Vietnam celebrates 70 years since Dien Bien Phu battle that ended French colonial rule
Vietnam has started commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu battle in which the French colonial army was defeated by Vietnamese troops
Vietnam celebrates 70 years since Dien Bien Phu battle that ended French colonial rule
Show all 12Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Vietnam on Tuesday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in which the French colonial army was defeated by Vietnamese troops, marking the end of the French occupation of Indochina.
At Dien Bien Phu, Vietnamese troops led by General Vo Nguyen Giap, surprised French forces with heavy artillery fire at their mountainous garrison in northwestern Vietnam.
When Dien Bien Phu fell in 1954, it spelled the end of almost a century of French colonial rule.
“The historic Dien Bien Phu victory is a remarkable event, not only for the Vietnamese revolution,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a speech at the ceremony. “It is also a monumental saga that inspired countries rising up to fight for independence and freedom, marking the collapse of the colonialism all over the world.”
On Tuesday morning, the commemoration was held at a stadium in the center of Dien Bien Phu, once a village in a valley dense with trenches, barbed wires and bomb craters. It is now a city of more than 80,000 people.
Thousands of locals and veterans with chests full of medals, most of them in their 90s, cheered and waved Vietnamese flags as the military parade marched by under a brief tropical shower.
One of the veterans, Nguyen Trung Dung, 94, said the event was a good opportunity for him to meet up with his friends, those he fought alongside in the Dien Bien Phu battle.
Also in attendance was French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu, the first time such a high ranking French official visited the former battlefield and attended the commemorations in Dien Bien Phu.
A day earlier, Lecornu visited several wartime relics, including the preserved bunker of Commander General Christian de Castries.
The bunker, now reinforced with cement and covered with a roof, is the location where de Castries surrendered, ending the fierce battle of nearly two months.
As time passes, relations between Vietnam and its former colonial power also evolved.
“When we were fighting, we were enemies. But now, we shake hands with them,” said another 94-year-old veteran, Pham Duc Cu, who commanded an artillery company during the battle.
“Together we unite to build a world of peace and happiness and no war,” Cu added.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.