“65th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Campaign: Viewed from International and Local Perspectives”

65 years have passed, but the echoes and imprints of the Dien Bien Phu victory still resound in many places around the world, in all fields from politics, military to diplomacy and culture. This is one of the rare battles of the Indochina War that has received great attention from the media and researchers around the world, and is recalled as an international event on each anniversary. From a domestic perspective, Dien Bien Phu is considered a symbol of the spirit of self-reliance, self-reliance, fighting and victory of the Vietnamese people. From an international perspective, Dien Bien Phu is a symbol of courage, an endless source of inspiration for the aspirations for independence, freedom and justice of the peoples who have been colonized, oppressed and exploited. After 65 years, from a bloody battlefield, today, Dien Bien Phu has become a meeting place for peace, friendship and cooperation between peoples.

The Presidium chaired the opening session (from left to right): Associate Professor Dr. Lam Quang Dong (Vice Rector of the University of Foreign Languages, VNU); Professor Pierre Journoud (Paul - Valéry University Montpellier 3); Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU); Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Tung (Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam); Mr. Etienne Rolland Piegue (Cultural Counselor, Director of the French Institute, French Embassy in Vietnam)

Following the success of previous years, most recently the May 2014 conference entitled “From Dien Bien Phu to the Geneva Agreement - from an international perspective”, this international scientific conference on Dien Bien Phu is organized to clarify the military developments, the relationships between political power and military strength during and after the war, which have been studied up to now. The conference will clarify and analyze this event at the local, international and transnational levels; mention the prospects for promoting friendly relations, cooperation and sustainable local development.

Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh reiterated the policy of closing the past and moving towards the future of the two Vietnamese and French peoples through the story of the visit to Vietnam in 1993 by French President Francois Mitterrand - an event that helped open a new page for the relationship between the two countries.

Mr. Mohamed Berrah (Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Algeria to Vietnam) shared the sympathy and admiration of the Algerian people for the spirit of the Vietnamese people's struggle for independence during the war. He expressed his desire to promote cooperation with Vietnam and other countries of the Francophone Community in the era of peace.

At the opening session, representatives of the organizing committee expressed their honor to cooperate to create such a meaningful event as this conference. Each unit, each scholar, each researcher can contribute their own views. However, all agreed that the conference is not only an opportunity to review an event with global influence such as the Dien Bien Phu victory, but also opens up new opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam and France in general, as well as between Vietnamese and French educational institutions in particular. In particular, as the host, through this conference, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities continues to affirm itself as a forum for relevant parties to exchange academic knowledge with each other in a research university environment. At the same time, by reflecting on a page of history in the past to open up cooperation and sustainable development between France and Vietnam in the future, the School continues to demonstrate the motto "Cherish the past, hold the future" that it has been pursuing.

Delegates take souvenir photos

After the opening session, the Workshop will continue for 2 days 2-3/5 with 5 sub-committees:

• Subcommittee “Dien Bien Phu: Role in the region and internationally” with a number of presentations such as: “French prisoners of war in the hands of the Viet Minh in the Indochina war: Behind the trauma is an international social experience at the border of standards” (Prof. Julien Mary - University of Montpellier Paul Valérie, France), “Organization and operation of the front supply council, unique creativity in supporting the 1953-1954 winter-spring strategic offensive and the Dien Bien Phu campaign” (Associate Professor, Dr. Ngo Dang Tri, University of Social Sciences and Humanities)
• The “Memories of Dien Bien Phu” subcommittee with a number of presentations such as: “Dien Bien Phu in the Franco-Vietnamese relationship, between the suffering community and the hopeful community” (Prof. Pierre Journoud – University of Montpellier Paul Valérie, France), “Writing the history of the Dien Bien Phu battle in France” (Prof. Ivan Cadeau – French Ministry of Defense), “Searching for a forgotten war” (Prof. Laurence Campa – University of Paris Nanterre, France).

• The subcommittee “The French Alliance and the Countries” with a number of presentations such as: “The French and the Autonomous Thai Federation (1948-1954): "A contingency alliance with controversial consequences in the Dien Bien Phu region” (Prof. Philippe Le Failler – French School of the Far East), “The Dien Bien Phu victory and the creation of Francophone identity” (Dr. Nguyen Hoang Nhu Thanh – Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam); “Laos and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu” (Prof. Maya Akazaki, University of Montpellier Paul Valérie, France).
• The subcommittee “Dien Bien Phu - Local perspective and sustainable development” with a number of presentations such as: “Economies with many fluctuations: Labor and struggle at Dien Bien Phu” (Prof. Christian C. Lentz - Yale University, USA), “Some cultural effects in rural Vietnam after the Dien Bien Phu event” (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Le, School of Social Sciences and Humanities),
• Subcommittee “Dien Bien Phu - Cultural and educational issues” with a number of presentations such as: “Dien Bien Phu - perspectives from cinema” (Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Viet Nghia, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), “The disruption of education: schools in post-colonial Vietnam, 1945-1954” (Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Phuong Hoa, Institute of History - Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences), “Dien Bien Phu symbol in contemporary Vietnamese culture and education” (Dr. Truong Thi Bich Hanh, University of Social Sciences and Humanities).