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).
Nine years ago, The Guardian (UK) wrote in an article:
Dien Bien Phu: three words that in France are still synonymous with a symbolic defeat. On 7 May 1954, after 57 days and nights of fierce fighting between Viet Minh troops and members of the French expeditionary force, the insurgents finally prevailed.
The article – Battle against oblivion: the defeat that ended French colonial rule in Vietnam – by Bruno Philip (Tue 1 Jul 2014. This article appeared in Guardian Weekly) said:
‘As historian Jean-Pierre Rioux noted, this was “the only pitched battle to be lost by a European army in the history of decolonization” and it signalled the beginning of the end for France’s empire. The victory by the soldiers of Ho Chi Minh would weigh on the Geneva negotiations, at the end of which, on 21 July 1954, the French prime minister Pierre Mendès-France signed the agreement ending the first war in Indochina. It had lasted eight years, leaving 3,420 killed and 5,300 wounded among the French, and many more among the Viet Minh.
‘Đánh vào trung tâm Điện Biên Phủ’ (Attack on Điện Biên Phủ Centre), an oil painting by Nguyễn Thế Vỵ
HÀ NỘI — An exhibition of 70 special works including paintings, graphics, sculptures, sketches, posters and compositions created by 34 veteran Vietnamese artists between 1949 and 2009.
Images of President Hồ Chí Minh, General Võ Nguyên Giáp, and other soldiers and people from ethnic groups participating in the resistance war were displayed at the event.
During the fierce fighting on the Điện Biên Phủ battlefield, many artists and painters went directly to the war, joining the troops heading to Điện Biên.
‘Kết nạp Đảng ở Điện Biên Phủ’ (Party Member Admission in Điện Biên Phủ) by Nguyễn Sáng
The Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum in Hà Nội organized the exhibition. The exhibition themed Đường Lên Điện Biên (The Road to Điện Biên) marking the 70th anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ victory was inaugurated on April 26, 2024. The exhibition will continue up to May 15 at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội.
Using a wealth of artistic language, the authors realistically and vividly portray the life and struggle of the Vietnamese army and people against French invaders during the heroic Điện Biên Phủ Campaign of which the victory astonished the world and greatly contributed to Việt Nam’s glorious total victory over the foreign enemy.
With traditional exhibition methods combined with the application of cinema-graphic projection technology and interactive experience space, the exhibition will offer viewers the chance to relive moments of the famous Điện Biên Phủ battlefield, according to the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum (VNFAM).
Organizers said the event aims to honour the tradition of patriotism and national solidarity, teach revolutionary spirit for the youth, and pay tribute to heroes and martyrs who participated and sacrificed during Điện Biên Phủ Campaign for national independence.
Journal of People 