Vietnam celebrates the 70th anniversary of the victory of Dien Bien Phu and invites France for the first time
Cannon shots, speeches and soldiers. Vietnam celebrated the 70th anniversary of the victory of Dien Bien Phu against French troops on Tuesday, May 7. The nearly two-hour ceremony, which began in the rain, brought together around 12,000 people in a stadium where giant banners exalted the triumph of May 7, 1954 which led to the country’s independence.
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu represents “victory for justice“, said Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during the speech to launch the ceremony. The parade brought together soldiers, firefighters and other members of society praised by the Communist Party – employees, intellectuals, farmers, women, ethnic minorities , etc. – extended into the streets of the city, where locals and tourists waved the national flag.
Organized every two years, the show of force, with helicopters and howitzers in support, welcomed for the first time members of the French government, accompanied by three French veterans. The presence of the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, and the Secretary of State for Veterans and Memory, Patricia Mirallès, demonstrated the reconciliation at work, against a backdrop of shared strategic interests.
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