forests, an entry the French had written off as impassable. As source A suggests “The Army established a good relationship with the people and relied on the people to fight and defeat the enemy”. Giap used the element of surprise by skilfully employing supporting operations which deceived the French. Giap easily identified the French’s critical vulnerability and used their mistakes to his own advantage. The work of a great strategist. One crucial decision that Giap made was when he moved his own headquarters to the Dien Bien Phu battle site. This allowed him to personally oversee the conflict, and clear up confusion or misunderstandings