History Of Southeast Asia

For Part 4 in our series on the First Indochina War, this episode covers the events of 1952 and most of 1953. We will look at the battles in northwest Vietnam, as the Viet Minh invade this area. Then we will see the opening of a second front in Laos, which will start an on-and-off civil war that will last for the next 22 years. Finally, we will learn how Laos and Cambodia achieved full independence from France. Today's map shows the campaigns in northern Vietnam (then called Tonkin) in 1952. The Viet Minh (pink arrows) advanced from the Red River valley to the Black River valley. By the end of 1952 they had also reached the western border, making it possible for them to invade Laos in 1953. The blue arrow marks the French counterattack, Operation Lorraine; it turned back before it captured its main objective, the Viet Minh supply base at Yen Binh. However, the French garrison surrounded at Na San was able to resist all attacks after the enemy surrounded it, until it was evacuated in August 1953. Sour