DIEN BIEN PHU, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam on Tuesday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in which the French colonial army was defeated by Vietnamese troops, marking the end of the French occupation of Indochina.
At Dien Bien Phu, Vietnamese troops led by General Vo Nguyen Giap, surprised French forces with heavy artillery fire at their mountainous garrison in northwestern Vietnam.
When Dien Bien Phu fell in 1954, it spelled the end of almost a century of French colonial rule.
“The historic Dien Bien Phu victory is a remarkable event, not only for the Vietnamese revolution,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a speech at the ceremony. “It is also a monumental saga that inspired countries rising up to fight for independence and freedom, marking the collapse of the colonialism all over the world.”
On Tuesday morning, the commemoration was held at a stadium in the center of Dien Bien Phu, once a village in a valley dense with trenches, barbed wires and bomb craters. It is now a city of more than 80,000 people.
New Liberia forest boss plans to increase exports, denies working with war criminal Charles Taylor
Apple makes a major change that makes it significantly cheaper and easier to repair broken iPhones
9/11 first responder 'who shot a man dead in a South Carolina Chick
Loosening building products red tape 'good first step'
Arsenal needs a favor from Tottenham in the title race. Current form suggests it won't happen
'Not our stance': Expert advice on mine application riles councillors
Kanye West's ex Julia Fox gives Bianca Censori a run for her money in an X
Chris Hemsworth is 'handpicked' by Vogue editor Anna Wintour to co
Fury at 'insane' NYC cops who fined mother for letting her four
Arsenal needs a favor from Tottenham in the title race. Current form suggests it won't happen
Lionel Richie reveals being selected as performer at King Charles Coronation Concert was 'surprise'