A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white

By Ngoc Thanh   May 7, 2019 | 04:30 am PT
65 years ago, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was decisively won by Vietnamese forces, forcing the French out of Indochina.

Approximately 150 documents, photos and artifacts relating to the 1954 battle, from both Vietnam and France, are on display at an exhibition in the Museum of Dien Bien Phu Victory in the eponymous northern town. The exhibition will remain open until May 10.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white

President Ho Chi Minh discusses strategy for the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in December 1953.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 1

General Vo Nguyen Giap (2nd, R) and other commanding officers discuss Dien Bien Phu plans in 1954.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 2

Vietnamese troops march towards the northwestern battlefield in 1954.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 3

Two-ton cannons are pulled through tough terrain to the battlefield.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 4

Soldiers share a moment of merriment in a trench.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 5

Medics tend to injured soldiers.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 6

A unit joins the battle to gain control of the Muong Thanh Bridge, carrying a flag.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 7

Vietnamese troops capture a French tank.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 8

A soldier waves a Vietnamese flag on top of General Christian de Castries's bunker on May 7, 1954, signalling the Viet Minh's victory.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 9

General de Castries and his officers are captured.

A Dien Bien Phu flashback in black and white - 10

Muong Thanh after the battle.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was one of the most major confrontations in the First Indochina War, fought between the Viet Minh Communist Revolutionaries and the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps. Lasting from March 13 to May 7, 1954, the battle was decisively won by the Vietnamese side, effectively terminating the French presence in Indochina and the signing of the Geneva Accords.

Archival photos obtained by VnExpress

 
 
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