29 December, Cat Ba Town
Hoang Gia Minh Hotel 240,000VND

Early Vietnamese history in brief – part II:

·       1911 Ho Chi Minh leaves Vietnam, 1925 establishes forerunner of Vietnamese Communist Party

·       During World War II Vietnam administered by Vichy France under Japanese occupation

·       1941, the Viet Minh (communists under Ho Chi Minh) began a revolt against French rule and Japanese occupation supported by OSS (CIA)

·       After persuading Emperor Bao Dai to abdicate in his favour, on 2 September 1945 President Ho declared independence for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

·       French with British help re-established colonial control – bitter fighting ensued

·       South Vietnam (anti-communist) was granted independence in 1949

·       In 1950 Ho again declared an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam – recognized by China and the Soviet Union

·       1954 Ho defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu

·       Geneva Accord signed 1954: supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Indochina; granted it independence from France; declared the cessation of hostilities and foreign involvement; delineated northern and southern zones into which opposing troops were to withdraw; mandated unification on the basis of internationally supervised free elections to be held in July 1956

·       Neither the US nor South Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords – bear in mind the Cold War years and genuine fear of communism

·       1954 marked the beginnings of US involvement in Vietnam which led to the Vietnam War

Rest day...

Cat Ba harbour

Cat Ba harbour