General Vo Nguyen Giap in issue No.2 of “Vietnam Image”
 (Present-day Vietnam Pictorial) published in December 1954 

After the victory of Dien Bien Phu (May 7, 1945) President Ho Chi Minh and The Party Central Committee instructed the establishment of Vietnam Pictorial for the purpose of exposing the world to the revolutionary cause and the construction of socialism of Vietnam. In October 1954, Vietnam Pictorial with its initial name of “Vietnam Image” published its first issue and the special issue in December 1954 to celebrate the Dien Bien Phu Victory which included many rare and valuable images, from its preparation to its final world-shaking victory. It also vividly presented the photos of General Vo Nguyen Giap, President Ho Chi Minh, the Politburo, the Party Centre Committee and the General Staff  who were discussing the plan for the Dien Bien Phu campaign and General Vo Nguyen Giap together with the soldiers and people joyfully celebrating the victory. For nearly 60 years, Vietnam Pictorial has carefully preserved the pages as valuable archives. 

The photos of General Vo Nguyen Giap, President Ho Chi Minh, the Politburo, the Party Central Committee and the General Staff
discussing to decide the start of Dien Bien Phu Campaign. (Published on issue No.2 of  "Vietnam Imge" - December 1954)


The photo of the telegram of General, Commander-in-Chief Vo Nguyen Giap calling upon the cadres and soldiers to be determined
to wipe out the entire enemy in Dien Bien Phu and the photo of General Vo Nguyen Giap at the front line making a decision of 
the first attack to Dien Bien Phu. (Published on issue No.2 of "Vietnam Imge" - December 1954)


The photos of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the soldiers and the people joyfully celebrate the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
(Published on issue No.2 of "Vietnam Imge" - December 1954)


The front cover of the secon issue of "Vietnam Image", a special one to celebrate the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
 

General Vo Nguyen Giap – A Pan-Century Military Marcher ^(*)
                                                 Story: Dao Trong Khanh  
                                                                                    Photo: Trong Thanh, Tran Dinh & VNA’s Files

One day at the start of the year 2001, General vo Nguyen Giap joyfully told us: “I’m a pan-century traveller.”

He was born on August 25, 1911 in the village of An Xa, Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province in the year of Tan Hoi, when the Tan Hoi Revolution broke out in China. As a poor little boy of the country with “west wind, white sand”, he went to school, grew up, joined the revolutionary movement, and became an outstanding general of the Vietnamese Revolution. His life and career has been closely linked to the history of formation, growth and development of the Vietnam People’s Army. He was an excellent and close disciple of late President Ho Chi Minh, and a close comrade-in-arms of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam.

He remembers much about the ancient capital of Hue, where he was an excellent student at the National College , and where he had very intimate friends who later became prominent revolutionaries such as Nguyen Chi Dieu, Hai Trieu, Nguyen Khoa Van.  

General Vo Nguyen Giap on the cover of  Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.512 - August 2001.






The article entitled  "General Vo Nguyen Giap - A Pan-Century Military Marcher".
(Published on Vietnam Pictorial's isue No.512 - August 2001)

Expelled from the College for his participation in the April 1927 school walkout, he taught himself, wrote articles for the paper “Tieng dan” (People’s Voice) edited by the patriot Huynh Thuc Khang and joined the “Tan Viet” (New Vietnam) Party. In 1930, he was arrested and indicted, then put under house arrest at his home village.

One stormy day when the Kien Giang River rose high, the patriot Nguyen Chi Dieu came in a little boat to get him. It was the day when he joined the revolutionary movement.

He went to Hanoi , learning and working for his own living, passed the exams as First Laureate in the All-Indochina general examinations, held exclusively for excellent students, then graduated as a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Bachelor of Laws with an excellent thesis.

Giap worked as a teacher and a journalist while embarking on revolutionary activity. During time off from teaching at Thang Long Schoool, he wrote articles for the newspapers “Lao Dong” (Labour), “Tin Tuc” (News), “Tieng Noi Cua Chung Ta” (Our Voice), both in Vietnamese and French. During this period, he co-operated with Truong Chinh in writing the book titled “Van De Dan Cay” (The question of the tiller) under the pen-names of “Qua Ninh” and “Van Dinh”. In the Indochina Congress Movement, he was elected Chairman of the Tonkin Press Committee.

One afternoon, on Co Ngu Road in Hanoi, Hoang Van Thu, Secretary of the Provisional Central Committee entrusted Giap and Pham Van Dong with the mission to Kunming ( China ) to meet the Party leaders overseas. And on the shores of the romantic Thuy Ho Lake , they met a middle-aged gentleman in a plain grey stiff-collar jacket. He was Nguyen Ai Quoc, a member of the Communist International, who later became President Ho Chi Minh.

The meeting left a profound impression on him throughout his revolutionary career. He never forgot the injunction by Nguyen Ai Quoc: “In embarking on revolutionary work, one should put public affairs above everything!”

In May 1945, in the jungle of Pac Bo, Nguyen Binh District, Cao Bang Province – the 8th Session of the 1st Party Central Committee Plenum, chaired by Ho Chi Minh decided to found the “Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi”, known as “Viet Minh”. Vo Nguyen Giap was entrusted with controlling the Military Division of the Viet Minh Central Committee, forming the armed forces in preparation for insurrection to seize power.

The important turning point that brought him to the post of a general commanding a people’s army was the foundation on December 22, 1944, of the “Viet Nam Tuyen Truyen Giai Phong Quan” (Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army) in Tran Hung Dao Jungle of Nguyen Binh District – Cao Bang Province, the predecessor to the Vietnam People’ Army of today.

Only two days after its foundation, under his command, the fledgling army recorded its first two victories at Pay Khat and Na Ngan of Cao Bang Province.

