The Việt Minh (, ), officially the League for Independence of Vietnam (Phạm Hồng Tung: Tìm hiểu thêm về Mặt trận Việt Minh. Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Lịch sử, số 2 năm 2000. or , , ; ), was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Ho Chi Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Front (), it was established by the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) as a united front to achieve Vietnamese independence, the first step in a communist revolutionary project. With the collapse of Japanese authority at the close of World War II, the front moved swiftly to proclaim the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), the predecessor of today's Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The ICP presented the Viet Minh as a broad-based coalition comprising various political groups. Accommodation of noncommunists, including the colonial-trained bureaucracy and officials of the Empire of Vietnam, initially helped bring the Viet Minh to power in 1945, but it also blunted the communist core's ability to implement radical socioeconomic policies. After 1950, with the recognition and assistance of communist China and the Soviet Union, the party purged remaining bourgeois elements.
Following the Japanese occupation completed in 1941, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the Republic of China, and later from the US Office of Strategic Services. After World War II, the Việt Minh established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and opposed the re-occupation of Vietnam by the French Union, resulting in the First Indochina War. It also opposed non-communist Vietnamese nationalists, such as the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng, during civil conflicts, and later opposed the State of Vietnam as well as its successor, the Republic of Vietnam. Until 1948, the Việt Minh advocated putting aside the issue of class struggle and dictatorship of the proletariat to focus on gaining sovereignty for Vietnam. However, the organization's stance changed after being recognized by communist China and the Soviet Union in January 1950.
The political leader of Việt Minh was Ho Chi Minh. The military element was under the command of Võ Nguyên Giáp. Other founders were Lê Duẩn and Phạm Văn Đồng.
The Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh is not to be confused with the Việt Nam Cách mệnh Đồng minh Hội (League for the Vietnamese Revolution, abbreviated as Việt Cách) which was founded by Nguyễn Hải Thần. Việt Cách later briefly joined the Vietnamese National Coalition in 1946.
Today, the Vietnam Fatherland Front – a socio-political coalition led by the Communist Party of Vietnam forming the Vietnamese government – is recognized as the modern incarnation of the Việt Minh front in current Vietnamese politics.
Foundation The League for Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh) was founded on 19 May 1941 in Pác Bó, Cao Bằng province (in northern Vietnam). Ho Chi Minh was the founder and his Indochinese Communist Party was the main leadership organization within Viet Minh.
Leadership Ho Chi Minh was the highest leader. Nguyễn Lương Bằng was appointed as the Direct of the General Department (from 1941 to 1951). Hoàng Văn Thụ was appointed as the Secretary of the General Department (from 1941 to 1943 when he was captured by colonial French), and then took over the position (from 1943 to 1951).
Nguyen Luong Bang, Hoang Van Thu and Hoang Quoc Viet were members of the Communist Party.
Organization At the national level, Viet Minh is governed by the General Department (Tổng bộ). Further down there were executive committees in provinces and cities; and executive commissions in communes.
However, due to political turmoil and civil unrest at the time, plus conflicts with Japanese and French forces, the Viet Minh's General Department was not completely elected. Hence the details about members of the General Department were very scarce and not fully understood.
Viet Minh established strongholds in northern and central Vietnam. But in southern Vietnam, Viet Minh faced many challengers such as Cao Đài, Hòa Hảo (religious sects) and Bình Xuyên (armed group).
Components Main members The founding and core members of Viet Minh were the communists. Other non-communists also joined the front. Indochinese Communist Party: the General Secretary was Trường Chinh Democratic Party of Vietnam: the Secretary-General was ; joined in 1944 Socialist Party of Vietnam: the Secretary-General was ; joined in 1946 Vanguard Youth: the chairman was ; joined in 1945. A small number of organization's leaders joined other political organizations. Bình Xuyên Force: the Commander was Dương Văn Dương; joined in 1945. A faction led by Lê Văn Viễn did not follow the Việt Minh and later supported the State of Vietnam and France National Salvation Army: the Commander was Chu Văn Tấn; merged with the Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army into Vietnam Liberation Army in 1945
Other opposite parties Even though many opposite parties fought against Viet Minh, many of their members joined Viet Minh and worked with the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Revolutionary League of Vietnam (Viet Cach): Dinh Chuong Duong, , Ho Duc Thanh, ... Vietnamese Nationalist Party (Viet Quoc): Phan Khôi, , ... National Independent Party of Vietnam: Vietnamese Trotskyists (Fourth Internationals): League for National Restoration of Vietnam:
Religious organizations The majority of Buddhists supported Viet Minh. The majority of Catholics, Cao Đài, and Hòa Hảo initially supported the Viet Minh but later split into pro–Viet Minh, pro–State of Vietnam, and neutral factions. Buddhist Association for National Salvation: Thích Tịnh Khiết, Thích Minh Nguyệt, , Thích Mật Thể, Thích Trí Quang, ... Cao Đài Association for National Salvation: , , Nguyễn Ngọc Tương... Catholic Association for National Salvation: , , , , ... Hòa Hảo Association for Resistance War: a few followers joined the front but not well documented, a known pro-communist Hòa Hảo follower was Huynh Thien Tu Protestant Church: Bui Hoanh Thu, Duong Tu Ap, Tran Van De...
