Organizer: Elliot School of International Affairs and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University

In The First Vietnam War, Shawn McHale explores why the communist-led resistance in Vietnam won the anticolonial war against France (1945–54), except in the south. He shows how broad swaths of Vietnamese people were uneasily united in 1945 under the Viet Minh Resistance banner. The unstable union eventually shattered in 1947, and from this point on, the war in the south turned into an overt civil war wrapped up in a war against France. Based on extensive archival research in four countries and in three languages, this is the first substantive English-language book focused on southern Vietnam's transition from colonialism to independence.

The event will be held in-person and livestreamed simultaneously. We will begin with a lecture by the author, followed by a moderated Q&A with the audience. Questions will be accepted from both in-person and online audiences.

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