A delegation of Vietnamese leaders led by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong offered incense to war heroes resting at the A1 Hill Cemetery in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on May 7, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory.

Attending the ceremony were also former Party General Secretaries Le Kha Phieu and Nong Duc Manh, President Truong Tan Sang, former President Tran Duc Luong, Politburo member Le Hong Anh, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, among others.

The incense offering ceremony reflects the deep gratitude of Vietnamese leaders and people to the heroes who devoted their lives to the triumph, which put an end to the French colonial rule in Vietnam.

On May 6, Vietnamese officials joined veterans, citizens and the mothers of fallen soldiers, to watching an artistic ceremony themed “Dien Bien Phu – an everlasting epic”.

National Coordinator of the Mexican Labour Party Alberto Anaya Gutierrez, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Asang Laoly and his Cambodian counterpart Men Sam An were also present at the event.

More than 1,000 artists highlighted the Dien Bien Phu campaign as a rightful struggle of the people and celebrated the decisive roles played by the late President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s ArmyThe same day, localities nationwide held activities to mark the anniversary of the triumph, which played a decisive role in ending Vietnam's resistance war against French forces and brought increased momentum to Vietnam's revolution and the struggle for peace, national independence and socialism.

The battle occurred in Dien Bien between March and May 1954 under the command of General Giap. The victory led to the signing of the 1954 Geneva Accord in which France agreed to withdraw its forces from its colonies in Indochina.-VNA