<P> There was never any intention among the Vietnamese to give up, as General Võ Nguyên Giáp soon brought up 30,000 men to attack the city . Although the French were outnumbered, their superior weaponry and naval support made any Viet Minh attack unsuccessful . In December, hostilities between the Viet Minh and the French broke out in Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh was forced to evacuate the capital in favor of remote mountain areas . Guerrilla warfare ensued, with the French controlling most of the country except far - flung areas . </P> <P> In 1947, General Võ Nguyên Giáp retreated his command to Tan Trao deep in the hills of Tuyên Quang Province . The French sent military expeditions to attack his bases, but Giap refused to meet them head - on in battle . Wherever the French troops went, the Viet Minh disappeared . Late in the year the French launched Operation Lea to take out the Viet Minh communications center at Bắc Kạn . They failed to capture Ho Chi Minh and his key lieutenants as intended . The French claimed 9,000 Viet Minh soldiers KIA during the campaign which, if true, would represent a major blow for the insurgency . </P> <P> In 1948, France started looking for means of opposing the Viet Minh politically, with an alternative government in Saigon . They began negotiations with the former emperor Bảo Đại to lead an "autonomous" government within the French Union of nations, the State of Vietnam . Two years before, the French had refused Ho's proposal of a similar status, albeit with some restrictions on French power and the latter's eventual withdrawal from Vietnam . </P> <P> However, they were willing to give it to Bảo Đại as he had freely collaborated with French rule of Vietnam in the past and was in no position to seriously negotiate or impose demands . </P>

By which name the treaty between france and vitnam in march 1946 is known