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 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.
A military parade of armed forces and militia members, along with procession representing various units such as Women's Military Band, combatants, officers, and peacekeepers. |
An official rehearsal for a grand military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory will be held on May 5. |
Hordes of residents and tourists show up early to watch the forces practice before the Victory Day parade. |
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