Indochina was the geographical region consisting of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. At the turn of the century it was seen as an insufficient part of the world and so the French sought to proclaim it under their empire in order to maximize their wealth, resources and power. The main focus of this unit is on Vietnam and its rise to independence. Guerilla warfare and civil unrest were brewing at the heart of Vietnam until Ho Chi Minh, one of the key agents in this period of history, rose to revolutionize his people's dream and established a nation, expelling the French and the Japanese . This road to independence was not a smooth transition. In fact, it was only the beginning of a Thirty year war.