Why did the French colonialists choose Dien Bien Phu as a strategic decisive point for our army? Among the reasons given to explain that concern, it is impossible not to emphasize the special location of this land, along with its rich historical and cultural traditions.
A1 Hill Relic.
Since ancient times, Dien Bien has been called Muong Then (Muong Troi - the residence of the gods and ancestors of the ethnic groups in the Northwest), or commonly known as Muong Thanh. This land is surrounded by mountains, interspersed with small, narrow, fertile valleys. At the same time, it is located on the road from Upper Laos through Lai Chau, down to Son La to Hanoi and from Southwest China to Central Vietnam and Central Laos. With that terrain, Dien Bien has been considered a land where when a rooster crows, people from three countries, Vietnam, Laos and China, can hear it. The center of Dien Bien is Muong Thanh field - the most fertile field in the Northwest of Vietnam. Therefore, for a long time, people in the region have had the saying "First Thanh, second Lo, third Than, fourth Tac". That means that among the four fields - four large rice granaries of the Northwest (including Muong Thanh of Dien Bien province; Muong Lo of Yen Bai province; Muong Than of Lai Chau province; Muong Tac of Son La province), Muong Thanh is the largest and most prosperous. The rice grown here is enough to feed about 200 - 300 thousand people.
Because Dien Bien is in an important position and is a fertile and wealthy land, from very early on, this was the place where many ethnic groups lived together. At the time the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was founded (in 1945), Dien Bien - Muong Thanh was the homeland of about 10 ethnic groups. The ethnic groups gathered in Muong Thanh at different times and in different circumstances, but they joined forces to control nature, produce and fight to protect their villages. Then, from working and fighting, the solidarity and unity between ethnic communities became more and more solid and durable.
From the perspective of Bernard B. Fall, author of “Dien Bien Phu - A corner of hell”, the image of Dien Bien Phu is described quite vividly: “On an aerial map taken by a reconnaissance plane of the 80th Overseas Reconnaissance Squadron (ER0.M.), one sees an almost poetic village in which almost all the houses (112 in total) are built in the middle of large green spaces or along two roads through the village. In the photo one can see a small river, the Nam Rom River, winding and flowing into the Mekong River. A small trading village has formed on the left bank of the Nam Rom River. There are no rice fields anywhere, the ground is covered with a dark green color and the roads in the village are planted with trees. In those photos one can also see the mountains surrounding the valley. They look really miserable under the dense green cover. It was also noted that Dien Bien Phu was a rainy place. According to the French hydrometeorological agency, this valley received one and a half times more water than other valleys in North Indochina. From March to August, the average rainfall there was 150mm and for most of that season the valley was covered with clouds. All this information is recorded in the 759 file. In the short term, rain is not a problem for Bigeard - it is the dry season - but in six months it will have its role in the fiery furnace of the stronghold group...".
Beautiful and prosperous as it is, the history of the formation and development of Dien Bien land also has many painful chapters, especially under the domination of the French colonialists and their lackeys. After basically occupying the Northwest (late 1947), the French colonialists plotted to establish a fake "autonomous Thai land" to tighten their domination over the people of the Northwest ethnic groups. They colluded closely with the feudal forces of local landowners to increase the exploitation of the people of the Northwest ethnic groups, including the people of Dien Bien ethnic groups. They also imposed many harsh and heavy taxes and levies. Ordinary people who received land (if they did not have children who were soldiers, prostitutes, etc.) had to pay 80 - 100 Indochinese piastres per mau. By 1951, the land tax per mau was 250 dong and 180 - 300 kg of rice... Not only that, the feudal lords and their henchmen still exploited the people, causing the people to suffer two levels of oppression and exploitation. In order to divide the solidarity of the ethnic groups, the French also promoted the White Thai lords, forcing the chieftains of other ethnic groups to be dependent. They also incited their henchmen to burn all the old Thai books, in order to erase the precious cultural heritage of the Thai people...
The new look of Dien Bien Phu city.
Along with building and consolidating the apparatus of control and domination under the guise of "Thai Autonomy", the French colonialists also tried to propagate sabotage, distort the Party's resistance line, and slander the army as "bandits"... On the contrary, they praised the "merits" of the invaders and the Vietnamese traitors they set up and tolerated, such as Deo Van Long and Dao Van An... The French colonialists also fenced off villages, herded people, and terrorized and suppressed those who followed the resistance; encouraged puppet soldiers to hunt down cadres who were involved in building bases... However, their savage and cruel actions made the people of the Northwest even more indignant and united under the leadership of the Party, the Resistance Government, and President Ho Chi Minh. Also in that context, the resistance line of the Second National Party Congress (February 1951) and the Party's ethnic policy became the rallying flag, mobilizing the strength of the whole country for the resistance, including the people of the Northwest and Dien Bien.
In particular, the role of Dien Bien was further affirmed when both our army and the French colonialists decided to choose this land as a strategic battle point. At the same time, the French built Dien Bien Phu into a powerful stronghold. The French believed that Dien Bien Phu "was an important strategic position not only for the Indochina battlefield, but also for Southeast Asia - a traffic axis connecting the border areas of Laos, Thailand, Burma and China". And to hold Dien Bien Phu was to hold "the key to protecting Upper Laos". However, this idea was opposed by people within the French army. Colonel Ba-xchi-an-ni, Chief of Staff of the Northern Army, opposed the policy of occupying Dien Bien Phu, on the grounds that Upper Laos had not yet been threatened. And the French army should have been used to concentrate on protecting the threatened plains, but instead they were sent to the mountainous area 300km from Hanoi to do something that had no practical effect. So "like it or not, Dien Bien Phu will become an abyss that swallows the battalions of the French expeditionary army".
And reality has proven the above statement to be completely correct. The historic victory of Dien Bien Phu destroyed the “impregnable” stronghold, and at the same time destroyed the French ambitions in Indochina. Then, in the triumphant song of victory, Dien Bien Phu became a symbol of the spirit of determination to fight and win of the Vietnamese people.
Article and photos: Tran Hang
(The article uses materials in the book "Dien Bien Phu - a golden milestone of the era" - Information and Communication Publishing House).
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