How might imperialism be one of the causes of the Vietnam War?

Vietnam was a colony attempting to gain independence.

The conflict began as an independence movement of the Vietnamese against the French who held Vietnam as a colony since 1887.

France declared Vietnam's independence in 1954 but the US and the West wanted to keep control of the resources and area of Vietnam. US involvement was an attempt to keep Vietnam on the side of the West instead of becoming a Communist country as they were moving toward.