Vo Nguyen Giap was appointed a member of the Tonkin Revolutionary Military Committee, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam Liberation Army and a member of the Provisional Command of the Viet Bac Liberated Zone. The National Congress held at Tan Trao elected him into the Vietnam National Liberation Committee. On behalf of the Military Committee, Vo Nguyen Giap signed the order for general insurrection. On the afternoon of August 16, 1945, upon the closing of the Congress, under the age-old banyan tree, a unit of the Liberation Army under the command of Vo Nguyen Giap held a ceremony before marching on to Thai Nguyen Town to fight the Japanese. “For the moment, as the time is ripe, whatever sacrifices we have to make, even though we have to set ablaze the Truong Son Range, we must resolutely win national independence at all costs”. That was the injunction of President Ho Chi Minh, then on his sickbed, given exclusively to Vo Nguyen Giap in a thatched house of Na Lua, prior to the National Congress, both a sacred sentiment and an urgent order for the commander-in-chief of the army in his march to Hanoi.

The August General Insurrection was victorious. The Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed. Vo Nguyen Giap held the posts of Minister of Home Affairs and Vice Minister of Defence, building and safeguarding the fledgling revolutionary power.

Then, taking cover behind the British Army, the French troops opened fire to reconquer Vietnam.

On December 19, 1946, the resistance war against the French colonialists started. Vo Nguyen Giap was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the National Army and the self-defence militia forces.

He ordered general engagement in all towns and cities with the invaders, fighting the adversary forces in all corners of the land. The 60-day battle in the heart of the capital city of Hanoi was one of the most gallant combats, ushering in the holy 9-year resistance war waged by the entire nation.

On January 2, 1948, President Ho Chi Minh signed a decree, appointing him a General.

During the early years of the resistance war, he created a compatible fighting approach of his own, killing the enemy in parallel with building up his forces, making full use of mobile guerilla warfare in coordination with small forces of the regular troops. From the reality of the war, he sought out ways for his fledgling army to dodge annihilation by an enemy with over-whelming forces.

Throughout the nine years of the resistance war, the Vietnam People’s Army was growing with every passing day, defeating the French colonialists’ strategy of “lightning attacks, lightning triumphs”, taking the strategic initiative on all battlefields, and launching offensive and counteroffensive campaigns on an ever larger scale on all battlefields. This resulted in the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring victory of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign that planted “a brilliant golden landmark” and helped topple the strongholds of colonialism worldwide.

In the nine-year resistance war, his exceptionally prominent stamp lay in two major decisions of vital significance, changing the target of the offensive from Cao Bang to Dong Khe in the Borders Campaign (1950), and altering the guiding principle for the operation of the campaign from “lightning attack, speedy settlement” to “fighting firm, advancing firm “in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. He often said: “It was the most difficult decisions in all my life as a commander of an army to fight the enemy!”.

In the long march against US imperialism for national salvation, as a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Army Central Committee and Minister of National Defence, he helped build a regular and modern army as a powerful support in the struggle for national reunification, blazing the “Duong Truong Son” (Truong Son Trail) to send reinforcements to the battle fronts in the South and defeating the US air and naval war of destruction against the North.

In the Spring of 1975, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign won great victory, with the total collapse of the Saigon puppet regime and its unconditional surrender in face of the lighting and thundering offensive of the revolutionary army. From Saigon, news of the great triumph flew to the General Headquarters in the capital of Hanoi . The aged General of the two wars of liberation zealously recalled: “All people jumped up, hugging each other, shouting for joy… a sight that was beyond all words. The members of the General Staff hugged us and the other men present there. All were choked with emotions, some even melting into tears. It was a once in a lifetime experience – The longest war of the century came to a close!”

Besides being an outstanding general, he is a dedicated scientist and educator. In 1978, as Vice Prime Minister, he was in charge of the development of science and education. His work “A few questions on science and education” is one of great value in terms of ideology in the new period.

Imbued with the Ho Chi Minh thought and applying it in reality, he and the entire army and the entire people have recorded resounding exploits. Since giving up the posts in the Party and the State, he has devoted his time and energy to research and editing the scientific work “Ho Chi Minh Thought and the Road of the Vietnamese Revolution” – an in-depth and insightful theoretical work.

He is author of such works of military art as “People’s Warfare, People’s Army”, “National Liberation and National Defence Warfare” and many others, a total of 70 works in all. Many of them, especially his memoirs on the wars, have produced great echoes and been translated into many languages. He is one of the grand masters of culture of Vietnam in the 20th century, indeed!

Mentioning the power of Vietnam that has routed all invaders, he said: “Thanks to the power of their traditional culture, the Vietnamese came to know how to combine their resolute “esprit de combat” for national defence with their imaginative and creative art of war to build up an original military tenet; the military doctrine of Vietnam”.

He often speaks of the birth and growth of the Vietnam People’s Army, i.e. his work “From the People”. He has been the general of the people and from the people, making his way to a great career.

General Vo Nguyen Giap has dedicated his whole life to the army, and retained a clear and lucid mind and a romantic soul, permeated with an immense love for people. He loves poetry and music. He likes the gallant marches of the nation in the long struggle for independence and freedom. His life is like a mighty beautiful military march – a Pan-Century Military March – resounding forever in the advances of the succeeding generations, living forever and ever with time.

(*) The article published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.512 - August 2001 on the occasion of the 90th birthday of General Vo Nguyen Giap.
 

Dien Bien Phu Victory – The Politico-Spiritual Power
And the Might of the Vietnamese Wisdom ^(*)

                                                          Story: Senior Lieut.General,  Prof. Hoang Minh Thao
Photo: VNP’s Files

After more than 7 years of conducting the 2nd war of aggression against Vietnam, the French colonialists lost more than 300,000 officers and men. All the plans by Leclerc, Valut, Thierry d’Argenlieu, Bolaert, Pignon, Revert, De Lattre de Tassigny went bust, one after the other. The French seemed to be always starting all over again. In the war without frontlines, a product of the people’s warfare, the Vietnamese fought the enemy in face-to-face battles and behind the adversary lines, in the rural and the urban areas, which weakened and exhausted the French expeditionary Corps. Subsequently, the French Cabinet was appointed and collapsed 17 times, 5 French High Commissioners and 6 French Commanders-in-Chief of the French army in Indochina had to be summoned back to France.

