republican government on a national scale. The “southward” movement of the Viet Minh subsequent to the August Revolution was confirmed in an August 24 message sent by the Japanese embassy office in Saigon to the Japanese adviser at Hue. As stated, the Viet Minh were “very active,” especially north of Quy Nhon, at Tarn Quan, and at Quang Nai and all places south of Hue in the zone designated for
British occupation and where guerrilla war was at that Lime being carried out against Japanese forces (Magic 1252, Aug. 29, 1945). Following lockhart (1939, 139410), this would be a reference to the Ba To guerrillas who had been propagandizing and mobilizing in preparation for marches on the cities, including the imperial capital. But officialized Vietnamese histories also elaborate on the dispatch of northern military units south with the first southbound unit leaving Hanoi by train on September 26. Arriving in Vinh, this detachment doubled its strength, addinga company from Thanh Hoa and two others from Nghe An. Others joined up with the Ba To guerrillas, still others joined the fight in Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, with others arriving in Bien Hoa to join the Saigon battlefront (Vietnam 2009b, 58759).
Saigon City Hall with statue of Ho Chi Minh in the foreground.