Vietminh

An abbreviation of Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the independence of Vietnam), the Communist-led nationalist organization formed in southern China in 1941 under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh to combat the Japanese occupiers and French collaborationist administration in Indochina. In 1951, the Vietminh political apparatus was incorporated in the newly formed Workers' Party of Vietnam (Dang Lao Dong Viet Nam). The term Vietminh is also used to designate the military arm of the Vietnamese nationalist movement. Led by Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietminh guerrilla army evolved toward a conventional force after 1945 and led the fight to expel the French colonialist administration of Indochina. The Vietminh defeated the French-led forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and brought about the withdrawal of the French from Indochina. Subsequently, the Vietminh forces were transformed into the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and supported the Communist-led National Liberation Front in its successful bid to unite Vietnam by conquering the Western-oriented Republic of (South) Vietnam.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.