Asia Pacific 1954: First Indochina War
6 May 1954
6 May 1954
The Cold War in Asia
1894–1911 The Rise of Japan
1911–1927 Warlords and Revolutionaries
1927–1937 China's Nanjing Decade
1937–1941 Second Sino-Japanese War
1941–1943 WWII: The Greater East Asia War
1943–1945 WWII: Victory Over Japan
1945–1950 End of the Old Order
1950–1989 The Cold War in Asia
1989–pres Asian Economic Powers
First Indochina War
14 Sep 1950 Outbreak of the Korean War
24 Nov 1950 UN Offensive in Korea
9 Sep 1951 China in Korea and Tibet
6 May 1954 First Indochina War
28 Mar 1959 China under Mao
16 Sep 1963 Formation of Malaysia
1 Apr 1968 Vietnam War
27 Jan 1973 Paris Peace Accords
2 Dec 1975 Communist Victory in Indochina
5 Mar 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War
In Indochina, France had been struggling with Vietnamese communist-nationalists, the Viet Minh, since 1946. When the Viet Minh invaded Laos in 1953, the French tried to cut their supply lines by setting up a base at Dien Bien Phu. But the French had underestimated their opponents, instead suffering a humiliating defeat which forced them to abandon the war.
