What it was
The Viet Minh, the League for the Independence of Vietnam, was founded in May 1941 at Pac Bo, on the Chinese border, by Ho Chi Minh and the Indochinese Communist Party. It was formed as a broad united front against French colonial rule and the Japanese occupation.
Role
It built base areas in the northern hills known as the Viet Bac, organized villages, and fielded small armed units — beginning with Vo Nguyen Giap’s 34-man platoon of 1944 — that grew into the People’s Army. It led the August Revolution of 1945, proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and carried the First Indochina War against France to the victory at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Fate
In 1951 the Viet Minh was formally merged into the broader Lien Viet front as the party took open leadership. Its name remains shorthand for the fighting years of the independence movement.