On the day, thousands of people flocked to Vung Chua-Dao Yen in Quang Binh province where General Vo Nguyen Giap is resting in peace to pay homage to the Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People's Army who led the Vietnamese people and soldiers to make the historical victory on May 7, 1954.
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Youths learning about the Dien Bien Phu campaign |
In celebration of the anniversary, the Ho Chi Minh Municipal Department of Information and Communications and the city’s book street held the exhibition and exchange program “Dien Bien Phu – The stories of history makers.” Accordingly, organizers showcased 14 panels briefing the developments of the Dien Bien Phu campaign through photos and telling stories of those who had made up the historic victory.
At the event, delegates and young participants had a chance to meet and exchange with former Dien Bien Phu soldiers.
At District 5’s Cultural Center, the municipal Fatherland Front Committee opened a photo exhibition featuring the Dien Bien Phu victory. Meanwhile, the Kim Dong Publisher made public a collection of poems about the historic Dien Bien Phu collected by writer, Senior Colonel Ngo Vinh Binh, and the reprints of “Dien Bien soldiers telling stories”, “Our Dien Bien Phu” and “General Vo Nguyen Giap’s childhood.”
In Hanoi, the Nguoi Hanoi Newspaper and the Veterans’ Association of the National Assembly Office kicked off the 5th “Marching song” in 2019, themed “Dien Bien-Resounding marching song”, with the “Dien Bien-Immortal aura” exchange. During the event, delegates talked with Senior Colonel Le Ngoc Dinh and Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Phung Van Khai and Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Senior Colonel Dang Duc Song.
On this special occasion, the Hoa Binh provincial Veterans Association held a get-together and presented gifts to 60 former Dien Bien Phu soldiers in 11 localities of the province. During the resistance war against French colonialists, thousands of ethnic minority people in the province voluntarily joined the army, voluntary youth force, and conscripted laborer force in different battlefields. The Hoa Binh people also contributed hundreds of tons of goods to the Dien Bien Phu campaign. In peacetime, war veterans have been among vanguard forces in realizing the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies, setting bright examples for the young generation to follow.
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Former soldiers in an exchange |
The Liaison Board of former Dien Bien Phu soldiers in Ho Chi Minh City also marked the historic victory which falls on May 7. They recalled that 65 years ago, the “Determined to fight, determined to win” flag of the Vietnam People’s Army flying on top of De Castries's command tunnel ended the 56-day and night campaign, considering the victory as a joint feat of arms of the nation. Members of the board also visited the hometown of late General Vo Nguyen Giap.
Similarly, the Quang Ninh provincial Military Command held a celebration and handed “Fatherland Protection” Orders to 11 retired officers with great achievements in training, combating, and building the army and socialism. The unit also visited and presented gifts to former soldiers who had joined the Dien Bien Phu campaign, in Ha Long city.
Translated by Chung Anh