Vietnam is a nation in southeast Aisa on the eastern edge of the Indochinese Penninsula. before Vietnam was its own country, this part of Asia had been under French colonial control since the 19th century. During the time of WWll, the Japanese forces had invaded Vietnam. so to fight them off, the French colonial administrator and political leader Ho Chi Minh, got inspired by the Chinese and Soviet communism to create the Viet Minh or the league of independence for Vietnam. when Japan lost WWll in 1945 it left the French-educated leader, Emperor Bao Dai to take control of the northern region of Vietnam. Ho Viet Minh immediately seized control over the southern region of Vietnam. the conflict started to occur when the southern region wanted to model Vietnam after other communist countries, however, the northern region wanted a more unified Vietnam with it being modeled after western countries.