The Vietnamese August Revolution

The seizure of power by the Viet Minh in the weeks after Japan's surrender.

Background

Vietnam had been ruled by France since the nineteenth century, and Japanese forces occupied it during the Second World War. The Viet Minh, a front led by Ho Chi Minh, organised resistance against both and built support in the countryside, helped by a severe famine in 1944 and 1945.

Course of events

When Japan surrendered in August 1945, the Viet Minh called a national uprising and took control in Hanoi and many other places. Emperor Bao Dai abdicated, and on 2 September Ho Chi Minh read the declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Ba Dinh Square.

Legacy

France did not accept the new state and returned, leading to the First Indochina War from 1946. The conflict continued in different forms until 1975.