The French and Dien Bien Phu

The battle of  Den Bien Phu occurred between march and may of the year 1954. Between the French Union and the Viet Minh, it took place in Dien Bien Phu in north Vietnam. It was a very bloody and violent battle between the two and shortly after France agreed to a cease fire with Viet Minh. The French failed miserably and at the end of it the Viet Minh had captured almost 12,000 soldiers. With such a big defeat and a failure in military tactics on the French side they were forced to back out after a very long battle. This battle had great meaning in the lead to the Vietnam War because it signaled the last of French influence in that region. Since the French were leaving the United States felt they had to step in to prevent the North from taking over South Vietnam and making it a communist state as well. This was one of the biggest turning points at the beginning of the war, and also showed that the North was a very strong are and would not be easy to defeat, showing their impressive military strategies in the battle and coming away victorious. This was truly one of the first markings of the Vietnam War and was one of the causes that led to a very long war.

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