Memories of Dien Bien Phu Campaign echo still

Seventy years have passed since the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, a 56-day historic campaign whose victory directly led to the signing of the 1954 Geneva Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam. The once-young soldiers that took part in the battle are now in their 90s. Though their health may be on the decline, their memories of the epic battle never fade.

Despite his busy schedule, undertaking many tasks in preparation for the grand ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, former soldier Pham Duc Cu still spared time for VNA reporters. For him, sharing stories about his High-Angle Artillery Battalion 367 during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign is a source of pride.

Fighting under Battalion 166, part of Regiment 209, Division 312, Nguyen Huu Chap and his comrades opened fire and initiated the battle at the Him Lam stronghold - a place dubbed by the French colonialists as an “impenetrable steel gate”. The elderly veteran still recalls every detail of how his unit fought for every inch of land until completely seizing control of the stronghold.

After 56 days and nights of intense combat, the decisive battle at Hill A1 took place on the night of May 6 as Vietnamese troops broke through the final stronghold of the French in Dien Bien Phu. The moment when the Vietnamese flag flew over the enemy’s command bunker was a historic moment for many veterans.

These soldiers never forget how they and their comrades sacrificed their youth to defend the motherland and contributed to a victory that “echoed across continents and shook the world”./.