During this period several attempts by the locals for independence were thwarted by the strong Chinese military forces but in 939 the Chinese forces were defeated. It took the Vietnamese almost 100 years to gain complete autonomy and during this time they succeeded in defending themselves against three attacks by the powerful Mongolian army. From the 11th – 18th century the Vietnamese began to expand their hold on the region by controlling the kingdom of Champa and much of the Khmer kingdom. This period of independence and feudalism ended when the French colonized Vietnam in the mid 19th century. The Geneva Accords then divided the country into North Vietnam and South Vietnam as a temporary measure to ensure political and democratic elections and reunification. However, North Vietnam – lead by Ho Chi Minh, allied itself with Communist China and the Soviet Union whilst South Vietnam allied itself with the United States. This was the beginning of a long struggle as the North sought to ensure that the measurements taken at the Geneva Accords be implemented knowing that it would result in a communist victory. This was the foundation for the Vietnam War with the United States providing military observers and then up to 500,000 troops at the heigh of the war. Meanwhile the North was being supported by communist China and Russia and gearing up for a full scale war with the South. The Vietnam War came to an ended on 30 April 1975, with the loss of millions of lives and the participation of many countries. Under pressure at home the US systematically withdrew and Saigon was overrun, effectively ending the war and leading to reunification under communist rule. However, the Chinese counter attacked the North Vietnamese in a war that came to be called the Sino-Vietnamese war where both sides claimed victory. In 1986, more than 10 years after the forming of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the communist party began to implement economic reforms that have supported the quick economic growth of the country and in 1995 re-established diplomatic relations with the United States. | 
