Everything Everywhere Daily: The Origins of the Vietnam War (Encore)

Host: Gary Arndt
Date: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this encore episode, host Gary Arndt explores the deep historical roots of the Vietnam War, going beyond the simplistic view of the conflict as merely a product of Cold War politics. Instead of focusing on the conduct of the war itself, Gary traces the sequence of events and critical decisions that created the conditions for war, starting as far back as European colonial incursions in the 16th century. The episode highlights overlooked moments, missed opportunities, and the complex interplay of nationalism, colonialism, and ideology, culminating in the outbreak of full-scale war.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early European Influence and Colonial Foundations

• The origins of the Vietnam War trace back centuries, starting with the arrival of French Jesuits in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Notable Figure: Alexandre de Rhodes, a Jesuit missionary, developed the Vietnamese Latin-based script (quốc ngữ), fundamentally changing Vietnamese written language.
  • “The war's origin can probably be traced all the way back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when French Jesuits arrived in Vietnam.” (06:08)
• By the 18th century, French adventurers supported competing Vietnamese factions, setting the conditions for deeper intervention.

2. Rise of French Colonial Rule

• 1858: France’s military intervention cited the protection of Catholic missionaries.
• 1862: After conflict, France captured Cochin China (southern Vietnam), beginning direct colonial rule.
• 1884: French control extended over all Vietnam after the Sino-French War, leading to the creation of the Indo-Chinese Union (1887), encompassing Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
  • "This marked the formal establishment of French colonial rule in the region." (10:17)
• The French exploited natural resources, imposed heavy taxes, and enforced French culture and language while suppressing Vietnamese traditions.

3. Vietnamese Resistance and Early Nationalism

• Multiple waves of resistance emerged from the start of French rule.
• Phan Đình Phùng led early rebellions (1880s–1890s).
• By the early 20th century, reformers like Phan Bội Châu and Phan Châu Trinh championed independence.

4. Ho Chi Minh and the Rise of Vietnamese Communism

• Ho Chi Minh (born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, 1890) embodied the new wave of resistance, blending nationalism and communism.
• Memorable Moment:
  • "Ho became a leader in the Vietnamese independence movement and in 1919 he attended the Versailles Peace Conference where he petitioned for Vietnamese self-determination." (15:59)
• At the Versailles Conference (1919), his plea (the Eight Demands) for Vietnamese rights was ignored by President Wilson and Western leaders—a pivotal ‘Wilsonian moment’ that pushed Ho toward communism.

5. Japanese Occupation and the Power Vacuum

• 1940–1945: Japanese military occupied Vietnam, dwarfing French administrative control (by Vichy France).
• The occupation eroded French dominance, strengthening Vietnamese nationalism.
• Remarkable Historical Twist: Ho Chi Minh collaborated with American OSS agents during World War II (Operation Deer Team)—the U.S.'s precursor to the CIA—to fight the Japanese. (21:36)

6. First Indochina War and the Cold War Context

• August 1945: Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh captured Hanoi in the August Revolution, declaring independence.
• France attempted to reassert colonial rule, inciting the First Indochina War (1946–1954), defined mainly by guerrilla conflict.
• The U.S. shifted from general anti-colonial support post-WWII to backing France, concerned over communism’s spread as the Cold War dawned.
  • “During and after the Second World War, the United States was largely in favor of France and Britain giving their colonies independence. However, in Vietnam, Truman made an exception due to the fact that the Viet Minh were Communists.” (25:01)

7. The Turning Point: Division and Competing Regimes

• 1954: The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu ended colonial rule.
• Geneva Accords: Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel—Communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) versus Western-backed South (led by Ngo Dinh Diem).
• Gary underscores that neither side was truly autonomous; both depended on superpower sponsorship.

8. Ngo Dinh Diem and U.S. Policy in South Vietnam

• Diem, America’s favored leader, was staunchly anti-Communist but authoritarian, unpopular, and repressive—especially towards Buddhists.
  • “Diem was a dictator, and he behaved as such. He was deeply unpopular in South Vietnam.” (29:29)
• The “domino theory” drove deepening U.S. involvement despite domestic doubts about Diem’s legitimacy and tactics.

9. Escalation and Final Steps to War

• 1963: U.S.-backed coup and assassination of Diem after growing frustration with his rule.
  • "The United States, via the CIA, approved the removal of Diem as president." (33:39)
• 1964: Alleged attacks on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin prompted Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing large-scale American intervention.
• These steps set the stage for the full-scale war that would follow.

10. Contingency and Unintended Consequences

• The episode concludes by reflecting on how different decisions—such as Wilson’s potential engagement with Ho, or U.S. resistance to French re-colonization—might have prevented the Vietnam War altogether.
  • “If President Wilson had acknowledged the grievances of Ho Chi Minh in 1919... things might have turned out very different and the Vietnam War might never have happened.” (36:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the deeper roots of the war:

  • "The events that unfolded in Vietnam did not appear out of nowhere in the 1950s. They were the result of a long line of events that began almost a century beforehand." (03:14)

• On U.S. historical choices:

  • “During and after the Second World War, the United States was largely in favor of France and Britain giving their colonies independence. However, in Vietnam, Truman made an exception due to the fact that the Viet Minh were Communists.” (25:01)

• On missed opportunities:

  • "This became known in some circles as the Wilsonian moment. A missed opportunity by the United States to appeal to nationalist movements that became disillusioned... A lost chance to make an ally of a leader who was otherwise actually rather pro American." (18:55)

• Summary insight:

  • "There were many steps that led to the Vietnam War in some cases decades in advance, which would have totally changed the direction that history took." (36:04)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 06:08: Early French presence & Jesuit influence
• 10:17: Establishment of French colonial Vietnam
• 15:59: Ho Chi Minh’s petition at the Versailles Conference
• 18:55: The “Wilsonian moment”
• 21:36: OSS/Viet Minh cooperation during WWII
• 25:01: Truman’s backing of France due to Communist fears
• 29:29: Ngo Dinh Diem’s dictatorship in South Vietnam
• 33:39: U.S.-approved coup against Diem
• 36:04: Counterfactuals and closing reflections

Tone and Style

Gary Arndt maintains an accessible, engaging, and analytical tone. Rather than moralizing or simplifying, he invites listeners to appreciate the complexity of historical causality and the compound legacy of colonialism, missed diplomatic opportunities, and ideological rigidity.

Summary

This episode is an incisive, clear tracing of the deep, multi-layered origins of the Vietnam War, emphasizing that the conflict's roots stretch far beyond the Cold War and reflect decades of colonial impositions, nationalist struggles, shifting superpower strategies, and consequential missteps. Through vivid anecdotes and clear chronology, listeners are left with a much richer, more nuanced understanding of how one of the 20th century’s pivotal conflicts came to be.