Why did the Vietnamese reject French rule?The Vietnam War

Just as the American colonies fought for independence from
Great Britain and African nations finally emerged from their own colonial past, the
Vietnamese fought the French so that they could also enjoy native rule without outside
interference. The Vietnamese (as well as other French Indochina colonies Cambodia and,
later, Laos) had been fighting for their independence in one way or another since France
took control in 1859. After the Japanese surrendered control back to the French
following World War II, the Viet Minh--a communist group led by Ho Chi Minh and formerly
supported by the United States--declared Viet Nam an independent state. The Viet Minh
were initially driven out of Hanoi, but Ho began a guerilla movement that initiated the
First Indochina War. When the communists took over China, China officially recognized
the Viet Minh government and began to actively support them militarily. The French were
eventually driven out for good following the disastrous siege and surrender of Dien Ben
Phu in 1954.

During World War II, the Vichy
French--Frenchmen who collaborated with the Germans following the fall of
France--actually continued nominal control over French Indochina during the Japanese
occupation. The Vichy French government in Indochina cooperated with the Japanese until
Germany fell in 1945; when the Vichy French began negotiations with the Free French, the
Japanese siezed control. A famine that resulted in the starvation deaths of more than
one million Indochinese spurred the first revolt by the Viet Minh, who advocated
rebellion by the starving Vietnamese. The Viet Minh's stance gained great support from
the people, and when the French attempted to regain control following the war, Ho Chi
Minh's popularity grew to new heights.