In 1945 World War II was ending, and the Japanese were being pushed out of the territories they occupied, including Vietnam. There was a vacuum in leadership there.
Stalin was reneging on his promises not to interfere with other countries governments.
England and Churchill wanted to maintain the colonies and empire.
Roosevelt for USA wanted to use the opportunity to let colonised countries to become independent.
Vichy France had no say, but France in general wanted to retain Vietnam as a territory.
In stepped Ho Chi Minh who, without opposition from USA (some say with a nod and a wink), seized power. He had a very small power base, was relatively unknown and had communist ideals.
When USA saw he was getting to powerful, and when Roosevelt died, USA appeared to side with the French in trying to regain control. When the French, in a garrison high in the North West, were soundly defeated in a battle, USA stepped in as did the UN. The country was partitioned at the 17 parallel between North and South.
From then on it deteriorated. And a terrible couple of decades ensued.

This book contains the transcripts of interviews with many of the leading figures in the period 1945 to 1975. However, they are almost all either South Vietnamese or North Americans - no-one from the North Vietnamese or the allies of the US.
It reveals confused policies, mis-understanding of the cultural situation, information hidden from the American public, and re-election of American presidents playing a role in conduct and direction of the war. ( )

12/3/22