Thanks to the politics of people’s warfare, with the combination of two approaches to its execution: guerilla and regular war, our army and people could gradually switch from the passive to the active, recording successive resounding victories.

In the face of successive defeats in Indochina, French public opinion became more and more tired of the war. In dire straits and utter confusion, the French Government did not want to carry on the excessively expensive and desperate war, but it did not wish to give way to the Americans. They held the view that a best solution then was to use the US aid in cash and hardware to pull out of the quagmire as an “ honourable exit ” on the bargaining table.

On May 7 1953, under the US agreement, French Premier Renet Mayer appointed 4-star Gen. Navarre to replace Gen. Salan, as commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Corps in Indochina, hence the birth of the Navarre Plan, to salvage the honour of France. 
 

General Vo Nguyen Giap on the cover of Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.545 - August 2004. 

Our selection of Dien Bien Phu as a strategic location, and later a decisive strategic battlefield, was entirely correct.

Our strategic plan was to split and disperse the enemy, launch active operations on the other battlefronts, where they were most vulnerable and where they could not afford to abandon but had to send further troops to come to their rescue. To execute this ploy, we embarked on diversionary activities, to fool the enemy and manipulate them at will.

To limit their mobile forces, one of their most formidable and efficient, we had to divert and disperse them to the other battlefronts, so that the enemy could not afford to muster large forces for the rescue of Dien Bien Phu, a fundamental condition for the certain victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
At Dien Bien Phu, the main battlefront, the Campaign Command headquarters (i.e. the advance party) drew up a plan for “ lightning battle, lightning victory “, with a determination to eliminate this complex of fortified positions in 2 days and 3 nights, as the condition of the enemy was still a temporary defensive one.

After hearing the reports, Commander-in-Chief Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the supreme commander of the campaign, was so valiantly assertive and sensitive to the situation that he proposed a change in the guideline for “ lightning battle, lightning victory ” into “ firm fighting, firm advancing ”, with a subsequent re-disposition of the forces. His guideline for operations was fully approved by the Standing Committee of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh.

In the Dien Bien Phu campaign, the enemy was already mired in isolation, digging in and setting up last-ditch defenses in a deep valley, surrounded by our forces in higher positions. We had built a whole network of communication trenches, a system of set battle-arrays for our armymen’s encirclement and offensive. It was for the first time that our forces launched their encirclement and offensive on a fortified camp when the enemy had better and more modern supplies and ammunitions. Along with the annihilation of the enemy’s resources, i.e. artillery, tanks and aircraft, by means of a network of communication lines and shelters under the tactic of “ encirclement for usurpation and annihilation ”, our armymen step by step tightened the noose, thus enhancing our superior positions in both space and time during the Campaign and generating our monumental might in the offensive, which was aimed at obliterating the whole complex of fortified positions, for final victory.
 

The article entitled "Dien Bien Phu Victory – The Politico-Spiritual Power and the Might of the Vietnamese Wisdom"
published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.545 - May 2004, on the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7,1954-May 7 2004).
 

The tactic during the campaign lay in successive breakthroughs, in combination with encirclement and usurpation. To destroy the enemy’s solid fortified defense works, we had to launch sudden breakthroughs to annihilate them, and the breakthroughs had to be successive, without interruption which allowed the enemy no breathing space for resistance. Since the campaign was a huge formation, complex and comprehensive, the breakthroughs should come one after the other so that we could have enough time to make necessary re-arrangements of formations and changes in the battle arrays. Furthermore, all this was combined with encirclement and usurpation, therefore the communication lines and trenches were dug in such a way as to retain the combat power, using them as effective springboards for efficient assaults on the enemy’s entrenched fortifications, and come closer to the enemy positions to minimize casuaties from adversary artillery fire.

Such was our tactic. As for the battle complexion and array, we launched encirclement on the east and west of the enemy’s fortified entrenchments on the high ground, foiled their defensive lines on lower ground, destroyed their defensive belt on the periphery to make deep thrusts into their interior and their command post, beseiged the airfield and pressed closer to it, to finally cut off all airlifted supplies, the enemy’s only lifeline and last hope.

This art of operation was quite compatible with the Vietnamese conditions. The battle complexion and array bore expression of our tradition of Vietnamese martial art - “ pitting the weaknesses against the fortes ”. It was due to the fact that we were inferior in hardware for sudden breakthroughs, such as aircraft, tanks, artillery … that we had to resort to it. This tactic called for a long campaign. Later in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, as our power for sudden breakthroughs and deep thrusts was robust and mighty, we could launch our strikes to liberate Saigon in only a few days.
Resolving the conflicts in the relations between the objective conditions and actions, in compatibility with the actual facts conforms to dialectics and shows our creativity and methological command. One of the things, interesting and creative, lies in the fact that for the first time in Vietnam, and rarely seen in the world as well, we hauled large artillery pieces up the rugged mountain peaks and camouflaged them well in the shelters, to point them directly at the enemy’s positions on the lower ground, to overwhelm and overpower them. With this tactic, we could protect our artillery pieces, multiply our power and achieve accuracy. As a matter of fact, our artillery range was 5-7km from the targets (usually the 105mm artillery gun can fire at a target 10-11km away). With such close range, we could achieve better accuracy and economy of shells, hitting the centre of the target with 2-3 shells only, instead of up to 7 shells for long range, not to mention the greater power and destructiveness. Our men were safe in the bomb- and shell-proof shelters. Thanks to this advantage, though we were outgunned, from higher positions, we could overwhelm the enemy’s artillery, with greater efficiency that Pirot, the French artillery commander, caught unawares had panicked and went to the length of committing suicide.

The Dien Bien Phu victory was a triumph of the people’s warfare on a nationwide scale, with resounding onslaughts and offensives on Gia Lam airport, Cat Bi airfield, Highway 5, Hanoi railways, and on all the other battlefronts to thin out and disperse the enemy’s forces across Indochina. In Dien Bien Phu, we annihilated and captured 16,000 enemy troops, and inflicted an attrition of 200,000 enemy troops in all of Indochina. The victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign was the common triumph of all Indochina.

