Commemorating the 68th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2022): A great source of inspiration and strength.

On the afternoon of May 7, 1954, the "Determined to Fight - Determined to Win" flag of the Vietnam People's Army flew atop General De Castries' bunker, marking the complete victory of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

1.During the early years of the 1946-1954 resistance against French colonialism, we gradually thwarted all the enemy's schemes and tactics, continuously growing stronger in both position and strength. In September 1953, the Politburo decided to launch the Đông-Xuân (Winter-Spring) strategic offensive to wear down the enemy's forces and expand the liberated areas, focusing attacks on the enemy in Central Laos, Upper Laos, Lai Châu, etc. Faced with this situation, on November 20, 1953, the enemy launched an operation to capture Điện Biên Phủ, gradually transforming it into the strongest fortified complex in Indochina with the goal of hindering our army's advance. On December 3, 1953, Henri Navarre, Commander-in-Chief of the French expeditionary forces in Indochina, instructed his subordinates to officially choose Điện Biên Phủ as the strategic decisive battleground to annihilate the main forces of the Viet Minh.

In light of this situation, on December 6, 1953, the Politburo decided to launch the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The campaign command and the front Party Committee were headed by General Vo Nguyen Giap as Commander and Secretary. Given the campaign's exceptional importance, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission decided to concentrate four infantry divisions and one artillery division, totaling over 40,000 troops. The main army units quickly assembled, working day and night clearing forests, cutting through mountains to build roads, hauling artillery, and constructing fortifications, ready to attack the enemy.

Following the strategic principle of "attack surely, advance surely," the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu was extremely fierce, lasting in three phases from March 13 to May 7, 1954. At 5:30 PM on May 7, 1954, our forces captured the enemy's command post, forcing General De Castries and his entire General Staff and soldiers of the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex to surrender. The "Determined to Fight, Determined to Win" flag of our army flew atop the enemy's command bunker. That same night, our forces continued their attack on the Southern sector, and the enemy fled to Upper Laos.

After 55 days and nights of courageous, resourceful, and creative fighting, our army and people completely crushed the Dien Bien Phu stronghold. The historic victory at Dien Bien Phu dealt a decisive blow, shattering the last efforts of French colonialism and American intervention, directly leading to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina. Half the country was liberated, opening a new revolutionary era, transitioning the North to socialism, and providing a solid rear base for the struggle to liberate the South and unify the Fatherland.

Panorama painting depicting the Dien Bien Phu victory at the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum (Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province)

2The victory at Dien Bien Phu has become a precious spiritual legacy. Following this historic victory, our nation continued to write a glorious epic in the Ho Chi Minh era, achieving the brilliant "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" victory in 1972; and the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, completely liberating the South, unifying the country, and leading the entire nation towards socialism.

Currently, the global and regional situation is highly volatile. Major powers continue to increase their involvement and compete for influence on varying scales in different regions. Local wars, armed conflicts, ethnic and religious conflicts, terrorist activities, and non-traditional security threats are becoming increasingly complex, potentially causing instability in the region and many parts of the world.

After 36 years of reform, our country's strength and position have grown significantly. However, alongside fundamental advantages, opportunities and challenges remain intertwined. Hostile forces are increasingly carrying out their schemes of "peaceful evolution," riots, and overthrow, exploiting issues of religion, ethnicity, democracy, and human rights to interfere in our internal affairs. This situation demands that the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army constantly maintain vigilance, maximize internal strength; promote the power of national unity under the leadership of the Party; maintain and strengthen military-civilian solidarity; combine the strengths of the times, create opportunities, overcome challenges, and successfully fulfill the task of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

Time flows relentlessly, and the history of the Vietnamese nation will undoubtedly continue to be written on its endless journey. Previous generations, unwilling to be enslaved, demonstrated revolutionary heroism, courage, and creativity in defeating all invading enemies, gloriously completing the cause of national liberation. Today's generations are determined to uphold the spirit of Dien Bien Phu, daring to think and act, being dynamic and creative in the cause of reform, and creating new miracles in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. This includes continuing to build and strengthen a robust national defense system, establishing a solid defense and security posture, and enhancing national defense potential. This involves closely integrating defense, security, the economy, and foreign relations. Emphasis should be placed on building economic-defense zones along the border, in remote and disadvantaged areas, creating a national defense and security posture to protect the Fatherland, develop socio-economic conditions, improve people's lives, alleviate poverty, and build a solid "people's support" base in key areas.

The historic victory at Dien Bien Phu will forever be a source of pride and strength, inspiring the entire Party, people, and army to strive to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party, for the goal of a prosperous people, a strong nation, democracy, fairness, and civilization.

Dien Bien Phu - Special Milestones (Source: VNA)