Kōrero: Asian conflicts

Dien Bien Phu memorial

Dien Bien Phu memorial

This memorial celebrates the Vietnamese victory over the French at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam, in May 1954. After Dien Bien Phu the French began negotiations to withdraw from their former colonies in Indochina. The communist Viet Minh, under Ho Chi Minh, led the Vietnamese resistance to the French. The US and its allies, including Australia and New Zealand, feared that a communist takeover of South-East Asia was about to occur. In the early 1950s the Western allies had little understanding of the subtleties of Asian regional politics. They assumed that all communist activities were part of a conspiracy led by the Soviet Union with the assistance of China.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Private collection
Photograph by Stephen Levine

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Ian McGibbon, 'Asian conflicts - Shift of focus to South-East Asia', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/photograph/34530/dien-bien-phu-memorial (accessed 19 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Ian McGibbon, i tāngia i te 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Feb 2016