Socialist Republic of Vietnam

By Thanh Ha, Viet Nam News

Half a century after the victory at Dien Bien Phu, the commander of the campaign, General Vo Nguyen Giap, talks about the legacy of the battle.

Q: General, could you explain the historical significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory?

A: With the victory at Dien Bien Phu and other battlefields throughout the winter and spring of 1953-54, our army and people inflicted heavy losses on the French Expeditionary Corps.

This contributed to the success of the Geneva Conference, which recognised Viet Nam as an independent and unified nation and completely liberated North Viet Nam and the capital city of Ha Noi.

At the time, the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam firmly asserted its sovereignty and its position in the global arena.

Completely liberated, North Viet Nam became stronger and stronger, to serve as the foundation of the whole country's revolution and as the rearguard for the great frontline in the south.

The victory was the most decisive factor, while the revolutionary movement in the south brought about the successful liberation of the south and the reunification of the country.

Therefore, the victory at Dien Bien Phu and the resistance war against the French gave our army and people the basis, theory, experience and confidence to defeat the American aggressors and bring the 30-year-long liberation war to a victorious end.

In the international sphere, the Dien Bien Phu victory signalled the collapse of colonialism and ushered in a new era for oppressed peoples around the world.

As everybody knows, by the turn of the 20th century almost all small, weak countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America had been subjugated by imperialist powers.

Hundreds of peoples lived a life of slavery under the colonialist and imperialist yoke with no way out.

The Dien Bien Phu victory was the first time in the history of the anti-colonialist movement that a nation, small in size and in population and subject to colonial and semi-feudal rule, could rise up and defeat the modern, aggressive army of a Western capitalist power.
The victory was a turning point for our people and of the anti-colonialist movement in the 20th century, as it destroyed and captured a great number of officers and men from a powerful expeditionary corps.

In my visits to some Asian and African countries after Dien Bien Phu, I was told again and again by their leaders and people: "The Dien Bien Phu victory was also our victory, and thanks to it we could raise our head high."

They loudly chanted "Viet Nam, Ho Chi Minh, Dien Bien Phu." Dien Bien Phu became a source of pride and confidence for oppressed peoples and a source of encouragement and inspiration for the anti-colonialist movement around the world.

After Dien Bien Phu, hundreds of peoples raised up to fight for national independence, in many different ways. All over the world, colonialism was eliminated forever.

Q: What was the most important experience you gained from the Dien Bien Phu campaign?

A: We could only achieve great victories at Dien Bien Phu and other battlefields around the country through the sound and clear-sighted leadership of our Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

We drew many lessons from the Dien Bien Phu campaign, but I will only mention some of the most important ones.

We must always have a pragmatic point of view, and the first lesson is to look at the reality of a situation. The practicalities of a situation are constantly changing.

During the winter and spring of 1953-54, we followed the situation closely, were aware of the enemy's intentions and analysed the contradictions in the French war of aggression and the Navarre plan.

In this way, Uncle Ho and the Politburo could put forward an exact, creative and sharp plan of operations, compelling the enemy to disperse its forces and luring them to Dien Bien Phu where we could wipe them out.

At Dien Bien Phu, the campaign's Party Organisation and Command closely followed the developments on the battlefield day and night, and thoroughly analysed the strengths and weaknesses of either side.

When we detected a swing in the pendulum of power, we would change our tactics and methods to meet the situation. We went from a plan of "fighting fast and winning fast" in three days and two nights to "fighting surely and advancing surely" over a period of 55 days and nights achieve our final victory.

The second lesson was to rely on the strength of the whole country. The enemy claimed its fortifications at Dien Bien Phu were impenetrable, but in reality they were a great obstacle for our soldiers and civilians.

To create the momentum needed to defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu, under the clear-sighted leadership of Uncle Ho and the Party, we successfully mobilised the strength of soldiers and civilians across the country, from north to south, from the liberated areas to occupied zones.

We also gained the sympathy and support of our Lao and Cambodian neighbours, as well as China, the Soviet Union, other socialist countries and progressive people all over the world, including the French people.

Q: What can you tell us about the cultural significance of the victory?

A: When we talk about the political and military significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory, its cultural significance has already been implied.

As a matter of fact, the victory at Dien Bien Phu eloquently symbolised justice winning over injustice and civilisation winning over savagery.

It is the victory of patriotism, of the spirit of indomitable struggle and of the intelligence of the Vietnamese people. It is, over all, the victory of Vietnamese culture in the Ho Chi Minh era over colonialist culture.

The Dien Bien Phu victory not only delivered half of Viet Nam back to our people and eliminated the wretched state of slavery, it has also been an important source of encouragement and inspiration for oppressed nations to raise up and wipe out colonialism, a filthy stain in the history of humanity.

In short, the Dien Bien Phu victory played an important role in the struggle to bring to the Vietnamese people, to all oppressed peoples and to progressive people, the right to live humanely and the right to pursue peace and happiness.

We are extremely proud of the Dien Bien Phu victory because it reinforced the age-old cultural traditions of the Vietnamese nation, which were again were taken to new heights during the war of resistance against US aggression.

We firmly believe that under the leadership of our Party, the fine cultural traditions of our people will continue to be preserved and developed through the process of doi moi (social and economic reform) to build and protect the socialist Vietnamese homeland. — VNS