@GiaiVnch By your logic, Ngo Quyen, who was never recognized by any country on Earth, was not a legit king? And Vietnam was not a fully sovereign nation under him? Was Ho Chi Minh not a 1:1 replica of Ngo Quyen?
@GiaiVnch Vietnam only became independent from Japan after Ho Chi Minh and the Allies defeated the Japan in August 1945. Before that, Vietnam was fully a Japan colony for 5 months straight.
@GiaiVnch Because both can be true at the same time. Bao Dai served the Japanese as a puppet. But he was also the heir of the precolonial Nguyen Dynasty. Thus, when Ho Chi Minh and the Allies defeated the Japanese, the former status was removed, and the latter status was restored.
@DatRamJamHam 1. Who defeated France and kicked France out of Vietnam?
2. Was that anti-communist South not literally remnants of the French colonial administration?
@GiaiVnch The last Qing emperor also legalized the ROC with an Act of Abdication. He later also became a puppet king for Manchukuo under the Japanese, just like Bao Dai's State of Vietnam.
@GiaiVnch On March 11, VN didn't gain independence. It gained Japan as its new colonizer. From a French to a Japan colony.
DRV was both a republic and a successor to the Nguyen. The same thing happened in China in 1912: the ROC overthrew and succeeded the Qing as the next govt of China.
@GiaiVnch Of course the election was only held in non-occupation zones. Is that not perfectly normal in wartime? Look at Ukraine after 2014, elections were not held in zones occupied by Russia (like Crimea). But that didn't make Ukrainian elections invalid at all.
@GiaiVnch Diem was hiding overseas for years. He was nameless and even less popular than Bao Dai. That's why he cheated in the 1955 referendum. If HCM was more popular than BD, and BD was more popular than the nameless Diem, what make you think the 80% figure wouldn't apply to Diem too?
@GiaiVnch Having China support doesn't negate the fact that Dien Bien Phu was a victory done by the Vietnamese people. Had the Vietnamese people not supported him there, Ho Chi Minh would have never win, no matter how much support he got from China.
@GiaiVnch The VM fought the Jap with the Allies. Thus, the victory was a collective effort, including the VM.
We're talking about 45-56. The French defeat was a years-long progress. As you now agree the VM did defeat the French in 54, why weren't they legit at least by that year?
@GiaiVnch The communists legal claim didn't come from signing that agreement. Their legal claim came from September 2, 1945, when they violently overthrew the French and restored Vietnam historical sovereignty.
@GiaiVnch c. By democratic election: On 1/6/46, the very first election in VN history was held. Voter turnout was 90.7% in Bac Lieu, 93% in Sa Dec, 90% in Tan An. From this, the very first Congress was formed. There were no observers, as they didn't exist in any election back then.
@GiaiVnch b. By outsiders' observation: The US President Eisenhower confirmed that 80% of the population supported Ho Chi Minh. This is the strongest, most irrefutable evidence, as it directly came from an enemy of Ho Chi Minh, who would obviously never lie to help him.