The Vietnam War: Film Analysis
Déjà Vu is the first episode of the PBS documentary The Vietnam War. Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, the documentary focuses on the historical developments that occurred prior to the Vietnam War; for example, there was discussion on French imperialism, the First Indochina War, and the power struggles between Vietnamese coalition leaders. However, the most intriguing aspect of this film was the story and rise of Ho Chi Minh.
Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) was a communist leader that sparked a movement of Vietnamese nationalism, self-determination, and removal of foreign intervention in Vietnam. His coalition, the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam), was formed in 1941 as an independence coalition that sought to remove French
and Japanese occupation. His rise to political fame and efforts to unite Vietnamese people as a collective body were key elements that paved the future of Vietnam as a nation-state.
According to the documentary, Ho Chi Minh’s father was a “minor official in the French regime.” Minh was against the French occupying Vietnam and protested against them. As a result, Ho Chi Minh was exiled in 1911 from Vietnam for thirty years. He moved around in the United States, London, and Paris before he joined the French Socialist Party. Later on, Minh went Moscow to study as a soviet agent and then traveled to China to form the Indochinese communist party. When Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in 1941, it was then he formed the Viet Minh coalition. Locals were interested and wanted to join the Viet Minh due to its enticing message of freedom from Japanese occupation.
Minh’s message of freedom inspired coalition members to fight back against Japan. The Viet Minh’s preferred method of fighting was using Guerilla tactics and the element of surprise. With the help of the United States providing basic weapon and war training, Japan’s rule was undermined. For the United States, I thought this was a tactical and smart response to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1945.
While I didn’t cover all of Ho Chi Minh’s impact on Vietnam, I found his story insightful. I never knew he honestly existed.
Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) was a communist leader that sparked a movement of Vietnamese nationalism, self-determination, and removal of foreign intervention in Vietnam. His coalition, the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam), was formed in 1941 as an independence coalition that sought to remove French
and Japanese occupation. His rise to political fame and efforts to unite Vietnamese people as a collective body were key elements that paved the future of Vietnam as a nation-state.
According to the documentary, Ho Chi Minh’s father was a “minor official in the French regime.” Minh was against the French occupying Vietnam and protested against them. As a result, Ho Chi Minh was exiled in 1911 from Vietnam for thirty years. He moved around in the United States, London, and Paris before he joined the French Socialist Party. Later on, Minh went Moscow to study as a soviet agent and then traveled to China to form the Indochinese communist party. When Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in 1941, it was then he formed the Viet Minh coalition. Locals were interested and wanted to join the Viet Minh due to its enticing message of freedom from Japanese occupation.
Minh’s message of freedom inspired coalition members to fight back against Japan. The Viet Minh’s preferred method of fighting was using Guerilla tactics and the element of surprise. With the help of the United States providing basic weapon and war training, Japan’s rule was undermined. For the United States, I thought this was a tactical and smart response to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1945.
While I didn’t cover all of Ho Chi Minh’s impact on Vietnam, I found his story insightful. I never knew he honestly existed.