Dien Bien Phu victory celebrations grab global headlines
Global mass media on May 7 provided wide coverage of Vietnamese people’s heroic struggle against French colonialists in Dien Bien Phu 60 years ago, acknowledging the victory as an important landmark in the history of the world’s national liberation movement.
France 24 pront-paged an article, portraying images of Vietnamese war veterans offering incenses to their comrades who laid down their lives in Dien Bien Phu six decades ago.
According to the paper, the Vietnamese Government and people held a number of events to mark the occasion, including a grand meeting in Dien Bien City. Hundreds of wreaths were laid at monuments to pay tribute to soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Dien Bien Phu battle.
The paper also described the failure of the Dien Bien Phu battle as the historic mistake of the French military in Indochina in the 20th century.
French News Agency AFP emphasised that for Vietnamese people, the Dien Bien Phu battle which ended on May 7, 1954, was not only a heroic struggle against French colonialists but also a historic moment for the nation.
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| Photo: AFP |
France’s defeat in Vietnam 60 years ago also made the headlines of the Bangkok Post and Malaysia Today Online News.
Both papers said 60 years ago, the Vietnam People’s Army under the leadership of General Vo Nguyen Giap crushed the French military in a turning-point battle, bringing peace to Vietnam, ruining the French Government’s reputation, and encouraging independence movements in other colonial countries.
They wrote this was the first time a colonial country equipped with conventional weapons had defeated a European power. The French military’s failure in Dien Bien Phu put an end to France’s domination in Indochina and marked an important milestone in the history of the national liberation movement in the world.
Xinhua News Agency and the Japan Times recalled the Dien Bien Phu battle through memories of war veterans who directly took part in the campaign.
The South China Morning Post wrote that Dien Bien Phu victory ended the 80-year Indochina war and French colonialism in Asia. For Vietnamese people, Dien Bien Phu spirit will last forever, the paper concluded.
