A Journal of People report
HÀ NỘI — War veterans, soldiers and dignitaries gathered in Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle that ultimately brought an end to the French empire in Indochina.
News reports from Viet Nam said:
Participants showed their respect and deep gratitude to President Hồ Chí Minh who devoted his whole life to the people and nation, and led the Party and people to glorious victories.
A delegation of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee, State, National Assembly, Government, and the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee laid flowers at President Hồ Chí Minh’s Mausoleum to pay tribute to the late leader, and offered incense to martyrs at the Monument dedicated to Martyrs and Heroes in Hà Nội on Monday on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954-2024).
Prominent in the delegation were Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính; Politburo member, permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, and head of the committee’s Organisation Commission Trương Thị Mai; former Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh; former President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc; and former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân.
At the monument, they paid tribute to martyrs who fought and laid down their life for the Fatherland’s independence and freedom, and for happiness of the people.
The same day, delegations from the Central Military Commission – Ministry of National Defence; Central Public Security Commission – Ministry of Public Security; and the Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee of Hà Nội also laid wreaths at the mausoleum and the monument.
Vietnam has invited for the first time a government minister from the former colonial power France to attend official celebrations, which involve 12,000 people, a gun salute and howitzer and helicopter displays.
French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh are among those attending the two-hour event that has drawn huge attention from tourists and residents of northwestern Dien Bien province, which borders Laos.
As celebrations began before a gathering of 10,000 in Dien Bien Phu city’s stadium, 90-year-old veteran Pham Duc Cu spoke on behalf of his fallen comrades.
“It moves me to remember the people who died to achieve this earth-shaking victory,” he said.
“The war has passed. We are so proud to have contributed to making a heroic and beautiful Dien Bien.”
Victory of Justice
In his opening speech, Prime Minister Chinh said the battle of Dien Bien Phu represented a “victory for justice”, marking the collapse of colonialism.
“Many martyrs cannot be identified,” he said. “Their blood in this northwestern area was shed for our happiness today.”
The speeches followed 21 rounds of fireworks and the Vietnamese national anthem before a huge military parade got under way.
Eleven helicopters flew over the stadium carrying the flags of Vietnam and the Communist Party.
Outside the stadium, thousands of people wearing ao dai — traditional Vietnamese dress — as well as people wearing clothes typical of local Thai and Hmong ethnic minorities queued in the streets to see the parade.
“I’ve been here since 4 am,” said Nguyen Thi Lan, 55. “It’s a great day that I cannot miss.”
‘Deaths were normal’
France surrendered to the Viet Minh on May 7, 1954, putting an end to 56 days of shelling and hand-to-hand combat.
Around 13,000 people were reported dead or missing during the conflict, including 10,000 from the Viet Minh side.
“I fired a shot which hit two people, killing one on the spot and the other one with one more shot,” recalled veteran infantry soldier Hoang Van Bay, 93.
“Injuries and deaths were normal on the battlefield, nothing to be scared of. We fought for our independence and freedom,” Bay told AFP, adding he visited his fallen comrades at Dien Bien Phu city’s cemetery every year.
Bicycles
The French force — about 15,000 men of many nationalities — had underestimated the firepower of the communist forces, who managed to install artillery on the hills overlooking the French camp.
In a staggering feat of military logistics, the Viet Minh had transported the heavy weaponry in pieces hundreds of kilometres through the jungle, sometimes by bicycles.
Their victory later led to the Geneva Accords on July 21, 1954, which marked the end of almost a century of French domination in Indochina and the partition of Vietnam, a prelude to future American involvement.
Relations between the two former enemies are now cordial, despite the human rights abuses of which the communist government is regularly accused.
The tree-lined streets of Dien Bien Phu were adorned with communist slogans and banners carrying photos of independence hero Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap, commander in chief of the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
The province’s battle sites are also undergoing a major facelift, with the Vietnamese authorities keen to turn the area into a tourism hotspot.
Parade for the Điện Biên Phủ Victory
Thousands of people and tourists gathered at the Điện Biên Provincial Stadium to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory on Tuesday.
As the clock approached 6.15 am, heavy rain began to pour unexpectedly. However, the downpour failed to dampen the spirits of the assembled crowds. Clad in raincoats and clutching umbrellas, people stood in solidarity, united in their anticipation of the historic and sacred moments that lay ahead.
At 7.45 am, amidst the solemn atmosphere, the Flag Raising Ceremony commenced, accompanied by the resounding echoes of ceremonial artillery fire that reverberated across the sky of Điện Biên. This poignant moment marked the commencement of the 70th-anniversary ceremony commemorating the monumental Điện Biên Phủ Victory.
Laos, Cambodia congratulate
HÀ NỘI — The Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and the Central Committee of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) have sent congratulatory messages to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory (May 7).
In its message, the LPRP Central Committee wrote that the victory at Điện Biên Phủ and successes on various fronts during the 1953-54 period created favorable conditions and advantages at the negotiation table, leading to the signing of the Geneva Accords on restoring peace in the three Indochinese countries: Việt Nam, Laos, and Cambodia, on the spirit of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Northern Việt Nam was completely liberated and embarked on socialism building, providing a significant impetus for the liberation of the South and national reunification.