Dien Bien Phu recorded another golden chapter in our valiant nation’s heroic history against foreign invasion.

The victory brought about a fiery confidence and ushered in a new era for the national liberation movement, that was surging up powerfully in the world, particularly in Africa, resulting in a chain of reactions that led to independence in the French colonies and other oppressed nations as well.

It was the dauntless indomitability of a people who were resolved to fight foreign invaders, that President Ho Chi Minh asserted: “ The history of the world and Vietnam proves: If a people rise up to struggle for their Fatherland, no one and no force whatever can defeat them.” (*) It was the triumph of Vietnamese culture – Ho Chi Minh culture.
 

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(*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.545 - May 2004, on the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7,1954-May 7 2004).
(**) Ho Chi Minh - Complete works, page 409, the National Political Publishing House - November 1995

 

The General Offensive ^(*)

                                  By VNP 

At 5.30 p.m, on May 7, 1954, Gen. De Castries and all of the general staff of the complex of fortified strongholds in Dien Bien Phu were captured alive by our army. All the other enemy troops surrendered. The Dien Bien Phu Campaign won total victory after 55 days and nights fighting without a respite. This extract from the reminiscences titled “Dien Bien Phu – A Historic Rendez-vous ” by Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap depicts the historic moment of great valor and gallantry.

... At 3 p.m sharp, the army got the order: “Launch the general offensive on Muong Thanh, without waiting for nightfall. The units in the East will make a direct thrust at the central sector, the units in the West will launch their assaults, and both will march on the enemy command headquarters. Strike hard and tighten the encirclement that neither De Castries nor any of the enemy troops can escape.”

On the battlefield, Company 360 of Battalion 130, together with Tran Quai, Battalion Political Commissar, were all present at the fortified stronghold 508. Ngo Trong Bao, Deputy Battalion Commander, sent the forces of Battalion 154 to stronghold 509, which was the last entrenched fortification to defend the Muong Thanh Bridge, then he held a lightning pow-wow with the Battalion Political Commissar Tran Quai before giving the order to Company 360 to march on the central sector, just when the flames of the blasts were rising up higher and higher. In next to no time, Company Commander Ta Quoc Luat took Company 360 dashing across the Muong Thanh Bridge under the intense fire of the 4-barrel heavy machine-guns.

Seeing that the enemy offered little resistance, Luat ordered his men to leave the trenches, at the time teeming with enemy troops and jump up to the ground, and rush along a shortcut to Gen. De Castries’ headquarters, using a puppet armyman as a guide. The watch-towers sent in their reports: Our armymen were fighting from three directions, launching assaults on the central sector, Battalion 312 from the East crossing the Muong Thanh Bridge, Battalion 308 from the West opening a breakthrough in the airfield, and from the Southwest to Lili, in the direction of De Castries’ headquarters. The enemy offered merely sporadic resistance. Quite a few enemy groups came out to surrender and white flags were popping up in the area of Muong Thanh in ever larger numbers. Mr. Thai (i.e. Gen. Hoang Van Thai) repeatedly reminded the units: “Tighten the encirclement and don’t allow any single enemy soldier to escape!”

At 5.30 p.m, Battalion 312 reported: “All the enemy troops at the central sector have surrendered. Gen. De Castries has been captured alive!”

The article entitled "General Offensive" published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.545 - May 2004. 

The jungle where the Front Command was based had been very secret, strict and stringent, but all of a sudden, it became alive with bustling atmosphere, like the roaring surge of sea waves. All officers and men were cheering and shouting, dancing and waving their hands in the air, hugging and jumping for immense joy just like little kids.

The joy had not yet come to me, though. Was it a certainty that the adversary general had been captured? One thousand five hundred enemy troops remained there, in Hong Cum sector.

From Muong Thanh, the units reported: “The enemy troops are coming out to surrender. Some walk along the roads, singing aloud. Our armymen are also running off their defence works, dancing and jumping on the banks of the communication trenches. Many of them fire in the air, sending up blue and red flares to celebrate the victory.”

The Campaign Command gave its order to the units: “The fight is far from over. All must be in their combat positions. Don’t allow any single enemy soldier to escape. Use the public-address network for enemy agitation to make an appeal to them and guide them to surrender. This is the message: ‘Surrender! You’ll be well treated! Hold white flags and walk in orderly files. It is strictly prohibited to destroy arms and ammunitions. Anyone who still holds his gun must keep its muzzle down to the ground!’ ”

Right after that, I asked Mr. Le Trong Tan:
- Is it true that De Castries has been captured?
- Commander-in-Chief, it’s reported that he’s been captured.
- How could they know he’s De Castries?

Mr. Tan kept mum.
- It’s of great necessity to capture De Castries alive. Don’t allow the enemy to fraudulently swap their commander. You should compare him with his identity, checking his army rank and badge. You’ll be held fully responsible for this. Have you got a photo of De Castries?

The unit answered no. A cadre at the battlefront used a jeep to take a photo of De Castries to the unit.

Mr. Le Chuong and Mr. Nam Long reported in from Hong Cum that the enemy forces seemed to be planning to thrust out for their escape to Laos. The Campaign Command ordered Battalion 308 to send a unit for swift reinforcement of Hong Cum, closely coordinating with Battalion 304 in hot pursuit of the enemy troops, wiping them out and not allowing any of them to escape.

Roaring and rumbling was all around. It was impossible to restrict and restrain the noise and the joy of all people. The guards had to lower the bamboo plaits of the windows of the headquarters office to keep it quiet.

The order for Battalion 312 to send in its immediate report on the capture of De Castries was reiterated, each minute of waiting then seeming to last very long.

Some moments later, Mr. Le Trong Tan phoned back to the headquarters, reporting: “It’s true that De Castries and all the general staff of the complex of fortified strongholds have been captured. De Castries still wears his army badge and that we have checked his personal documents and signature with great care.”

