Some highlights and significance of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign
After the August Revolution in 1945, the French colonialists had the ambition to use force to re-establish their domination over our country. On September 23, 1945, they opened fire to capture Saigon, starting the second invasion of Vietnam; then gradually expanded the war, destroying all diplomatic efforts of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Our Party mobilized a large force of porters to carry goods by bicycle to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Photo: Archive
To salvage the situation after the humiliating and consecutive defeats on the battlefields of Vietnam and to appease the growing French people's movement to protest and demand an end to the war, with the support and aid of the United States, the French colonialists changed their command and combat plan in order to find an honorable way out with a military victory in Vietnam. The key point was to build Dien Bien Phu - a position of strategic significance not only for Northwest Vietnam but also for Upper Laos and Northern Indochina into the strongest group of strongholds in Indochina, "an impregnable fortress" , including 49 strongholds, divided into three mutually supporting sub-areas, with a solid defense structure. Here, France concentrated more than 16,200 troops including 21 battalions, including 17 infantry battalions, 3 artillery battalions, 1 engineer battalion, 1 tank company, 1 air squadron, and 1 motor transport company, with the intention of challenging our army and people, in order to crush our main force.
On the basis of firmly grasping all enemy plots and actions, analyzing and scientifically assessing the situation, in early December 1953, the Politburo decided to launch the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, approved the operational plan of the Central Military Commission and assigned General Vo Nguyen Giap, Politburo member, Minister of National Defense, Commander-in-Chief of the army, to directly serve as Party Secretary and Commander of the front.
President Ho Chi Minh instructed: “This campaign is a very important campaign, not only militarily but also politically, not only domestically but internationally. Therefore, the entire army, the entire people, the entire Party must concentrate on completing it successfully”; he advised General Vo Nguyen Giap: we must win, only fight if we are sure of victory, and not fight if we are not sure of victory.
Along with that, the Government decided to establish the Front Supply Council chaired by comrade Pham Van Dong. With the special significance of the campaign, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission decided to concentrate the main elite force including 4 infantry divisions, 1 artillery division with a total strength of over 40,000 officers and soldiers.
In compliance with the Politburo's decision, all preparations for the campaign were carried out urgently. The whole country concentrated its strength on the Dien Bien Phu front with the slogan "All for the front, all for victory" . The main army units quickly assembled, day and night clearing forests, cutting mountains to open roads, hauling artillery, building battlefields, ready to attack the enemy. The entire vast rear of the country, from the Viet Bac free zone, Lien khu III, Lien khu IV, the newly liberated Northwest region to the guerrilla zones and guerrilla bases in the Northern Delta, the newly liberated region in Upper Laos, all concentrated their manpower and resources with more than 260,000 laborers and youth volunteers, regardless of bombs and bullets, towards Dien Bien to ensure logistics for the campaign.
In Lao Cai, the province's armed forces participated in the Summer Campaign (March 1951); Ly Thuong Kiet Campaign (September 1951); and Tay Bac Campaign (September 1952), forcing the enemy to withdraw from 63 positions in Lao Cai, destroying hundreds of enemies, calling for surrender and disintegrating 8 companies, destroying thousands of guns of all kinds, along with hundreds of tons of military equipment and supplies, contributing to expanding the large rear base in Viet Bac and Tay Bac, dispersing enemy forces in the main battlefields; creating momentum for the resistance war against French colonialism to quickly win.
Along with the activities of the regular military forces; during the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring Campaign, Lao Cai Party Committee also established a Youth Volunteer Force to serve the combat and thousands of youth volunteers and guerrillas who were children of Lao Cai ethnic groups were sent to the front. In addition, main units such as Regiment 148 and Regiment 165, some of whom were children of Lao Cai ethnic groups, went to participate in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Many comrades achieved outstanding feats, including hundreds of heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the campaign.
After the preparations were completed, on March 13, 1954, our army opened fire to attack Dien Bien Phu. The campaign took place in three phases over nearly two months (from March 13 to May 7, 1954). At 5:30 p.m. on May 7, 1954, General De Castries and the entire General Staff of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold were captured alive. That same night, our army continued to attack the Southern sector, forcing the enemy to flee to Upper Laos. By 10 p.m., all enemy troops had been taken prisoner.
The campaign command under the direct command of General Vo Nguyen Giap is discussing the combat plan for each battle. Photo: Archive
After 56 days and nights of brave, resourceful, and creative fighting, our army and people crushed the entire Dien Bien Phu stronghold, destroyed and captured all enemy troops, shot down 62 planes, seized 64 vehicles, and all of the enemy's weapons, warehouses, military uniforms, and military equipment. The historic Dien Bien Phu campaign was a complete victory, a heroic epic of the miraculous people's war, "recorded in national history as a Bach Dang, a Chi Lang, or a Dong Da in the 20th century, and entered world history as a brilliant feat of breaking through the stronghold of the colonial slavery system of imperialism" [1]
In the Dedication to the Dien Bien Phu Museum on May 7, 1964, President Ho Chi Minh summarized: “ The Dien Bien Phu victory gloriously ended the long, arduous, and heroic resistance war of our army and people against the French colonialists and American intervention. This is a great victory of our people and also a common victory of all oppressed peoples in the world. The Dien Bien Phu victory further illuminates the truth of Marxism-Leninism in today's era; imperialist wars of aggression are bound to fail, and national liberation revolutions are bound to succeed.”
