Supplies are delivered by parachute to French troops in Indochina during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. French forces, led by Gen. Henri Navarre, greatly underestimated the Viet Minh. The fall of Dien Bien Phu was not only the death knell of the French in Asia, it was also the beginning of United States involvement in the region.
"Battle of Dien Bien Phu." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/333734. Accessed 12 Oct. 2018.
The Vietnamese lived under Chinese domination for one thousand years, followed by almost one hundred years of French colonialism (1858–1954). Then came 30 years of civil war, which included the war against the United States. This long struggle for independence has given many Vietnamese a deep sense of national pride. Still, people tend to focus on the future rather than the past. They often are baffled by the fixation many people in the United States have with the "American War," which they see as past history. Rather than being anti-American, most people today have an interest in all things from the United States.
"Vietnam: General Attitudes." CultureGrams Online Edition, ProQuest, 2018, online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country_sections.php?cid=173&cn=&sname=General_Attitudes&snid=6. Accessed 12 October 2018.
"Political Map." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/311662. Accessed 12 Oct. 2018.
"Infographic of Vietnam." CultureGrams Online Edition, ProQuest, 2018, online.culturegrams.com/world/world_popup_infographic.php?scountryname=Vietnam&id=&refername=&type=World. Accessed 12 October 2018.