During the two wars of resistance against the French colonialists and the American imperialists, all sectors and forces made every effort to participate and do everything they could to contribute the most to the overall victory of the nation. During that process, Vietnam negotiated and signed many diplomatic and legal documents, notably two brilliant milestones, the Geneva Agreement (1954) and the Paris Agreement (1973).
The time, context, and developments were different, but the outstanding common point of these two important events was the great contribution of the diplomatic front to the Vietnamese revolution, the region, and the world.
General Vo Nguyen Giap presented to President Ho Chi Minh and other Party and State leaders the plan to launch the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954. (Photo: Archive)
70 years in review
On the momentum of the victory of the Winter 1952 and Spring 1953 strategic offensives, in November 1953, the General Military Commission began to implement the Winter-Spring 1953-1954 Plan. The battlefield situation changed increasingly in our favor. In coordination with the military and diplomatic fronts, many important activities were carried out with both friends and opponents. In November 1953, in an interview with
Expressen (Sweden), President Ho Chi Minh declared his readiness to negotiate with the French government to seek a peaceful solution for Vietnam. That viewpoint demonstrated our goodwill and at the same time had a great impact on the psychology and spirit of the army soldiers and the moderate forces in the French government. "Smelling defeat", the French government turned to find an "honorable way out". Major countries also jumped in. On January 25, 1954, the Quadrilateral Conference opened in Berlin (Germany), deciding to convene an international conference in Geneva to resolve the Korean War and the issue of restoring peace in Indochina. But it was not until the Dien Bien Phu campaign achieved an "earth-shaking" victory that France agreed to sit at the negotiating table, and the Geneva Conference officially opened (May 8, 1954). The French army lost on the battlefield, but relying on its allies, they still tried to gain the most advantage possible. After 31 sessions and 83 days (August 5 - July 21), the battle of wits at the negotiating table was as tense, fierce, and fierce as the battlefield. Nine years of resistance, the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the Geneva Conference ended the war in Indochina; Vietnam won international recognition and commitment to respect basic national rights, liberating half of the country, ending nearly a hundred years of French colonial rule. According to Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett, Vietnam had defeated France's plot to internationalize the war. It was not only a victory for Vietnam but also a symbol and source of motivation to encourage the national liberation movement in the world. However, the general election to unify the country after two years was not held. We were forced to carry out a 21-year long resistance war to fully achieve the goal. Some experts and scholars said that the Geneva Conference was not as expected, not commensurate with the military victory and the situation on the battlefield. If we were more determined and experienced, we could have done more. History has no "if"... Only when put in the context of that time can we understand the outcome. The country's conditions were extremely difficult; Vietnam's position and international relations were still limited. At the end of 1953, the total number of French troops, including puppet troops, was about 465,000, plus 123 planes and 212 warships aided by the US. At Dien Bien Phu, France lost about 16,200 troops (casualties, captures, disintegration). Combined with losses in other battlefields and areas, the French army still had a fairly large number. In addition to the correlation of actual strength and strategic intentions of the two sides, the outcome of the negotiations also depended on the international context and calculations of the major countries attending the Conference. China and the Soviet Union supported and helped us, but also wanted to end the war, creating a favorable environment for the policy of "peaceful coexistence". Some countries were not thorough in supervising the implementation of the Agreement. International information was scarce, but we saw the looming face of the US ready to intervene. In that context, prolonging the Conference was not certain to achieve the desired results... Although there were still some aspects that were not as desired, the Geneva Agreement gave us half of the country, the necessary peace to recover after nine years of resistance, struggle to implement the Agreement and prepare to deal with complex, unpredictable events that could occur. Later practice has proven that assessment correct. Overcoming difficulties in the first negotiation and signing of a major international legal document such as the Geneva Agreement, we have learned very important lessons. These are lessons about combining the struggle on all three fronts: politics, military, diplomacy; promoting the dialectical relationship between “Gong and sound”; about maintaining independence and autonomy, gaining broad international support and being vigilant against compromises between major countries, including friends and partners. These are very valuable lessons for the Marathon negotiations 15 years later in Paris.
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Signatures of the parties participating in the 1973 Paris Conference. (Photo: Archive)
Paris Agreement - inheritance and development
The Geneva Conference lasted 83 days. The Paris Agreement negotiations lasted 4 years, 8 months, 14 days, through 201 public sessions, 45 high-level private meetings... The Geneva Conference began one day after the Dien Bien Phu victory, officially ending the French colonial war. The Paris Conference was initiated after military victories, especially the stunning Tet Offensive of 1968, which shook the entire battlefield and the Pentagon. The Paris Conference was a process of both fighting and negotiating, combining military, political, diplomatic, and military struggles, gaining broad international support from friends, partners, and peace-loving people around the world and in the United States. Every front is important, but the military still plays a decisive role. In particular, after the victory of the “Dien Bien Phu in the Air Campaign” in Hanoi and several other cities, on December 30, 1972, the US had to unilaterally declare a halt to bombing the North, requesting to resume negotiations, and on January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreement was signed. During the negotiation process, we always maintained the initiative, grasped the enemy situation and the world context, continuously issued statements, with flexible adjustments, pushing the enemy into a passive position, which was highly appreciated by international public opinion. The most prominent was the strategy of temporarily shelving some internal factors in the South (not demanding to abolish the Saigon government, dismissing Thieu), untying the knot, forcing the US to accept the withdrawal of troops from South Vietnam, creating a new situation, accelerating the process of liberating the South, unifying the country with the least possible losses. The US always sought compromises with China, the Soviet Union... to limit aid to Vietnam, and achieved certain results. But we still firmly adhere to the policy of independence and self-reliance, taking national and ethnic interests as the basis; being proactive, creative, and flexible in diplomatic struggles, gaining the great and valuable support of the Soviet Union, China, and many other countries; and resolutely carrying out the set political and military goals.
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Scene of the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province, May 7. (Source: VNA)
Values, lessons for the future
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory and the 49th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, we have the opportunity to review two milestones on the Vietnamese diplomatic front. Taking place after nearly 20 years, the Paris Agreement has inherited and developed the lessons learned from the Geneva Agreement to a new level. The context, space and developments are different, but the basic common point of the two Agreements is to affirm the great contribution, important and indispensable role of the diplomatic front in the common victory of the country and the nation. Many years have passed, the great lessons, principles and laws from the Geneva Agreement and the Paris Agreement still hold true in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland in the new period. Notably, the smooth and consistent application of Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic thought has created the premise and foundation for the formation and development of the "Vietnamese bamboo" diplomatic school.
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