I asked him again:
- Have you seen De Castries with your own eyes?

Mr. Tan answered joyfully: “Commander-in-Chief, De Castries and the French command in Dien Bien Phu are standing in front of me here. He’s still holding his ‘stick’ and wearing his red cap.”

I immediately reported to the Party Central Committee and Government that our army in Dien Bien Phu had won total triumph.

… At midnight, Mr. Le Chuong phoned me, reporting all the enemy troops in Hong Cum sector, including Lalan, deputy commander of the complex of entrenched fortifications, in charge of Hong Cum sector had surrendered.

And so, after 55 days and nights of grim fighting, the historic campaign won total victory.

I lay down on the grass mattress, unable to sleep. “By now, Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee must have got the news. Tomorrow, perhaps the army will receive a letter of commendation from Uncle Ho. Comrade Pham Van Dong, now in Geneva, will be in a new position at the bargaining table. Our comrades and the Soviet and Chinese comrades have been looking forward to this information every hour … The national flag has been hoisted high by our people on the historic battlefield. Our army has grown up so fast. The Navarre Plan has thus gone up in smoke. The complexion will change. Now that Dien Bien Phu is finished, where will we fight on tomorrow?” The joy made me almost sleepless that night.

(*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictoria's issue No. 545 - May 2004 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu (May 7, 1954-May 7, 2004).


 

A Re-visit in the Love of the Armymen and People ^(*)
                         Story: Le Son 
                    Photo: VNP

To meet the earnest desire of the ethnic people in the North West, once again General Vo Nguyen Giap returned to the former battlefield, where his name is closely attached to the great victory of the nation, the Dien Bien Phu Victory.

To meet the earnest desire of the ethnic people in the North West, once again General Vo Nguyen Giap returned to the former battlefield, where his name is closely attached to the great victory of the nation, the Dien Bien Phu Victory.

After 1954, the General returned to Dien Bien many times. But this time, on the 50th 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 insense 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, an eminent and clear-sighted General, who glorified the country of Vietnam. 
 

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(*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 545 - May 2004 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7 2004) 

Veterans Recalling Their Past  ^(*)

                                     Story: Quang Phung 
                                                                Photos: Trong Chinh & VNP’s Files

"... You are the exemplary soldiers of our heroic people and army. The Party Central Committee, the Government and I myself feel very happy to commend you. The Government has decided to confer Military Exploit Medals, first class, on you..."

That was what Uncle Ho told the five soldiers representing the units involved in the Dien Bien Phu campaign sent to report their exploits to the Party Central Committee, the Goverment and Ho Chi Minh himself on the occasion of his 64th birthday (May 19, 1954). We were fortunate to meet three of the five who recalled their memories of the pride-worthy period of the Dien Bien veterans.
 

In the warmth of Uncle's love

At the age of 75, Le The Nhan is still active, especially his voice still resounding like when he was commanding his men to cut through and capture the Muong Thanh airport, the only supply terminal for the French troops garrisoned at the Dien Bien Phu stronghold 50 years ago. He said: "... I still think my contribution, as a soldier, to the country's victory was very small, but the sacrifices by the countrymen and my comrades-in-arms were tremendous. The memories of Dien Bien Phu remain so deep and fresh forever in my mind. During the over 50 days and nights of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, under the enemy's showers of shells, my unit cut the Muong Thanh airport into pieces with only picks and shovels. Batches of soldiers succeeded others who had fallen down. At a point in time, our company saw only nine soldiers who survived the shelling. At the fall of the company's head, a platoon head would replace him. When we had reinforcements, we would continue the fight. I used to be a squad head, but I had been promoted to the head of my company, the fifth, when we captured the airport. Sacrifices and sufferings were innumerable, but they all added glory to our victory. After the victory, I was selected to report the exploits to Uncle Ho, and I will never forget the fraternity-like sentiment from him to me."

Nhan continued: "Seeing my bandaged head, Uncle Ho heartily asked me whether it was still aching, and he nursed my wound." Impressed by Uncle Ho's love, Le The Nhan decided to study and later got a university diploma. Leaving the army in 1967, he worked as a lecturer at the Hanoi Polytechnic. Before retiring, he was working as head of the administrative section of the university. Now as before, he is still a heroic and brave soldier of Dien Bien Phu.

Impressions by soldiers
Among the five soldiers who reported their exploits to Uncle Ho and were the first to be conferred with Dien Bien Phu badges, Bach Ngoc Giap then was the second youngest, but had served the longest in the army. Born into a peasant family in Yen Phu village, Ha Dong town, capital of Ha Tay province, the 12-year-old Giap joined the army as a courier in the Winter of 1946 and later, together with the Capital Regiment, he crossed the Red river to Viet Bac region and took part in all the fights, from the Vietnam-China border to the historic Dien Bien Phu campaign. The colonel takes pride in being one of the first members of Vietnam's first artillery company. Pinpointing the 105-mm cannon his unit captured from the French troops during the Nghia Lo battle, Giap recalled that the artillery, now placed on show in the Army Museum, was later used to shell the enemy in Hoa Binh and Dien Bien Phu. Feeling the familiar marks on the artillery, he said: "This is the first cannon, with an inscription a line of 'overhauled in Hanoi in 1953' on its shaft. It was one of the four 105-mm artilleries that pounded the first shells on Him Lam hill, starting the Dien Bien Phu campaign." His eyes brightened as he recalled the pride-worthy moment: "Implementing the tactic of slow but firm progress by General Vo Nguyen Giap, the commander-in-chief of the campaign, right in the first days of the campaign, my 105-mm artillery company and 75-mm howitzer and anti-aircraft units caused panic to the French troops garrisoned in Dien Bien Phu." The French artillery was paralized by the power of the Vietnamese one, and this forced Colonel Piroth, the commander of the French artillery, to commit suicide right in the battlefield. Talking about the magic exploits by the Vietnamese artillery during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, one cannot fail to mention the huge efforts and sacrifices made by soldiers in bringing the cannons to the battlefield, especially the heartfelt care for and warm sentiment to the soldiers from the commander-in-chief who deserves the title of "Big brother of Ho's soldiers." Colonel Bach Ngoc Giap recalled: "Seeing my loose uniform and hair before meeting Uncle Ho, General Giap tidied them up and told me to show respect and love to Uncle Ho by being serious. The impression of the top commander followed me throughout my military career." Taking the teaching from Uncle Ho and responding to the love from General Giap to his soldiers, Bach Ngoc Giap spared no efforts in his study and services, and finally he became deputy chief of staff of the Vietnamese artillery force.

