The Geneva Accords were signed July 21, 1954 to cease hostilities, restore peace in Indochina, and end French colonial rule.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs inaugurated its exhibition on war and peace at the Vietnam National Museum of History in Hanoi on July 15.
The exhibition recreates the context before the conference, the developments that took place during the days and months of talks, the results, and the challenges towards implementing the accords.
In the photo above, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam delegation arrives at the conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 4, 1954.
At the airport to greet the Vietnamese were Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, Chinese delegation head Zhou Enlai, and North Korean delegation head, Nam Il.
From left: Members of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam delegation at the Geneva Conference, Deputy Minister of Justice Tran Cong Tuong, Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Anh, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and Deputy Minister of Defense Ta Quang Buu.
Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Van Dong was head of the delegation at the conference.
A panoramic view of the Geneva Conference opening session on May 8, 1954. The conference began in the context of North Vietnam’s recent historical defeat of French colonial forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam, and the unresolved issue of restoring peace in Korea. The French's loss at Dien Bien Phu prompted the European military superpower’s surrender to the local communists.
The conference occurred in three stages over 75 days. In the first stage (from May 8, 1954, to June 19, 1954), the delegations presented their positions on solutions for Vietnam and Indochina.
The French side moved to address only military issues, not political ones, and to separate the issues of Laos and Cambodia from that of Vietnam. In contrast, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam demanded the participation of representatives from Laos and Cambodia as well.
In this photo, Deputy Minister of Defense Ta Quang Buu reports on developments in the Indochina War to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam delegation in Geneva during the negotiation of the accords.
A press conference at the Geneva Conference on the Indochina issue. Earlier, in the second plenary session on May 10, 1954, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong presented an eight-point position plan for a comprehensive solution to the Indochina issue.
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam firmly maintained its stance, forcing France to recognize the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam and other countries on the Indochina Peninsula.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong held a press conference at the headquarters of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam delegation in Geneva on July 19, 1954.
This was the third stage of the conference, which lasted only 10 days but featured bilateral and multilateral meetings between the delegation heads. The sessions mainly negotiated agreements on which latitude parallel line would serve as a temporary boundary dividing the country of Vietnam in half.
A panoramic view of the Geneva Conference session on July 20, 1954. Most tension at this time was felt during the negotiations on the division of the country and the latitude line. France chose the 18th parallel, while Vietnam insisted on the 16th parallel.
It was not until the evening session on July 20, 1954, that the parties agreed to use the 17th parallel as the boundary. A two-year schedule for a unifying of the split nation via a general election period and other agreements on the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, were all major points of contention among the parties.
After more than two months of negotiations, on July 21, 1954, Deputy Minister of Defense Ta Quang Buu, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government and the General Command of the Vietnam People’s Army, signed the Geneva Accords on the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam.
French government representative, Major General Henri Delteil, signed the Geneva Accords for his side.
The Geneva Conference concluded, adopting a 13-point joint statement. This included the cessation of hostilities, the restoration, maintenance, and strengthening of peace. It also provided for consultations, general elections to unify the country after two years, and regulations on implementing the agreement for all of Indochina.
The delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam attending the Geneva Conference took a group photo at the delegation headquarters in Villa Cadre.
The Geneva Confefrence joint statement on the Indochina issue, which recognized and respected the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Other issues included: The cessation of hostilities throughout Indochina French troops withdrawing from all territories of the three countries; Vietnamese volunteer troops withdrawing from Laos and Cambodia; A ban on foreign bases and military alliances with foreign countries; Prohibition of retaliation against those cooperating with the opposing side; And finally the exchange of prisoners and detainees
"With the success of the Geneva Accords signing, for the first time in history, the basic national rights of Vietnam, such as independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, were officially affirmed in an international treaty," said Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
The exhibition is open until Sept. 5.
