etnam), Annam (Central Vietnam) and Tonking (North Vietnam).
French Attempt to Regain Control of Vietnam
The Japanese surrender produced chaotic conditions throughout Vietnam. According to Crozier, General Charles DeGaulle, head of the provisional French government, wanted "to restore France's full authority in . . . the colony and protectorates of Indo-China" (270). However, the Big Three at Potsdam in July 1945 decided that British forces would temporarily occupy Vietnam south of the 16th parallel in Vietnam, and Chinese Nationalist forces north of that line. DeGaulle sent reinforcements from Europe, but events were initially determined by the balance of forces in Vietnam.
In Saigon, an unwieldy alliance of communist and non-communist Vietnamese nationalists vied for control as the bewildered Japanese looked on. After arriving in mid-September, the British forces used a combination of released French prisoners and Japanese soldiers
...