Peripheral wings Viet Minh established many youth wing, woman wing and military wing. They aimed to draw supports from people of different backgrounds, classes, races, genders and religions. National United League of Vietnam (Hoi Lien Viet): the Leader was Huỳnh Thúc Kháng National Salvation Youth Union: founded in 1931, today is the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union National Salvation Women's Union: founded in 1941, today is the Vietnam Women's Union National Salvation Children's Union: founded in 1941, today is the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization National Salvation Workers' Union: founded in 1941, today is the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Vietnam Liberation Army: founded in 1944; merged from the Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army and National Salvation Army; the commander was Võ Nguyên Giáp; today is the People's Army of Vietnam Vietnam Public Security Service: founded in 1945; the commander was ; today is the People's Public Security of Vietnam
World War II
The was previously formed by Hồ Học Lãm in Nanjing, China, at some point between August 1935 and early 1936, when Vietnamese nationalist parties formed an anti-imperialist united front. This organization soon lapsed into inactivity, only to be taken over by Ho Chi Minh and the ICP in 1941. During World War II, Japan occupied French Indochina. As well as fighting the French in the battles of Khai Phat and Na Ngan, the Việt Minh started a military campaign against the Japanese. For instance, a raid at Tam Dao internment camp in Tonkin on 19 July 1945 saw 500 Viet Minh kill fifty Japanese soldiers and officials, freeing French civilian captives and escorting them to the Chinese border. The Viet Minh also fought the Japanese 21st Division in Thái Nguyên, and regularly raided rice storehouses to alleviate the ongoing famine.Hanyok, Robert (1995). "Guerillas in the Mist: COMINT and the Formation and Evolution of the Viet Minh 1941–45". (p. 107)
As of the end of 1944, the Việt Minh claimed a membership of 500,000, of which 200,000 were in Tonkin, 150,000 in Annam, and 150,000 in Cochinchina.The Pentagon Papers (1971), Beacon Press, vol. 1, p. 45. After the Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, the Viet Minh and ICP prolifically expanded their activities. They formed national salvation associations (cuu quoc hoi) that, in Quảng Ngãi province alone, enlisted 100,000 peasants by mid-1945. This was backed by the Vanguard Youth (Thanh Nien Tien Phong) in Cochinchina, which expanded to 200,000 by early summer. In the northern provinces of Việt Bắc, their armed forces seized control, after which they distributed lands to the poor, abolished the corvée, established quốc ngữ classes, local village militias, and declared universal suffrage and democratic freedoms.Cima, R.J (1987). Vietnam: A Country Study. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 49.
Due to their opposition to the Japanese, the Việt Minh received funding from the United States, the Soviet Union and the Republic of China. After the August Revolution's takeover of nationalist organizations and Emperor Bảo Đại's abdication to the Việt Minh, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence by proclaiming the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 2 September 1945.
First Indochina War
Within days, the Chinese Kuomintang (Nationalist) Army arrived in Vietnam to supervise the repatriation of the Imperial Japanese Army in the North. In the South, Franco-British armies had attacked the Viet Minh since 23 September 1945. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam therefore existed only in theory and effectively controlled no territory. A few months later, the Chinese, Vietnamese and French came to a three-way understanding. The French gave up certain rights in China, the Việt Minh agreed to the return of the French in exchange for promises of independence within the French Union, and the Chinese agreed to leave. Negotiations between the French and Việt Minh broke down quickly in December 1946. What followed was nearly ten years of war against France. This was known as the First Indochina War or, to the Vietnamese, "the French War". The Viet Minh had also been in conflict with the nationalists and Trotskyists since August 1945.
The Việt Minh, who were short on modern military knowledge, created a military school in Quảng Ngãi province in June 1946. More than 400 Vietnamese were trained by Japanese defectors in this school. These soldiers were considered to be students of the Japanese. Later, some of them fought as generals against the Republic of Vietnam in the Vietnam War or, to the Vietnamese communists, "the American War". Young insurgents of the Việt Minh also received training in the use of modern firearms by some foreign volunteers, such as Stefan Kubiak.
French General Jean Étienne Valluy quickly pushed the Việt Minh out of Hanoi. His French infantry with armored units went through Hanoi, fighting small battles against isolated Việt Minh groups. The French encircled the Việt Minh base, Việt Bắc, in late 1947, they caused great damage to the Viet Minh but failed to decisively defeat the Việt Minh forces, and retreated soon after. According to the communists, the campaign was a Việt Minh "victory" over the well-equipped French force. While the war with the Viet Minh was ongoing, France decided to seek an alternative political solution by negotiating with the anti-communist nationalists led by former emperor Bao Dai, leading to the establishment of the unified and "independent" State of Vietnam within the French Union in June 1949. However, the new state remained indirectly controlled by France and was only gradually given power. The United States recognized the new country in February 1950 to help the French fight communism (but opposed colonialism) and opposed the Viet Minh's government that got recognized by the USSR and communist China in January.