The Việt Minh were deeply concerned that the French and by extension the Americans would use biological weapons in Northern Vietnam. But they hesitated to make these charges until they had enough evidence. The summary of the third meeting of the Committee to Prevent Germs (Ban Chống Trùng), which took place from March 8 to 10, 1953, noted the difficult situation.

This meeting, headed by the minister of health, Hoang Tich Trý, and the deputy minister of agriculture, Nghiêm Xuân Yêm, reviewed the material that had been gathered in China. It was beyond doubt, in the committee's eyes, that the Americans had used biological weapons and that North Korean and Chinese actions had prevented them from being effective. The committee also noted with approval the patriotic hygiene movement. "As long there’s imperialism," the committee noted, "there’s still war, and there’s still germ warfare" (NAV3 PTT ML2 2290).

Yet, the question of biological warfare in North Vietnam was complex. In order to determine whether attacks had occurred, the Việt Minh had to gather information from the countryside. You can now consider the life and work of one of the Committee's leaders, Ton That Tung, or you can continue on to view the surveys used to learn about the countryside.