Nationalism of the sort spread by the Free School Movement was squelched by the French as soon as it became a threat. After 1908, overt opposition in Vietnam was minimal. In 1927, a Nationalist Party was formed in Vietnam but this was repressed and many of its members moved to South China. Generally speaking, conditions were strictly controlled within Vietnam, and the radical and outspoken opponents to colonization were those who had left the country to be educated in France. They were able to travel and study, discussing the future of Vietnam and methods through which they could overthrow the colonial government.
During these travels, young Vietnamese intellectuals were first introduced to the doctrine of Marxism-Leninism. This doctrine was attractive to colonized people all over the world because of the Russian communist leade,r Lenin's, call for the end to colonization. Communism also seemed like a good alternative to the absolute monarchy and unfair landowning practices which had caused Vietnam so many problems throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The most famous of the Vietnamese student-intellectuals was Ho Chi Minh, who traveled not only to France, but to China, Russia, and throughout Europe, creating his own brand of communism in Hong Kong. Soon communists and nationalists joined together in the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP).
The ICP saw its opportunity to make headway in Vietnam during World War II when most of Southeast Asia was occupied by the Japanese. France avoided a direct confrontation with the Japanese by collaborating with them in Vietnam and the government was allowed to remain in power as long as the Japanese were able to move arms and supplies through the country to other areas. Plans changed in March 1945 as things grew more difficult for the Japanese in other areas of the world. They stated a coup d'etat against the French government and gained full control of Vietnam. By August, however, the Japanese surrendered after the Americans bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In 1941, after 30 years of exile, Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam and started a Communist party that became know as the Viet Minh. On the day of the Japanese surrender, the Viet Minh made a deal with the Japanese. They allowed the Japanese soldiers to leave peacefully, and the Japanese gave their arms to the Vietnamese before the return of the French. In August 1945, the Viet Minh launched a revolution which brought them to power. Emperor Bao Dai abdicated on August 25, 1945. On September 2, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independence of Vietnam and the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Bao Dai handed over to the Viet Minh the sword and seal which were the traditional symbols of power.