PRELUDE

The collapse of China has changed the calculus significantly of the Vietnam War, Previously doomed factions of the war have regained their former strength capitalizing on the thriving black market and the informal economy in Indochina with the lack of central authority and monopoly of violence. Alongside foreign support reaching the battered shores of Vietnam through smuggling, The Viet Minh has recuperated much of its losses from the past years and reorganized its military capabilities. They nevertheless lack one key objective, a capital and central base of operations was to exert effective civilian authority. For years they have relied on the People’s Militias and the VNA to keep public order over their territories. Still, even the iron minds of Vo Nguyen Giap and Le Duan cannot escape the grim reality of the Vietnamese people. Drug addiction, epidemics, banditry, and more are the norm in much of Vietnam and Indochina proper. At the same time, not a primarily Viet Minh issue, as the occupational authorities in Tonkin and the State of Vietnam are gripped with the realization of their reconstruction and authoritative efforts in Vietnam to be slowed down and countered by this rising disease of the black market trade and opium addiction. Vietnam must face a reckoning with the exorbitant power of the criminal underworld in Indochina exacerbated by the Chinese collapse.

THE DA NANG LINE (January-March 1952)

Under orders from General Patton, the II Corps of the 9th Army in Vietnam was instructed to press the attack into Central Vietnam, expecting the Viet Minh Central Army Group to collapse due to low supply and poor equipment due to the low importance of the front. Le Duan’s forces however proved the Americans wrong, Incoming supplies smuggled from the Soviet Union were transported through an undisclosed informal transport network through Laos near the LUF zones sent from the city of Vinh. New mortars, anti-tank grenades, and other game-changing equipment managed to slow down the US advance significantly. With supply lines of the II Corps already at their breaking point both by fifth column partisans in the rear and overextension of the SoV Armed Forces, the II Corps was forced to call off their offensives. They nevertheless pushed far enough to allow SoV forces some breathing room close to the Da Nang line.

[MOD: 47% of Soviet Arms shipments were intercepted throughout the year by the US Navy, The Americans would have reached the Da Nang Line by early march instead of late March.]

THE WAR AGAINST OPIUM

The drug trade has ravaged Indochina for 7 years now, criminals fetch for prey on the cities, infecting hundreds of thousands with opium and other drugs for lucrative profits. Isolated villages turned to poppy growing to make ends meet exacerbating food issues across the board. Soldiers from all sides in order to cope with the long conflict and violence, turn to substance abuse as an escape from their problems, as a consequence, the combat effectiveness of the Vietnamese and to some degree, American army units have reduced significantly, with malnourished and addicted soldiers growing in the ranks of the warlord armies. Opium, the drug trade and its consequences, devastated Indochina, festering as a product of the war itself.

Something must be done about this mess and both sides knew that a crackdown on the drug trade is paramount. The Viet Minh spearheaded such an initiative, the possession, sale, and trafficking of Opium is considered, “a crime against the state, and a crime against the people of Vietnam.” Opium sellers of any kind caught in the act were tried and shot in retribution, while Opioid addicts were retrieved for forced rehabilitation, and used as construction detachments or “volunteers” to help in labor in the seasons between recovery. A propaganda campaign was launched nationwide to combat drug addiction and the sale of opiates with moderate effectiveness. Continuous anti-drug efforts against the trade throughout the year have grown in efficiency as the Viet Minh further developed its civilian apparatuses and the restoration of a formal economy and government in their territories.

In the American Occupied areas, the reorganized Tonkin Civil Authority inherited from the US Occupational authority of Tonkin has done little to stem the tide of the black market trade and festering opioid addiction in Tonkin and neighboring areas, While in principle the bureaucracy in the region organized by the US was tasked with the policing and gradual elimination of the trade, in practice, the civil authority faced similar issues to the VNQDD did ironically as much of the civil service and bureaucracy in the region served the Republic of Vietnam years prior. While the directly controlled areas by US forces were largely free of drug interdiction with US troops insulated barring the occasional couple addicts of the brigade, the bribed warlord armies of the TCA were in no shape to fight in the slightest, facing considerable drug addiction problems, a problem the Viet Minh would exploit in the coming months. Considerable investment in propaganda, bureaucratic assistance, policing and action by the part of the United States is advised in order to control the drug and black market trade.

