Starting 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, thousands of people gathered on the sides of streets like Hoang Van Thai and Vo Nguyen Giap to watch the parade, despite the heavy rain.
At 7:45 a.m., an opening performance called "Ban Hung Ca Dien Bien" (Dien Bien Heroic Song), performed by artists and soldiers of the Military Honor Guard Battalion, showcased the "Dien Bien Child", as inspired by a statue located at the Hill D historical site in Dien Bien Phu.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) handed out the medals to authorities and the people of Dien Bien.
At the ceremony, Chinh said the victory of the battle of Dien Bien Phu is an important event that has spurred revolutions and marked the end of French colonialism.
At 8:30 a.m., when the rain ended, 11 helicopters carrying the national and Communist Party flags began to make their way towards the Dien Bien Stadium.
Among the participants of the parade were army personnel, militia members, police officers, veterans, workers and others. A total of 12,000 people marched with the parade.
A group of frontline workers marched in the parade. In the past, 30,000 people had volunteered to become frontline workers for the Dien Bien Phu campaign, delivering weapons, food and medicine for soldiers on bicycles.
40 groups of vehicles with the national emblem led the parade, traveling along a kilometer of Hoang Van Thai Street. At the Hoang Van Thai-Vo Nguyen Giap intersection, they splitted into three smaller groups.
One group turned right and entered Vo Nguyen Giap Street, traveling through sites like the A1 Hill, the 7/5 Square and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument. One group went straight for the Muong Thanh Bridge. the other turned left to go past the Museum of Dien Bien Phu Victory.
In the photo, Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh, vice chief of the general staff of the Vietnamese People's Army, led the parade and waved to the people.
The women military music group marched along Hoang Van Thai Street. This is the first time that the group made their appearance in a parade. Some soldiers had to carry musical instruments as heavy as 18 kg.
A group of Dien Bien soldiers marched in the parade. They were the backbone for the creation of battalions and other forces of the Vietnamese army.
Groups of police officers and soldiers marched along Vo Nguyen Giap Street to the cheers of the people.
