n.
in full Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi
(English; " League for the Independence of Vietnam ")
Organization that led the struggle for Vietnamese independence from French rule.
Formed in 1941 by Ho Chi Minh , it was a national organization open to people of all political leanings, though it was led by communists. In 1943 the Viet Minh began guerrilla operations against the occupying Japanese; when the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, the Viet Minh seized Hanoi and proclaimed Vietnam's independence. In the First Indochina War that followed, the Viet Minh (and the Vietnamese Workers' Party [Lao Dong] that succeeded them) defeated the French. Elements of the Viet Minh also joined the Viet Cong to fight the U.S. in the Vietnam War . See also Vo Nguyen Giap .