My family fight on both sides, in general they first support the independent movement of Uncle Ho movement, they began to change when they implemented some radical Communist policies. The Family split in haft after 1954, one haft moves to the south, other stay in the north, they both said something like this.
The south Gov consists of Vietnamese elite by that time rich, educated. They were the same people under Bao Dai corrupted and power hungry. They were democratic in name, but they were not offer population want by that time change, equal right, independent (French rule was hard, and Bao Dai government suck ass) … The family in the South believed that the American would bring properties and the Diệm government will be stable (They were dead wrong). They didn’t like Diệm but they loved the American, they were hope there will be a change in the South policies and leadership, however we know how It was end.
The North Gov, they were made up of middle class educated in French (French was a hot spot for communist ideology in 1920s) and majority of the poor class, they didn’t know how to run a government effectively in the start and the communist policies to too radical and it were destroying the family. The family’s asset in the north were completely distributed after 1954. The other side of the coin were, they bring change to situation at the time, the poor were happier and they free to do what they want. They feel represented and they got to own land (it was kind of strange by that time). A major note, the population in the north were deeply hate the old government after the famine. The North gov also fight again foreign power and old Government, who were blame by the people for the situation in the north by the end of 1945 (Also France again in the 1950s, oh please).
In the end, both sides feel the war could be avoided if the American support Vietnam independent and North Gov didn’t implemented the radical communist policies, and they were both happy that the north didn’t fall under Chinese influent after the war, they still salty at each other but they are happy that Vietnam has become friendly with USA.