The capturer of General De Castries
Little boy Hoang Dang Vinh, who spent days catching fish and cultivating rice in the fields of Tien Tien commune, Phu Cu district, Hung Yen province to earn his living never thought he would later become the soldier who captured Brigadier General De Castries at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield.
It was in the afternoon of May 7, 1954, when the Vietnamese army approached the bunker of the French command on A1 hill. The last French tanks and resistance pockets were blown out. Company commander Hoang Quoc Luat's unit was ordered to capture the command of the French troops at the battlefield. Under Vinh's order, soldier Nho tossed a grenade down the trench, blowing open the gate of the bunker. Nho, Vinh and Luat entered the bunker and saw over 20 officers, all members of the French command at Dien Bien Phu, trembling in their uniforms in a corner. Luat shouted in French: "Hands up, all of you." All of them held up their hands in surrender, except De Castries who sat still, looking down at his table. Vinh approached De Castries, pointed his rifle at him and shouted: "Hands up!" De Castries slowly rose up to his feet and extended his hand to Vinh for a hand-shake. Vinh loaded his gun and shouted again: "Hands up!" His resolute act made the general retreat for two steps and raised his hands in surrender, stammering: "Don't shoot, I surrender." Luat used his French to order De Castries: "You must order all the French troops out there to surrender unconditionally." The general replied: "I made it some minutes ago" before being led out of his bunker, together with his officers.
In his simple house in Bac Ninh town, Colonel Hoang Dang Vinh recalled: "Later, I had a chance to meet him again. At a request by Russian film director Roman Karmen, I met De Castries in a thatched house. He was sitting at the other end of the table,. An officer asked him in French: 'Do you remember this man?' He turned his face up and replied in a humble voice: 'It seems I have met him.' The officer said: 'This is soldier Vinh who captured you! Do you have any idea?' After a moment of hesitation, De Castries said: 'I would be very proud to be placed at the command of heroic soldiers like you.' I rose to my feet after the translation of his words, and pointed my finger at him: 'How dare you command me?' and asked for permission to leave of the house."

Vinh attributed his act to a hot temper, a phenomenon common among the youth, and added: "The self-respect and the nation's pride prompted me to such behavior." Retired for over a decade now, Vinh is still taking part in the activities in his locality. He is now the president of the veterans' association of Bac Ninh town in the province of the same name, setting an example in every work for his comrades and descendants to learn from.
... You are the exemplary soldiers of our heroic people and army. The Party Central Committee, the Government and I myself feel very happy to commend you. The Government has decided to confer Military Exploit Medals, First Class, on you.... 
 
 

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 (*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 545 - May 2004 on the occasion of the 50th anniersary of Dien Bien Phu (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2004)

"Vietnam" by Roman Karmen  ^(*)

   Story: Le Son
                                                                                         Photos: File and from the film “Vietnam” by Roman Karmen
 

Roman Karmen, an eminent documentary-news film-maker of the former Soviet Union, was present at many hot spots throughout the world, including Spain (during the civil war), China (in the anti-Japan resistance war), Myanmar, India and Cuba. In 1954, he came to Vietnam, a burning spot, which was then attracting great attention from the whole world, and made a documentary film, titled Vietnam, which is now a valuable asset of the Vietnamese people.

Roman Karmen, an eminent documentary-news film-maker of the former Soviet Union, was present at many hot spots throughout the world, including Spain (during the civil war), China (in the anti-Japan resistance war), Myanmar, India and Cuba. In 1954, he came to Vietnam, a burning spot, which was then attracting great attention from the whole world, and made a documentary film, titled "Vietnam", which is now a valuable asset of the Vietnamese people.

Before coming to Vietnam, R. Karmen had prepared for himself a rich knowledge of Vietnam and its people. Hence, with his camera he introduced truly and sincerely to the audience the country of Vietnam, which was then not well known by many people in the world. It was a peaceful countryside with thatch-roofed houses, rice fields and flying white storks; a gentle river, bamboo hedges, rows of coconut trees laden with fruit. The country had a traditional culture thousands of years old, with its brilliant symbol, Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (First National University). This country and its people had suffered, for almost a century, under the yoke of the French colonialists, in their prisons or with a starving life, in which the fathers and their sons had in turns to pull the plough instead of the buffaloes. But then, the people of this country, millions as one, shared a common oath, i.e. "we rather sacrifice ourselves than to live in slavery", and together they stood up to fight the invaders for national independence.

The entire nation embarked on the resistance war to defend national independence and unification. R. Karmen reflected the Vietnamese people’s staunch will through vivid and truthful scenes. Under the bombs and shells anti-illiteracy classes were opened in many hamlets and villages, that reflected the yearning desire for learning of this nation. Along with the resistance war against the foreign invaders, there was a fight against the feudal regime to take back the land and give it to the farmers.