INFILTRATION AGAINST DAI LI (April 9th-June 20th 1952)

Dai Li has gained an infamous reputation across Vietnam as the central mastermind of the Indochina drug epidemic for his own personal enrichment and by proxy the Chinese Kuomingtang. He alongside Lu Han is considered to be some of the most hated men in Vietnam and especially by the Viet Minh. Thus once the Thai Federation was crushed under Vietnamese arms and their leadership fled into Thailand, Vo Nguyen Giap’s forces now faced Dai Li’s personal fiefdom in Laos. Years of work on the part of Dai Li have turned this backwater of backwaters in the border regions of Laos, Burma, and Vietnam into a hub of drug production and distribution. Working as a subsidiary operation of the Viet Minh’s wider anti-drug initiative, Vo Nguyen Giap launched a daring infiltration raid against Dai Li’s citadel in Laos. The now veteran 301st and 302nd Infantry Divisions of the VNA, alongside reorganized LUF troops reinforced by Viet Minh assistance launched a probing attack seizing swathes of mountainous terrain, destroying drug production hubs, and liberating villages from Dai Li’s security forces. Avoiding conventional battles with Dai Li’s forces, Giap’s forces liberated a considerable portion of Laotian territory which was handed over to the LUF shortly after. Viet Minh Sapper Combat teams were distributed across the territory of the Thai Federation, working in tandem with the LUF and Viet Minh irregulars in cracking down on the drug trade and banditry to great effectiveness.

DAI LI’S RESPONSE (June-July 1952)

Informed by the situation in Vietnam, Dai Li quickly ordered the remnants of the VNQDD army in exile in Yunnan to launch a counter-punitive expedition alongside the Lao Cai railroad. The 9th VNQDD Division met Vo Nguyen Giap in a pitched battle. Light infantry maneuvers were used to great effect by Vo Nguyen Giap’s forces with their experience trouncing the VNQDD’s poorly equipped and low morale forces. However, reinforcements from the 20th NRA Division prevented further incursions by Vo Nguyen Giap into Dai Li’s fiefdom. Such an army was sent by Long Yun who now commanded the Yunnan province, doing the bare minimum to fulfill their commitments to the VNQDD. Meanwhile, Long Yun’s VNQDD divisions faced stiff resistance by detached irregular troops from the 301st and 302nd, the use of Sapper Combat teams by the Viet Minh, surprised the VNQDD attackers taking heavy casualties. Not willing to expend too many losses and face an actual pitched battle with the Viet Minh, Long Yun ordered the VNQDD to stop the attack and regroup, instead waiting for the Viet Minh to make their next move.

THE VE QUE OFFENSIVE (August 7th-September 3rd 1952)

Vo Nguyen Giap and his cadre knew the current state of affairs between the Viet Minh and the Tonkin Authority could not last forever, with the remaining warlords being bribed and integrated into the American occupation zone alongside the troops they command, the lull period between both was rapidly expiring in the North. Thus the long-awaited Operation Homecoming, planned for months on end was about to begin. Numbering nearly 50,000 soldiers of the best the VNA had to offer from its arsenal and training regiment, The 304th, 308th, and 320th Infantry Divisions alongside attached shock troop battalions and irregular troops stormed through the Upper River Delta. Using the cover of night, camouflage, and unconventional methods, mitigating the impact of US air support on the battlefield, the Viet Minh army punched through the defenses of the US-aligned warlords. Viet Minh artillery and mortar fire was used with great effectiveness at suppressing the enemy’s positions.

