The “Indochina War” began on December 19, 1946, when the Viet Minh blew up the Hanoi power plant. Then Mr. Vo Nguyen Giap, one of the greatest Generals of the 20th century, withdrew his forces to Mount Tan Trao to regroup.
Under his leadership, the Viet Minh established a network of inaccessible bases in the long border jungle of Long Sean and west of Truong Song. A 15,000-strong French expeditionary force sent to disperse the Vietnamese forces could not locate them.
Vo Nguyen Giap’s Unorthodox War Strategy
The Strategy implemented by Vo Nguyen Giap can be summarized in the characteristic phrase of Ho Chi Minh, regarding the struggle of the Viet Minh against the French:
“It is the confrontation between the tiger and the elephant. If the tiger remains motionless, the elephant will crush it with its volume. But the tiger will not stand still. It will rush at the elephant’s back, injure it and then disappear into the darkness of the jungle. Slowly the elephant will die from the bleeding. That is how the Indochina War will be”.
The tactic
According to Vo Nguyen Giap, the tactic followed by the “tiger” evolved into three stages:
- 1st Stage
The first stage involved building strong bases, which the opponent could not easily attack. This network of inaccessible bases was created in the northern border jungle of Long Sean and west of Truong Song.
On these bases Vo Nguyen Giap trained his soldiers and forged strong political ties with the inhabitants of the surrounding areas. The bases were a refuge for his army in cases where it had to retreat or rest.
- 2nd Stage
The second stage included the guerrilla war and its political exploitation. The Viet Minh carried out surprise attacks, forcing the enemy to disperse his forces throughout the country and undermining the morale of his soldiers.
The more the French lost control of the country, the more the Viet Minh gained a political advantage. When the French launched campaigns to strike the guerrillas, Vo Nguyen Giap avoided confrontation unless he had a clear advantage.
The guerrilla war was combined with an increase in political influence over the people. Even if the French controlled an area, it was impossible to locate the Viet Minh propagandists, who were almost identical.
- 3rd Stage
The third stage was applied only when the enemy had weakened, and the Viet Minh gained the trust of the people of an area. That was the time of the frontal military confrontation.
The evolution of the three stages was not linear. When the Viet Minhs were defeated by the French, they abandoned the open confrontation and returned to guerrilla warfare tactics or even retreated to their hideouts to regroup.
The French generals had no guerrilla warfare experience and underestimated the capabilities of the Vietnamese.
The key element in shaping Vo Nguyen Giap’s strategy
The key element in the thinking of General Vo Nguyen Giap, which was colored by the practice and theory of Mao Zedong, was that it was not the maintenance of land control but the influence of the people that mattered.
He knew that the French had superior armaments, but they faced two main disadvantages:
1. Lack of human resources
2. Reduced political will to prolong the war.
If Vo Nguyen Giap failed to secure popular support, the opponents’ weaknesses would diminish, but not their superiority. Vo Nguyen Giap avoided any direct confrontation, trying to maintain the initiative of the moves.
