The Geneva accord was signed on 21 July 1954. The decisions made there determined the fate of IndoChina to this day. What was agreed upon had the potential to rectify the harm done by colonization. Unfortunately, none of what was decided upon in Geneva was upheld.
In May of 1954 representatives from France, Great Britain, The United States, China, The Soviet Union, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were several weeks into a session in Geneva discussing issues of Berlin and Korea. At the same time of the conference, the Viet Minh fought the French to a standstill at Dien Bien Phu, leading to the surrender of French command on 7 May 1954. The focus of the conference quickly became the fate of IndoChina. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam presented many demands to the group. They wanted "international recognition of the full sovereignty and national independence of all three IndoChinese states; the withdrawal of all foreign military forces; and elections to be held under local supervision"(Duiker 89). …
