The Hmong won battle after battle for most of the rebellion. The French were surprised and did not know how to fight in the jungles or how to fight the guerrilla warfare by the nearly invisible army. France was also heavily involved in World War I in Europe and resorted to using 50% French and 50% native Vietnamese, Lao, and Tai and Hmong soldiers, who had little desire to fight the rebel Hmong forces.
The Hmong forces achieved successive victories throughout most of the conflict. The French were initially perplexed and struggled to cope with fighting in the dense jungle environment or to counter the unconventional tactics employed by their elusive enemy, a guerrilla force. France's involvement in World War I on the European front led them to assemble a diverse military force consisting of 50% French and 50% local soldiers from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and the Hmong people, who were unwilling to fight against their own kin.