The committee described the 1954 Điện Biên Phủ Victory as one of the great triumphs of the Vietnamese Party, army and people in the struggle against colonial invasion, a symbol of the combat alliance between the armies and people of Việt Nam and Laos, and a tremendous source of strength that led the struggle for national liberation of the Lao Party and people to victory.
The Lao Party, State, and people express profound gratitude and sincere thanks to the significant, invaluable, effective and timely assistance that the Vietnamese Party, State and people extended to Laos in the past as well as in the current cause of national defence, construction and development.
The CPP Central Committee wrote that over the past seven decades, the glorious Điện Biên Phủ Victory, which resonated across the five continents and shook the globe, has been etched in the hearts of the Vietnamese people and international friends. It served as evidence of the solidarity and shared suffering among the three nations of Việt Nam, Cambodia and Laos.
The CPP expressed its firm belief that under the sound leadership of the CPV led by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the Vietnamese people will achieve new and even greater accomplishments in realizing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.
The CPP highly values the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ Parties, States and people under the motto “fine neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability”, it said.
Dien Bien Phu battleground, 70 years on
Ngoc Thanh, Hoang Phuong wrote on May 5, 2024:
Around 500 kilometers to the west of Hanoi, Dien Bien Phu is a large valley covered by mountains with a river flowing in the center.
The former battlefield between the Vietnamese and the French is now a city with 80,000 residents. These days it welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each day.
In the 1950s, the French turned the valley into its main stronghold in Indochina where it controlled both northern Vietnam and Laos.
In February 1954, the whole valley was under the French’s control.
But visitors of Dien Bien Phu now only see a 4,000-hectare green field, which lies 13 kilometers away from the Vietnam-Laos border. This is now the biggest rice field in northwestern Vietnam.
The first French troops landed with parachutes on the rice field on Nov. 20, 1953 and quickly turned it into a military zone with tunnels, artillery and mines.
The headquarters of the Dien Bien Phu commander De Castries used to be protected by a large quantity of steel wire and mines. Tanks and artillery were also mobilized to protect the commander, but to no avail as he was captured by the Vietnamese on May 7, 1954.
Archive photo by UIC Collection
Dien Bien Airport was first built by the French in 1939 for military purposes but was also used for commercial purposes after 1954. It now can serve up to 500,000 passengers a year and can receive narrow-body jets such as the Airbus A320 and A321.
Seven decades ago, the airport received 200 flights a day from Hanoi and Hai Phong as the French mobilized large supplies to maintain its presence in Dien Bien Phu. The airport therefore was a key target when the Vietnamese launched its attack.
In the old photo, the airport is seen hit by Vietnamese artillery.
Archive photo by UIC Collection
Part of the trench of the Vietnamese was rebuilt on the A1 Hill, a key location in the battle where the French hid in bunkers and tunnels to protect their headquarters. It took the Vietnamese 39 days to finally conquer the hill. Many soldiers died.
The Vietnamese went up on the mountain and dig down nearly 200 kilometers to create a network of trenches where they stored weapons, medical tents. The soldiers lived in the trenches, and came out all at once when ordered to make French soldiers panic as they did not know when or where they will be attacked.
A 960-kilogram dynamite exploded and created a deep hole on the A1 Hill that remained until this day. It took the Vietnamese soldiers weeks to dig a 49-meter tunnel so they can place the dynamite.
The explosion on May 6, 1954 signaled to all Vietnamese troops that the last wave against the French had begun.
The French built the Muong Thanh Bridge in 1953 to cross a river in the heart of Dien Bien Phu Valley. The 40-meter bridge is a key part of the French’s logistics as it helped them transport many weapons and construction materials to strengthen their stronghold.
Although several new bridges have been built in the last seven decades, the Muong Thanh Bridge has been restored twice and remains until, as it is one of 40 key historic destinations of the valley.
The Vietnamese set up their headquarters deep into the jungle 30 kilometers to the south of the valley.
General Vo Nguyen Giap, who is considered one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century, spent 105 days in the headquarters to discuss with key leaders plans to take over the valley.
At the celebration of the Dien Bien Phu victory on May 13, 1954, Giap said that the victory laid the foundation for the Vietnamese to continue to free the entire northern delta from the French.
At the heart of Dien Bien Phu now many historic locations are preserved.
The photos show how the city has changed in the last 20 years.
The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum was completed in 2014 with the appearance of a Vietnamese soldier’s hat.
It has 1,000 items and pictures of the Vietnamese’ nine-year battle against the French which was ended in July 1954, two months after the Dien Bien Phu victory.
A soldiers’ cemetery was built in 1958, several hundred meters to the south of A1 Hill. It now has the remains of 644 soldiers, many of which are unidentified.
A key road in the city is named after general Vo Nguyen Giap, spanning five kilometers across the city.
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