Former Deputy Foreign Minister Colonel Ha Van Lau, now 97 years old,was a member of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)’s negotiationteam at the Geneva Conference in 1954. He shared his memories about theGeneva talks on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Genevaagreement, which put an end to the war and restored peace in Indochinaand Vietnam.
Together with the then Deputy DefenceMinister Ta Quang Buu, Colonel Lau served as a military expert for theteam. He recalled that the team travelled to Geneva by train via Beijingand Moscow, and arrived in Geneva on May 4, 1954. By that time, the DRVwas yet to receive any official invitation to attend the talks. Theinvitation only came on May 8, 1954, just one day before the session onVietnam began.
“Deputy Defence Minister Ta QuangBuu and I, as military experts of the delegation, studied the militaryaspects of the talks, which concerned the ceasefire, the movement oftroops and France’s withdrawal of troops from the three Indochinesecountries,” Lau said, adding that he was very worried because the workwas new for him while there was very little information.
“We heard about the Dien Bien Phu Victory through western countries’media before receiving reports from home,” he said. “No words canexpress our joy. Head of the delegation Pham Van Dong hugged everyone,and we spent a sleepless night to discuss plans for the meeting the nextmorning.”
The victory enhanced the DRV’s position at the talks, he said.
Reminiscing about the most tense moments during the negotiations 60years ago, he said Buu and he met many times with the French side todiscuss the demarcation for the relocation of military troops of bothsides. Vietnam at first suggested Parallel 13, as the three provinces ofQuang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh were then the liberated zone, butthe French side insisted on Parallel 18. Through much debate, theconference at last settled on Parallel 17, which was along Ben Hai Riverto the north of Quang Tri province.
“Onedifficulty for us at the negotiation was that we did not have theindependence like in the later Paris talks,” the veteran diplomat said,adding that the DRV delegation had to rely on information provided bythe Soviet Union and China. However, with the victory on the domesticbattle fields and the firm principle of “independence, nationalunification and territorial integrity,” the delegation was able toachieve the goal of an agreement that put an end to war and restoredpeace in Indochina on the basis of respect for independence,sovereignty, national unification and territorial integrity of Vietnam,Laos and Cambodia.
According to the former DeputyForeign Minister, the Geneva agreement marked a great victory of theanti-French resistance war, with participating countries, includingFrance, committed respect for Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty,national unification and territorial integrity.-VNA
Together with the then Deputy DefenceMinister Ta Quang Buu, Colonel Lau served as a military expert for theteam. He recalled that the team travelled to Geneva by train via Beijingand Moscow, and arrived in Geneva on May 4, 1954. By that time, the DRVwas yet to receive any official invitation to attend the talks. Theinvitation only came on May 8, 1954, just one day before the session onVietnam began.
“Deputy Defence Minister Ta QuangBuu and I, as military experts of the delegation, studied the militaryaspects of the talks, which concerned the ceasefire, the movement oftroops and France’s withdrawal of troops from the three Indochinesecountries,” Lau said, adding that he was very worried because the workwas new for him while there was very little information.
“We heard about the Dien Bien Phu Victory through western countries’media before receiving reports from home,” he said. “No words canexpress our joy. Head of the delegation Pham Van Dong hugged everyone,and we spent a sleepless night to discuss plans for the meeting the nextmorning.”
The victory enhanced the DRV’s position at the talks, he said.
Reminiscing about the most tense moments during the negotiations 60years ago, he said Buu and he met many times with the French side todiscuss the demarcation for the relocation of military troops of bothsides. Vietnam at first suggested Parallel 13, as the three provinces ofQuang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh were then the liberated zone, butthe French side insisted on Parallel 18. Through much debate, theconference at last settled on Parallel 17, which was along Ben Hai Riverto the north of Quang Tri province.
“Onedifficulty for us at the negotiation was that we did not have theindependence like in the later Paris talks,” the veteran diplomat said,adding that the DRV delegation had to rely on information provided bythe Soviet Union and China. However, with the victory on the domesticbattle fields and the firm principle of “independence, nationalunification and territorial integrity,” the delegation was able toachieve the goal of an agreement that put an end to war and restoredpeace in Indochina on the basis of respect for independence,sovereignty, national unification and territorial integrity of Vietnam,Laos and Cambodia.
According to the former DeputyForeign Minister, the Geneva agreement marked a great victory of theanti-French resistance war, with participating countries, includingFrance, committed respect for Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty,national unification and territorial integrity.-VNA
