Why were the French confident that they would win the war against the Vietminh?
1 Answer
I would say primarily because of the their conviction of being "morally right" in occupying Vietnam and, of course, because of their confidence in the army to enforce their will.
Explanation:
After WWII and the end of the occupation of Vietnam by the Japanese Imperial Army, France thought that could simply go back to Vietnam as nothing had happened taking back its position of colonial ruler.
Unfortunately, for France, the Japanese occupation brought along the idea that western colonialists were not invincible (the Japanese made a point of publicly humiliating French functionaries and notable people during their occupation) and also pushed the local population to form opposition groups against the westerners (also to control better the westerners themselves, creating an atmosphere of fear and instability) that would challenge the little authority remained to the French authorities.
France relied upon their idea to be a kind of blessing for the immature and politically "inexperienced" population of Vietnam presenting the French authority as a fatherly figure indispensable to avoid chaos and the collapse of the country.
It is not strange to consider the fact that many French in Vietnam reacted with surprise to the first incursions of the Vietminh, basically, not understanding the reason for that. After all they had a kind of moral mission in ruling Vietnam!
Once passed the first surprise the French deployed the army to conduct a kind of enlarged "police" action or better a "disciplinary" action to try to reestablish order and harmony in a country that basically didn't want their control anymore and was ready to expel them for good. They were confident that after few months and placing strongholds to control the "turbulent" areas the situation would go back to normal.
The French army was trained to fight a traditional warfare of attacks and tactical maneuvers quite far from the hit and run tactics of the Vietminh.
It is interesting to notice that the same Foreign Legion, used against the Vietminh, was the glorious legion depicted romantically holding forts in the middle of the desert against hordes of blodo thirsty rebels...in Vietnam they had it at Dien-Bien-Phu but were massacred!
[French Prisoners after Diem-Biem-Phu]
