12,000 rehearse for 70th anniversary ceremony of Dien Bien Phu battle

The main parade is expected to be held on May 7 at Dien Bien Province's stadium, with the participation of the fireworks force, the air force, and the parade force.

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.

Thousands of locals and tourists gather at the stadium under heat of above 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday to watch the rehearsal.

10 helicopters of the Air Defense - Air Force Service carry the national and Communist Party flags to fly across the stadium.

The mounted police force under the mobile police command at the rehearsal.

Female officers of the special police forces, who are often tasked with hunting down dangerous criminals.

The forces have practiced for the march for nearly two months.

A recreation of how people transported food and weapons to forces in the Dien Bien Phu battle.

The firefighting police force in the parade.

Police officers in the parade.