After 1954, the General returned to Dien Bien many times. But this time, on the 50^th anniversary of the triumphal Dien Bien Phu Victory, his visit was of more significance. The victory festival in Dien Bien was more joyous, and the local people welcomed him with their warmest affection.

When the General appeared at the door of the plane, hundreds of local ethnic people, in their colourful traditional attire and holding flowers and flags in hands, greeted him, just like they were welcoming their son back from a far-away place. The General hesitated at the plane’s stair for a while, seeming to control his emotions before the meeting with his comrades as a son coming back to his home village after days of departure and seeing it with great changes. But above all, it was his affection for those who had laid down their lives for the final victory. The General said: “I am glad at the changes that have taken place in this region. But deep in my soul is a load of grief, for I’m thinking of my comrades-in-arms who died.” And as he wrote in his memoirs: “Each time I returned to Dien Bien, I always visited the martyrs’ cemetery located at the foot of A1 Hill to plant some insence josss-ticks on the graves of my comrades in memory of them.”

This time, the first duty the General performed during his trip to Dien Bien was to again visit the martyrs’ cemetery. People were moved by seeing the old General, at 93 years old, plant the insence joss-sticks with his trembling hands and bow in deep respect to the memory of his comrades and other nameless martyrs.

In the cemetery, the General planted a pine tree, which is green all the year round and is a symbol for those who devoted their youth to national independence.

The General spent time walking around the battlefield: the trenches through which the soldiers went forward to fight the enemy, the places where the soldiers put the explosives to destroy the enemy’s blockhouses, the French General De Castries’ Command Post. He also visited the monument “Dien Bien Phu Victory” recently installed on D1 Hill. The General previously had given comments on the design of this monument, i.e. “The monument must be installed on a high location, from which the viewers can see the panoramic view of Dien Bien, a place of historical significance during the Campaign. The monument should be located on D1 Hill, where our soldiers greatly contributed their sacrifices and recorded huge feats-of-arms.”

General Vo Nguyen Giap also called at Muong Phang, where the Command Post of our armed forces was located during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. He slowly walked into the shelter, standing by a rough table, where he held meetings with different officers to discuss the battle plans. In this tunnel, he had many sleepless nights before making “an extremely difficult decision”, i.e. to shift the tactic from “lightening battle, lightening victory” to “firm fighting, firm advancing”. What was left from that time has been preserved intact for the present and future generations. They should know that in this region General Vo Nguyen Giap made a decisive contribution to the famous Dien Bien Phu Victory, and this Victory has glorified the name of General Vo Nguyen Giap.

During a meeting with Dien Bien Province’s Military Command, the General cordially gave advice – which was also an order from the General to his staff: “The Number One task, the most important task, that I entrust to you is to protect, maintain and embellish the relics. The relics in this region are the blood of our army men and people. To let these relics become damaged is to be guilty to those who laid down their lives, and our offsprings will not know how heroically their forefathers lived and fought ... As soldiers, you have to take the lead in learning and training, and to set an example for the others in every thing you do.”

The General visited Noong Nhai Hamlet, not far from Dien Bien Phu City. On the afternoon of April 25, 1954, the French airplanes dropped bombs on this hamlet, killing 444 civilians. A meeting full of affection was held between the former General and Commander-in-Chief of the Campaign and the veterans and labourers who served the campaign, and the local villagers. The General was very happy when he was informed that Noong Nhai has become a cultural hamlet and the villagers have a happy life and that they are working hard to enrich themselves.

People in Dien Bien welcomed the old General without ceremonial procedures, but with warmest affection, i.e. the love between the army men and ordinary people. They reserved all of their respect and boundless gratitude to the former Commander-in-Chief,nbsp; an eminent and clear-sighted General, who glorified the country of Vietnam.

General Vo Nguyen Giap with people in Muong Phang.

Story: Son Le - Photos: Tran Dinh