A communications contest to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory at Dien Bien Phu kicked off in Hanoi this evening (26 March).
Thirty-seven teams from various provinces and cities will compete in four districts: Dong Anh, Chuong My, Quoc Oai and Thach That.
| Painting depicting the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Photo: Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum |
The contest, which runs until April 2, aims to glorify the power of national unity in defending sovereignty and to highlight the great significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory to the world.
Through the contest, Hanoi hopes to promote the determination, bravery and intelligence of the Vietnamese people - qualities that have led them through adversity to independence, freedom and reunification.
Alongside the contest, Hanoi will organize a meeting to honor the veterans and volunteers who gave their youth and effort to make the campaign successful.
According to Pham Anh Tuan, deputy chairman of the Hanoi Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, the meeting will be held in April, with the participation of 300 delegates, including 120 former soldiers and volunteers who fought in the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954.
From April 15 to May 2, the city government will send delegations to visit the families of the martyrs and invalids in Hanoi who joined the campaign 70 years ago.
In May, Hanoi will hold a photo exhibition at 29 Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District, featuring 70-90 pictures and visual materials on the victory.
At the event, visitors will be able to enjoy artworks, sculptures, paintings, and photos created to depict the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
On March 14-17, a delegation from the Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front in Hanoi traveled to Dien Bien Province to visit the battlefield, meet with local authorities, and present gifts worth VND460 million (US$18,560) to local families.
Military parade in Dien Bien Province
In addition to activities in the capital, authorities in Dien Bien Province are planning major events to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory.
There will be a military parade involving artillery, air force, infantry, navy, and police.
The parade is a recreation that honors volunteers who carry necessities on bicycles over hundreds of kilometers of thorny roads to supply soldiers fighting on the battlefield.
The parade is scheduled for May 7 at Dien Bien Stadium in Dien Bien City, with about 3,000 soldiers and volunteers participating.
On April 12, a national workshop will be held to discuss the impact of the victory on Vietnam's revolutionary cause and territorial defense. Some 450 delegates are expected to attend the workshop and submit 150 reports and research papers on the victory.
The victory of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the largest of the First Indochina War, fought in Muong Thanh Valley, Lai Chau Province (now in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province) between the Vietnamese People's Army and the French Army. This was the greatest military victory of the anti-French resistance war in Vietnam (1945-1954). With this decisive victory, the forces of the Vietnamese People's Army, commanded by General Vo Nguyen Giap, brought the French to surrender at Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954, after holding out for two months. In the midst of this battle, the French army here had been reinforced to 16,200 men but still could not withstand the fierce attacks of the Vietnamese People's Army. Despite years of fighting and increasing support and involvement from the United States, the French were unable to pacify Vietnam. After this defeat, France could no longer control this former colony. Internationally, this victory is of great significance and has gone down in human history because it was the first time that the military of a former colony in Asia defeated the modern and advanced army of a European power, supported by its ally, the United States, in a major military campaign. Considered a disaster for the French colonialists, it defeated France's will to maintain the colony and forced the country to negotiate peace and withdraw its troops from Indochina. |