R. Karmen reserved a rather long part in his film to describe the Vietnamese people's sacred resistance war, with fights to attack the enemy's posts and destroy them on Highway 5. But the most notable scenes were about the historical campaign of Dien Bien Phu. The whole country joined in the fighting: the army men, the artilleries - big and small, the labourers who carried goods on their shoulders or transported commodities and weapons with pack-bikes, by boats or bamboo rafts, to the battle front. R. Karmen recorded scenes of the army men hauling the artillery, tonnes of weight each, over the mountain slopes - an extremely heavy task. He also captured images of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the Commander-in-Chief of the Campaign, working with his staff in the Command Post at Muong Phang. At the time when the Vietnamese people celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, they were very happy to watch R. Karmen's film "Vietnam" on television. They had a chance to see again a soldier upholding a victorious flag on the top of the command bunker of the French General De Castries, together with a long line with more than ten thousand French prisoners surrendering. R.Karmen's camera lens focused on the sad and frightened faces of the French troops, who had just escaped from death. Showing them, R.Karmen put a question: "For whom did they fight?" and then he gave an answer: "They are merely mercenaries for a unjust war."

Watching R.Karmen's film, the Vietnamese audience was deeply moved to see President Ho Chi Minh, together with other leaders, including Truong Chinh and Pham Van Dong, working in the thatch-roofed and bamboo walled "Presidential Palace" in the Viet Bac resistance zone. The President looked simple, yet very brisk, proving his wisdom and courage and he was the soul of the resistance.

In October 1954, from the Viet Bac resistance zone, R.Karmen came to Hanoi. He witnessed the Vietnamese army men taking power from the French. The streets were quiet, and there were only French troops preparing to withdraw from the city. The scene of the last French troops withdrawing from Hanoi across the Long Bien Bridge brought to a close the colonialists' scheme of invasion. Then came the next scene of Hanoi full of flowers and flags, and people who were happy to welcome the soldiers of the Capital Regiment. Nine years before, those soldiers had quietly crossed the Red River and left Hanoi for the Viet Bac resistance zone to wage a long resistance war. The audience was deeply moved by these scenes recorded by R. Karmen. With only 70 minutes of film, R. Karmen was successful in introducing to the world the country of Vietnam, with a culture of thousands of years old, and its people who were brave and heroic, and who would never live in slavery.

Fifty years ago, the film "Vietnam" by R.Karmen was widely shown in Northern Vietnam, under the name "Vietnam on the victorious path". This year, on the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Vietnamese people nationwide had a chance again to watch on television the colour version and enjoyed seeing the glorious time of the nation.

Roman Karmen is no more. Of the Vietnamese associates helping R. Karmen make the film, including Mai Loc, Hong Nghi, Quang Huy and Tien Loi, and his literature advisor, writer Nguyen Dinh Thi, some have died. But the valuable documentary of Vietnam recorded by R. Karmen will be alive forever.

 

Roman Karmen’s memoirs of President Ho Chi Minh
“In all hardest periods of the struggle, the flag for millions of Vietnamese people is the brilliant name of Ho Chi Minh. Inside of the modest appearance are the great objectives of the people, who struggle for freedom.” (Roman Karmen).

In his memoirs, Roman Karmen expressed a huge regard for President Ho Chi Minh. He wrote: “There are meetings that are engraved in one’s mind for the whole life and leave a deep and incomparable imprint in the soul and the most inner part of the heart. One of them was the meeting between Ho Chi Minh and us. We went along a small path, an abyss, and passed through a forest of bamboo, palm and wild banana trees and we saw a thatched roof. From the terrace of the thatched hut, a man in farmer’s costume approached us. If we had met him a few days earlier on the path or in the field, we surely would have thought that he was a common farmer.”

President Ho Chi Minh paid much attention to R. Karmen’s work and asked everyone to provide the best conditions for him to work. He did not allow R. Karmen to take a car in the daytime to ensure the complete safety for the film-making crew. Only one thing that President Ho Chi Minh suggested to R. Karmen was that the cameraman should record more images of Vietnamese people, who gained the historical feats-of-arms.

R. Karmen said that he and President Ho Chi Minh talked and exchanged views with each other in Russian for a full day. When being asked whether Russian was difficult or not, the President said: “A revolutionary has to master the language of Lenin”.

Story: Duong Trung Quoc

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(*)  The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 545 - May 2004 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7 2004) 

Dien Bien – Golden Historical Pages ^(*)
 

 Dien Bien Phu is situated in the Muong Thanh Valley, with the Nam Rom River running through it, surrounded by numerous mountain ranges in Vietnam's north west. It is well-known for the decisive victory by Vietnamese troops over the occupying French colonialists and has inspired international friends worldwide. The battle also left a large scar on the proud people of France.

Over thousands of years of national construction and defence, the names of many areas in Vietnam have become synonymous with great wartime victories, such as Chi Lang, Bach Dang, Dong Do, etc. The Dien Bien Phu battle proved the strength and determination of the Vietnamese people who had struggles for thousands of years to win their freedom and independence.

Many war correspondents joined the troops to march to the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. They endured countless hardships and made extreme sacrifices during the fierce struggle to record the events with their pens and cameras. Many of them laid down their lives on the battlefield and never witnessed the victory flag fluttering over the enemy’s headquarters. In its second issue of December 1954, Vietnam Pictorial Magazine, on all 42 pages, displayed over 100 photographs, taken by the war correspondents, featuring the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

To commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – May 7, 2009) and the 55th anniversary of Vietnam Pictorial (October 15, 10954 – October 15, 2009) we are reprinting some of the pages that were published at that time.

Strategic determination
In the eyes of the troop commanders, Dien Bien Phu Valley with peaceful hamlets, green fields and luxuriant forests is a strategic position. The French said that if they occupied this valley they would control the vast north-western area, a part of the north-central area and northern Laos. To achieve their goal they built a group of 49 fortresses with an airport, an artillery field and a headquarters and deployed 16,200 troops of infantry, artillery, tank, engineering and transport units who were the most battle experienced in Indochina at that time.

In early December 1953 the Vietnamese Politburo selected Dien Bien Phu as a strategic position for the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring offensive campaign even though the area was a strong fortress of the enemy. To counter the French, the Politburo assigned General Vo Nguyen Giap to the post of Secretary of the Party Committee and Commander-in-Chief of the campaign.

Before leaving Viet Bac revolutionary base to go to the battlefield, General Vo Nguyen Giap went to say goodbye to Uncle Ho. The General said that when saying goodbye, Uncle Ho said: “This battle is very important. We must be victorious".

