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| 1946, March 6 |
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| The Viêt Minh were unable to keep the French completely out of their homeland, though. France recognized Vietnam as a free state within the French Union and the Indochinese Federation, but this did not deter Hô Chi Minh and his faction from carrying on hostilities aimed at driving out the French and uniting all Indochina in one Vietnamese state. In retaliation, the French proclaimed the “autonomous Republic of Cochin China” (June 1). | 1 |
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| July–Sept |
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| In protracted conferences at Fontainebleau, Hô Chi Minh was unable to persuade the French to accept his program. The French dispatched troops to Hanoi and Haiphong. | 2 |
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| Nov. 23 |
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| The French bombardment of Haiphong left 6,000 civilians dead and effectively marked the beginning of the drawn-out and unsuccessful French struggle to retain control over Indochina, better known as the First Indochina War. The Viêt Minh retaliated (Dec.), and full-fledged war commenced. Over the course of the next eight years, France would commit some 420,000 troops to the field (including 200,000 Vietnamese). | 3 |
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