How was the Democratic Republic of Vietnam formed ? What were the problems before the republic ?
(1) The World War II started in September 1939. In 1940, Japan occupied Vietnam as part of its imperial drive to control Southeast Asia. As a result of Japanese occupation, nationalists now had to fight against the Japanese as well as the French. The League for the Independence of Vietnam which came to be known as the Vietminh fought the Japanese occupation and recaptured Hanoi in September 1945. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed and Ho Chi Minh became chairman. (2) The problem/challenges faced by the new Republic of Vietnam were as mentioned below: The French tried to regain control by using the emperor, Bao Dai, as their puppet. As a result of French offensive, the Vietminh retreated to the hills. Fighting continued for almost eight years. In 1954, the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu. More than 16000 soldiers of the French were taken prisoner. Peace negotiations at Geneva were held and peace was restored.
