On the occasion of the 69th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory Day: Historical victory and the aspiration of the times

69 years ago, in the Muong Thanh basin, the flag of "Quyet Chien Quyet Thang" flew on the roof of General De Castries' bunker, signaling the end of the strongest stronghold group in Indochina. The victory of Dien Bien Phu on the afternoon of May 7, 1954 contributed to the decisive end of the long and heroic resistance war against the French colonialists of our army and people and was one of the brilliant milestones in the history of the struggle to defend the country of the Vietnamese people.

Photo caption — On the afternoon of May 7, 1954, the "Determination to Fight - Determination to Win" flag of the Vietnam People's Army flew on the roof of General De Castries' bunker. The historic Dien Bien Phu campaign was a complete victory. Photo: VNA archive

That historical milestone led to the Geneva Agreement in 1954 to restore peace, end the presence of the French army in Indochina and officially end the French colonial regime in this peninsula. That milestone opened a new era for the revolution in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, contributed significantly to the national liberation movement, and inaugurated the collapse of old colonialism on a global scale. As President Ho Chi Minh wrote: “Dien Bien Phu is like a golden milestone in history. It clearly shows where colonialism rolled downhill and disintegrated, at the same time, the national liberation movement around the world was rising to complete victory”. This epochal victory was the crystallization of many factors. In particular, in addition to the wise leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, the will and strength of the Vietnamese army and people, ardent patriotism was an extremely important factor. Thousands of years of building and defending the country have shown that patriotism is the foundation of the spirit of independence, self-reliance, indomitable will, the soul, intelligence and mettle of Vietnam. It was this factor that contributed to the courageous decision of the Party Committee and the Campaign Command when changing the combat motto from "fight fast, solve fast" to "fight steadily, advance steadily" to deal with the enemy's solid defense capability. Although there were many difficulties and obstacles in implementing the change in combat motto, with ardent patriotism, our army and people did not hesitate to sacrifice, to endure the hardship of "pulling artillery in and pulling artillery out". And at Dien Bien Phu, 56 days and nights of "digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, pouring rain, rice balls, blood mixed with mud" shone with heroes who dared to sacrifice for the Fatherland: To Vinh Dien used his own body to block artillery; Be Van Dan used his body as a gun mount; Phan Dinh Giot used his body to block the loophole; Tran Can heroically fought back the enemy, held his position, and advanced into the center of Muong Thanh... That "golden history" that echoed throughout the five continents not only weakened the will to invade of the French colonialists and American interventionists but also remained with time, through generations. Therefore, scholar and journalist Bernard B. Fall, Professor at Howard University, Washington DC, once wrote: "Whether we want it or not, that war will affect us for decades to come". In May 2023, Vietnam celebrated the 69th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Looking back at that period, our nation had new Dien Bien Phu battles in the war to defend the country. That was a Dien Bien Phu in the sky of Hanoi in December 1972; the spirit of comprehensive resistance of Dien Bien Phu continued to be promoted at new levels to have the historic Spring of 1975. Unified and at peace, the country overcame many challenges and crises, with many dangerous and difficult times. During that time, the Dien Bien basin - a land of rolling hills and forests surrounded by bombs and bullets - transformed into a bustling urban area. The dream of "Dien Bien taking off" is gradually becoming a reality. But at the same time, we remember President Ho Chi Minh's advice: "Although the victory is great, it is only the beginning. We should not be arrogant because of victory, and should not be subjective and underestimate the enemy." In his Testament, he also advised on the plan to rebuild the country to be more beautiful and dignified than before the war. He wrote: "This is a fight against the old and corrupt, to create new and beautiful things. To win victory in this huge battle, it is necessary to mobilize the entire people, organize and educate the entire people, relying on the great strength of the entire people."

69 years after the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory, Vietnam is nurturing and determined to pursue its aspirations and goals: a prosperous life for the people, a strong and prosperous country. But this is a very large, heavy and complicated task with many difficulties. The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress has clearly pointed out the visions and orientations for the country's development: "In the coming years, the world and domestic situation will have both advantages, opportunities and difficulties, and challenges intertwined; posing many new issues, new requirements that are heavier and more complicated for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland; requiring our entire Party, people and army to unite as one; continue to strongly innovate thinking; have high political determination; accurately and promptly forecast developments of the situation; proactively respond promptly to all situations". To successfully achieve that goal requires many factors. As General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said: “The road ahead is full of difficulties and challenges, intertwined with new opportunities and advantages. Whether or not we can awaken the potential and turn it into a great resource to build and protect the country depends on the will and determination of the entire Party, the entire people, and each Vietnamese person.” So at this moment, the lesson of the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu is still hot today. That lesson reminds us that, along with the wise leadership of the Party and the State; the great solidarity of the entire Party, the entire army, and the entire people, ardent patriotism is an extremely important factor to realize the aspiration of the era of “A rich people, a strong country, a fair, democratic, and civilized society.” That aspiration is as sacred and intense as the national will to gain independence, peace, and national reunification in the 20th century.