The shock and awe tactics of the Viet Minh exploiting the poor state of the warlord armies of Doãn Quốc Ðiền and Nguyễn Vạn Thông caught the former VNQDD troops in a panic, There was only so much US air support could do to stop the slaughter. Then, the quick-moving shock battalions of the Viet Minh performed a backhand blow on the warlord divisions encircling Nguyen Van Thong’s 1st Army in the town of Vinh Yen, In a similar maneuver, the 308th Infantry Division and its shock battalions forced Van Thong’s 2nd Army on the river banks of the Red River Delta, cutting it off from supply. In just 3 short weeks, Nguyen Van Thong’s forces were wiped out breaking the central lines

Meanwhile, the 320th Infantry Division faced Doan Quoc Diem’s forces in the city of Thai Nguyen. He was especially targeted due to his betrayal to the Viet Minh in favor of the Americans. Using similar tactics to the rest of the campaign. The 320th found good progress in the battle, seizing the city of Thai Nguyen by the second week of the campaign by clever use of sappers and artillery fire. Doan Quoc Diem made the prudent decision, however, to withdraw to more defensible areas, knowing the US got their back. As American assets came into force, the 320th stopped further incursions.

BATTLE OF HOA BINH PASS (September-November 1952)

Nguyen Thinh Cuong’s reorganization efforts have grown swimmingly, taking advantage of the black market trade and influx of Soviet weapons, have transformed Cuong’s force into a unique warlord army, in the sense that the professionalism of his forces was maintained and expanded, funding was adequate, and equipment stocks were manageable. Despite facing the brunt of the United States’s espionage and air bombing efforts, his diplomatic skills were able to dissuade much scrutiny, keeping himself as a wildcard for both sides to court over. He nevertheless has to play ball with one of the factions, and the Viet Minh, while an inferior option to working with the US, has shown to be a homegrown and capable force with the initiative that Cuong could rely on.

Le Duan however gave an offer of cooperation with Cuong he could not refuse, taking advantage of Giap’s exploits in the North, Le Duan was unwilling to be left out of the glory, thus in exchange of a greater cut of the black market profits and funding for Cuong’s personal projects, Cuong’s army would assist in a punitive expedition against Hoàng Ðình Cường Army. And so, Cuong put his newly reorganized army to the test. Alongside the 101st Mountain Regiment dispatched by Le Duan to assist, a pitched battle occurred at the Hoa Dinh Pass, where Cuong’s infantry faced Hoang Dinh Cuong’s army marching south to meet Cuong. Being flanked by the 101st and a strong infantry push by Cuong’s forces using the terrain to his advantage, Hoang Dinh Cuong’s troops were forced to retreat from the valley sustaining heavy casualties. Nguyen Thinh Cuong’s actions forced the US to dispatch reinforcements from the seemingly quiet front in Ha Long to preempt an invasion by Cuong and Le Duan.

THIRD BATTLE OF HA LONG (October 2nd-October 28th 1952)

Taking advantage of the transfer of troops into the Ninh Binh front in the south against Nguyen Thinh Cuong. Ma Dai Thong’s forces alongside the 102nd Mountain Regiment faced a predicament, US defenses in Ha Long were weakening after the constant fighting last year. Thus Ma Dai Thong requisitioned reinforcements from the Viet Minh to help in his plan. With Vo Nguyen Giap’s approval on the operation, requisitioning spare engineer battalions from other fronts, and scavenging artillery pieces, Ma Dai Thong launched an infantry assault on the city. Despite the 25th Division’s poor luck, it has been consistently resupplied and repaired in order to maintain defense, The terrain however was still just as atrocious to fight in as before. Thus when Vietnamese mountain troops crossed the Vin Qua Luc bay in the cover of night, US forces faced a grueling urban brawl in the city of Ha Long. Supported by Viet Minh partisans within the city and elsewhere, the pressure proved too much for the Americans to bear and Hanoi ordered the 25th Infantry Division to withdraw from Ha Long immediately in pursuit of better defensible terrain. Ma Dai Thong’s forces were victorious in Ha Long ending one of the longest sequenced battles in the entire Vietnam War clocking in at nearly 4 years of constant fighting.