The influence of the Dien Bien Phu campaign on the movement to liberate Lao Cai homeland
The Dien Bien Phu campaign ended in victory, in which hundreds of soldiers who were children of Lao Cai ethnic groups sacrificed their blood and remained on the battlefield. On July 21, 1954, the Geneva Conference signed the Indochina Armistice Agreement. On July 27, 1954, the ceasefire took effect. The resistance war against French colonialism was victorious, the North was completely liberated, the South was temporarily under the control of the US imperialists and their lackeys.
Implementing the Politburo's resolution on the new situation, new tasks and new policies of the Party, the Party Committee and the people of Lao Cai set out to restore the economy, heal the wounds of war, and stabilize people's lives. The victory, influence and spread of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign contributed to helping the army and people of Lao Cai defeat the destructive war of the US imperialists (1965 - 1970).
Based on the strategic location of Lao Cai, the goal of the US imperialists' destructive war against Lao Cai was to prevent international assistance to the front line through Lao Cai, at the same time causing panic and hesitation among the people and sabotaging the construction of socialism in a northwestern gateway province of the Fatherland.
On July 11, 1965, American aircraft began bombing Lao Cai. During the four years (from 1965 to 1968), the US imperialists mobilized more than 1,400 aircraft to invade Lao Cai airspace. They focused on bombing and dropping bombs on traffic targets and residential areas: Pho Moi station, Pom Han station, Nam Ton bridge (Bac Ha), Nho bridge, Lang Giang bridge (Bao Thang), Bun bridge (Bao Yen); they also bombed hospitals, schools, residential areas, etc.
Implementing the directives and resolutions of the Provincial Party Committee, the main army units, local army units and militia and self-defense forces of Lao Cai town, Cam Duong town, and Pho Lu town (Bao Thang) were on duty day and night, sticking close to the battlefield and fighting with great resilience and courage. Right from the beginning, Lao Cai army and people shot down 2 American planes. Responding to the Call of the Party Central Committee on April 16, 1972 and the Declaration of the Government on October 26, 1972, Lao Cai army and people were ready to enter the challenging battle with a belief in victory. During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Lao Cai province had 18,749 young men and women volunteering to go to war and support the southern battlefield.
Generations of enthusiastic young people set out to support the southern battlefield in the resistance war against the US to save the country. Photo: Archive
During this period, the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee established local armed forces units, including two battalions named Hoang Lien Son I (consisting of 150 soldiers, on February 12, 1968 the unit left for the South to fight, with the code PR27) and Hoang Lien Son II (consisting of 497 soldiers, on February 6, 1969 left for the South to fight, with the code 21.15-P2X9). In summary, by 1975, the province had mobilized more than ten thousand people to directly fight, serve in combat in the South and perform international duties; including thousands of examples of brave sacrifice for the cause of national liberation, which is the pride of the people of all ethnic groups in Lao Cai. Many cadres, soldiers of the armed forces, and people of all ethnic groups in the province have been recognized by the Party and State and awarded many medals, certificates of merit, certificates of merit and other noble awards.
Promoting the heroic tradition, the army and people of Lao Cai participated in the fight to firmly protect the Fatherland's border in the Battle to Protect the Northern Border in February 1979. Together with the whole country, the army and people of the ethnic groups of Lao Cai in Hoang Lien Son province fought bravely to firmly protect every inch of sacred land on the Fatherland's border. Many individuals, units and armed forces were awarded noble titles by the State. The victory of our army and people in the fight to protect the Northern border has great historical significance, being a close combination between the task of building socialism and protecting the Fatherland in the new revolutionary period.
With the support of a heroic history of national liberation struggle and a diverse and unique culture, the people of Lao Cai ethnic groups under the leadership of the Party have made constant efforts, been industrious, creative, and proactive in overcoming difficulties and challenges to build Lao Cai province to become increasingly prosperous and prosperous. By the end of 2023, the economic scale of Lao Cai province will reach 73,600 billion VND, ranking 39th out of 63 provinces and cities, officially becoming a locality with an average economic scale in the country.
Regarding its position and role in the overall development of the region and the whole country, Lao Cai has been identified by the Central Government as a growth pole, a center for trade connection between Vietnam and ASEAN countries with the Southwest region and China. At the same time, it holds a very important position in both vertical and horizontal connections in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region. This is an important premise for Lao Cai to accelerate to reach the goals of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the Resolution of the 16th Provincial Party Congress and the Party Congresses at all levels for the 2020-2025 term, creating an important premise for Lao Cai to break through and move forward; gradually realizing the aspiration of building our beloved Lao Cai province into a developed province of the country.
The 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory is an occasion for us to be even more proud of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam, of the great President Ho Chi Minh who led the Vietnamese revolution to overcome all storms and reach the shore of glory. The historic Dien Bien Phu Victory will forever be a source of pride and a great source of strength to encourage our entire Party, people and army to strive to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, to arouse and realize the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country.
Duong Duc Huy
Member of Standing Committee, Head of Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department
[1] Le Duan: Under the glorious flag of the Party, for independence, freedom, for socialism, move forward to gain new victories , Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1970, p. 90
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