Geneva Conference (1954) - Post Declaration Events

Post Declaration Events

For Communist forces, which were instrumental in the defeat of the French, the ideology of communism and nationalism were linked. Many communist sympathisers viewed the South Vietnamese as a French colonial and later an American puppet regime. On the other hand, as many viewed the North Vietnamese as a puppet of Communist International.

After the cessation of hostilities, a large migration took place. 1,000,000 North Vietnamese, mostly Catholic, moved south of the Accords-mandated ceasefire line during Operation Passage to Freedom. Many other North Vietnamese are believed to have been prevented from leaving by the Viet Minh. The CIA attempted to further influence Catholic Vietnamese with slogans such as 'the Virgin Mary is moving South'. At the same time, 52,000 people from the South went North. Communist fighters were urged to remain in the South in case the election did not go their way.

The U.S. replaced the French as a political backup for Ngo Dinh Diem, then Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam and he asserted his power in the South. A referendum rigged by his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu saw Diem gain 98% of the vote, with 133% in Saigon. American advisers had suggested that he won by a lesser margin since it was felt that he would be able to win any fair poll against Emperor Bảo Đại. With the backing of the United States, Diem refused to hold the national elections, noting that the State of Vietnam never signed the Geneva Accords and went about attempting to crush communist opposition.

Both sides violated provisions of the Accords, with both regimes engaging in military buildups contrary to them, with Hanoi creating a clandestine army in the South prior to the elections. Guerrilla activity in the South escalated, while U.S. military advisers continued to support the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, which was created as a replacement for the Vietnamese National Army. The failure of reunification led to the creation of the National Liberation Front(better known as the Vietcong) by Ho Chi Minh's government. They were closely aided by the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) of the North, also known as the North Vietnamese Army. The result was the Second Indochinese War, more commonly known as the Vietnam War.