WHISPERS FROM THE SOUTH

Le Duc Tho’s position could be better, facing a determined American counterinsurgency offensive and outnumbered 4 to 1. Low supply, equipment shortages and American counterinsurgency efforts have degraded the fighting ability of Le Duc Tho's Army. Thus, as a result, much of the chapter has gone dormant allowing American forces to reduce their involvement in the Mekong. Their total destruction was not achieved however bringing much sense of dread and anxiety to the American ranks. Especially with word by US Intelligence of the buildup of influence by a new organization aligned to the Viet Minh in the State of Vietnam. The so-called “Iron Triangle” has the Vietnamese Army on edge near the border with Cambodia and Laos, forcing the SoV to deploy significant troops in the region.

THE THAI OCCUPATION

Thailand has occupied much of Laos and Cambodia for well over 6 years now. With the objective of weakening the national identities of these nations to prepare their annexation into Greater Thailand, The Thai have spent enormous amounts of treasure, blood and sweat to ensure it’s ultimate success. The LUF and KPLC were on the brink of annihilation starved of the supplies and support necessary to continue fighting. The calculus changed significantly once the Viet Minh officially cut ties with Thailand and invaded the Federation. The subsequent move was followed by a resumption of training, funding and arms delivery to both the LUF and KPLC which has reinvigorated both movements. Taking advantage of the tired and starved Thai occupying armies, the LUF and KPLC retook vast swathes of land previously under soft Thai control, Dormant resistance cells across both countries reactivated and waged the People’s War against the Thai occupier. A renewed sense of nationalism was recovered by the Laotian and Cambodian peoples with a propaganda campaign by both movements cooperating with each other painting the Thai as another imperial hegemon no better than the French. This campaign struck home to many as the civillian governments of the Laotian and Cambodian provinces were administered by rehabilitated collaborators of the French. Protests would erupt in Vientane, Pakse, Phrom Peng and Krong Siem Reap demanding a withdrawal of Thai military personell and the establishment of independent Laotian and Cambodian states. The Thai government would have no tolerance of such insubordination and cracked down severely on resistance activities across the board. Exhausted Thai Army units were rotated with fresh reservists from the mainland, infrastructure was repaired, and Thai Special Operations Teams were tasked with destroying safe havens of the Laotians and Cambodians one by one. The Thai Army was responsible for brutal massacres and reprisal attacks against the LUF, KPLC and unfortunately, civillians as well. The outbreak of violence is estimated to have claimed nearly 125,000 people (75,000 in Cambodia, 50,000 in Laos) in 1952 alone with thousands of civillians rounded up and shot for suspicion of communist sympathy. The violence has encouraged greater recruitment for the LUF and KPLC but has greatly diminished the ability of the LUF and KPLC to contest occupied areas by Thailand.

MAP

CASUALTIES

UNITED STATES

1,647 dead, 3,402 wounded,

STATE OF VIETNAM

162 dead, 384 wounded

VIET MINH

8,159 dead, 24,816 wounded

US ALIGNED WARLORDS

9,138 dead, 28,998 wounded, 18,000 POWs

NGUYEN THINH CUONG’s ARMY

1,175 dead, 3,590 wounded

THAILAND

1,968 dead, 4,562 wounded

LUF

709 dead, 1,670 wounded

KPLC

1,038 dead, 3,203 wounded

BRAZIL

56 dead, 248 wounded

DAI LI

908 dead, 2,204 wounded

LONG YUN’s FORCES

1,279 dead, 3,420 wounded

CIVILLIANS

165,000 dead, 400,000 injured

(40,000 in Vietnam, 50,000 in Laos, 75,000 in Cambodia)