May 06, 2019 | 20:41 (GMT+7)
Dien Bien Phu campaign in French veteran’s memory
Despite the 65 years that have passed, the memories of Colonel Jacques Allaire – a French veteran who fought in the Dien Bien Phu campaign – have remained intact.
Talking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in France, Allaire, now 94 years old, said that the Vietnamese soldiers were very brave and highly motivated as they fought for the independence and freedom of the nation.
Moreover, remaining side-by-side with them were political commissars who played an important role in encouraging their bravery and will, he stated.
At the time, Allaire commanded a mortar division under a battalion of paratroopers and parachuted into Dien Bien Phu battlefield twice in December 1953 and March 1954.
After the war, the French veteran visited Vietnam many times, with the most recent trip in November 2018 when he accompanied Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to visit Dien Bien Phu.
According to him, Vietnam is a wonderful country and its people remain dynamic and courageous.
The Dien Bien Phu campaign lasted for 56 days from March 13 to May 7, 1954 in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien.
Under the command of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnam People’s Army won the historical victory on May 7, 1954, making important contributions to ending the Indochina war with the signing of Geneva Agreement on July 20, 1954, thus restoring peace in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Source: VNA