The press conference held on April 4 to provide information about a national symposium on the Dien Bien Phu Victory (Photo: People's Army newspaper) The press conference was held by the Ministry ofNational Defence in coordination with the Party Central Committee’s Informationand Education Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ho Chi MinhNational Academy of Politics, and Dien Bien province.
The symposium will look into the background and theinternational, regional and domestic situation at the time of the battle. It will also review the French colonialists’ schemes and the US intervention in the Navarre Plan thatfocused on turning Dien Bien Phu into the strongest military base in Indochina, with the aim of seizing control over the entire Northwest of Vietnam and Upper Laos,and destroy the majority of Vietnam’s regular troops. In so doing, this would pave the way forcontrolling the Vietnamese territory and pacifying South Indochina.
Speeches to be delivered are expected to analyse thesound and wise strategy applied by the Party Central Committee, led byPresident Ho Chi Minh, in the campaign, preparations forthe battle, contributions by people of all social strata and internationalsupport at that time.
They will also examine special military tacticsemployed by Vietnam, and historical lessons drawn from the campaign, which arestill applicable to the present cause of national construction and defence.
The event is expected to see the attendance ofParty, State and National Assembly leaders, representatives from ministries andagencies, scientists and historical witnesses.
On March 13, 1954, the Vietnamese revolutionary armylaunched the first attack against the French colonialists’ heavily fortifiedbase of Dien Bien Phu, starting the 56-day historic campaign whose victorydirectly led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war andrestoring peace in Indochina./.
VNA