Victory was the only answer of the entire nation. Everyone knew that success would mark the turning point in a resistance war that was now into its ninth year.

The article entiled "Dien Bien – Golden Historical Pages" published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No.605 - May 2009.  

All for the front line
General Giap recalled: “On the way to the battlefield I witnessed the image of the whole country marching to the front with the same dedication as if going on a sacred pilgrimage”. Groups of conscripted labourers from Viet Bac, Tay Bac (north-west), Zone 3 and Zone 4 together with troops from the infantry, military engineering, artillery and transport units march to the battlefield.

To ensure the success of the campaign, nearly 100,000 tonnes of food and foodstuff were transported to supply to the soldiers, along with a large amount of weapons and ammunition. At that time the main means of transport were bicycles, baskets hanging on a bamboo pole, horses, boats and rafts. Over 260,000 conscripted labourers and voluntary youth joined the campaign. The most difficult and most miraculous work of the soldiers was to pull armaments, some weighing several tonnes, along a 15km-long forest route, crossing high passes and deep abysses to deploy near the enemy’s fortresses. At great cost of sweat and blood, preparations for the campaign were completed, with the artillery in place to begin pounding the enemy.

Determined to fight until victory

At 17:05 on March 13, 1954 our artillery forces including 40 artillery pieces from 75mm to 120mm simultaneously shelled the enemy’s entrenched fortifications, launching the campaign. According to corporal Kubiak who survived from the Him Lam entrenched fortification, all French troops were surprised and wondered how the Viet Minh (Vietnamese Independence League) troops could have such a great number of armaments. The shelling was like an endless shower of hailstones. The first offensive ended after three days, with Him Lam and Doc Lap entrenched fortifications destroyed and Ban Keo fortification being forced to surrender. In the second offensive (from March 30 to April 30), our army tightly besieged, partitioned and continuously attacked the enemy, forcing them to withdraw to hold their ground. Their strength decreased and their spirit deteriorated badly. From May 1-7, 1954, our army launched an all-out attack to wipe out the remaining entrenched fortifications of the enemy. General De Castries and all of his staff were captured alive. It was 5:30pm on May 7, 1954.

We achieved complete victory

After 56 days and night of piercing the mountains to clear the way and dig tunnels, enduring hardships and difficulties and making sacrifices, with strong determination we wiped out 21 battalions and 10 companies totalling 16,2000 belligerent French troops.

The 1953-1954 Winter-Spring offensive with its peak being Dien Bien Phu led to the Geneva Agreement, signed on July 20, 1954, ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina.
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(*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 605 - May 2009 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7 2009)

General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Land of Dien Bien ^(*)

                                                              Story: Manh Thanh, Long Tuan
                                                                              Photos: Tran Dinh, Trong Thanh & Files
 

On January 5, 1954 General Vo Nguyen Giap and members of his Command under the High Command, left Viet Bac revolutionary base for Dien Bien Province to prepare for the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. After 12 days and nights of travel he arrived at the headquarters in the primitive forest in Muong Phang Commune, where he worked during the campaign. During that time, the land, forest and people in Dien Bien protected him and in return the General highly respected the people. From here, a few hours before the gun-fire starting the campaign on January 26, 1954 began, he made the most difficult decision in his military career – shifting the campaign’s strategy from “swift attack, swift victory” to “steady attack, steady advance”, that was instrumental in bringing about the victory to Vietnam.

After the glorious and resounding Dien Bien Victory in 1954, General Vo Nguyen Giap has returned to the area several times. During each visit the General always reserves time to call at the martyrs’ cemetery at the foot of Hill A1 to pay tribute to his comrades-in-arms and visits some relics of the former Dien Bien Phu battlefield and local ethnic groups. In a cosy atmosphere General Vo Nguyen Giap usually makes useful recommendations to the ethnic people and suggests ways to build a powerful and prosperous homeland. Responding to his sentiment, the locals in Dien Bien Province receive him with open arms and express their deep gratitude to the General who contributed to glorifying the area.

Vietnam Pictorial introduces to readers photos of General Vo Nguyen Giap during his visits to the land where his name is closely attached to a victory of the nation: General Vo Nguyen Giap – Dien Bien Phu Victory. 
 

The article entitled "General Vo Nguyen Giap with the Land of Dien Bien" published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 605 - May 2009.

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(*) The article is published on Vietnam Pictorial's issue No. 605 - May 2009 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2009) 



 

General Vo Nguyen Giap with Vietnam Pictorial

Over the years, General Vo Nguyen Giap always paid special attention to Vietnam Pictorial and timely encouraged generations of Vietnam Pictorial correspondents on the development path. Established after the glorious Dien Bien Phu Victory, Vietnam Pictorial has travelled cross the country, recording images of a nation that is unyielding in fighting to defend the homeland and diligent in building the country rich in humanity and long-standing cultural traditions. On many pages of Vietnam Pictorial, the image of the General is very simple and close to both domestic and foreign readers.  

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (2004), Vietnam Pictorial’s Editorial Board presents
General Vo Nguyen Giap a photo of his revisit to Dien Bien taken by a Vietnam Pictorial reporter. Photo: VNP’s file


The Editorial Board of Vietnam Pictorial shows General Vo Nguyen Giap the special issue of Vietnam Pictorial
 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 2009). Photo: VNP’s file

General Vo Nguyen Giap sees the content of the special issue
of Vietnam to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Photo: VNP’s file

The Editorial Board and reporters of Vietnam Pictorial pose for a souvenir photograph
with the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap on April 27, 2009. Photo: VNP’s file

Giap’s kind sentiments to Vietnam Pictorial on the occasion of publishing the issue to celebrate
the 55th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Photo: VNP’s file


The front cover of  Vietnam Pictorial's special issue No.605 - May 2009 to celebrate the 55 anniversary of  Dien Bien Phu Victory
(May 7, 1954 - May 7,2009). 

VNA/VNP