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. |
Artificial intelligence holds key to future educationChinese state councilor meets Thai Princess SirindhornFeature: ChinaUK's medical regulator says sorry for striking off gay doctors before 1966Commentary: Xi's meeting with Ma injects positive energy to relations across Taiwan StraitChina works to promote energy conservation, carbon reduction in construction industryCommentary: Overcoming zeroUN likely to vote on Gaza ceasefire, US signals vetoChina urges U.S., Japan, Philippines to stop undermining regional peace, stabilityChina sees fewer production safety accidents in Q1