<human>:  Can you give me some historical background information on the First Indochina War?
<bot>: The First Indochina War (or the French Indochina War) was a conflict fought from December 19, 1946 to August 1, 1954, between France, its allies and the Viet Minh, a communist-led independence movement. The war began as a Vietnamese struggle for independence from France and officially ended with the signing of the Geneva Accords, which stipulated that French Indochina be split into roughly equal parts and temporarily separated into communist and non-communist areas. The agreement also created a 300-day truce, allowing time for elections and a peaceful reunification of the country, although this never materialized. The French were unsuccessful at preventing a Viet Minh victory and were ultimately forced to withdraw leaving Vietnam to be reunified by Ho Chi Minh's government. The First Indochina War was the first in a series of conflicts in the region which ultimately culminated in the Vietnam War.