Indochina Wars
Photo: French atlas from c. 1930, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Indochina Wars were a series of conflicts in Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1989.
The major conflicts with global impact were the First Indochina War from 1946 to 1954 in which an independence movement supported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China defeated French colonial forces, and the Vietnam War or American War in 1955-1975, in which North Vietnam (supported by the Soviet Union and China) defeated and annexed South Vietnam, which was supported by the United States and some of their allies.
There were other smaller parallel and later conflicts, within the region.
The wars in Indochina were extremely destructive, and their effects can still be felt today. As a comparison, in terms of tonnage, more bombs were dropped by the Americans on Southeast Asia during the course of the Indochina Wars, than the total amount of bombs dropped by all sides in all theatres of World War II combined. Landmines were also used extensively in the wars, the result being that to this day, locals continue to be killed or maimed by exploding landmines and bombs on a regular basis in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and to a lesser extent, Thailand.
UnderstandThe horror... The horror... The Indochina Wars began as wars for independence from French colonial rule.
DestinationsHong Kong was a British colony during the Indochina Wars, and the British military bases there were used as staging points for American forces during the Vietnam War.
RespectThe wars continue to be a sensitive topic for the generations that lived through them, so tread carefully when discussing them with locals.
Stay safeMuch of the region is still littered with land mines and unexploded ordnance, so be sure to avoid going off the beaten track in rural areas unless you have a guide who knows the area well.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Indochina Wars" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: French atlas from c. 1930, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons