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In Photos: Celebrating Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam

Sixty years ago the Viet Minh defeated the French in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, an event still celebrated today.

Len Van Luyen, 83, is a Dien Bien Phu veteran from the Lao Cai province north of Hanoi. The government helped coordinate the veterans(***) attendence at memorial ceremonies.
By Vincenzo Floramo
Published On 8 May 2014

In the late 1940s, France had serious difficulties controlling its colonies in Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Despite financial assistance from the United States, nationalist uprisings against French colonial rule began to take their toll.

On May 7, 1954, the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam fell after a two month siege led by Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, the French pulled out of the region.

The battle proved bloody for both sides with over 30,000 casualties in less than two months. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu marked the end of the First Indochina War and spurred peace negotiations. The resulting 1954 Geneva Accords partitioned the country at the 17th Parallel and created a communist state in the north and a capitalist country in the south. The resulting conflict between these two regimes ultimately grew into the Vietnam War.

For many Vietnamese, the battle spurred a nationalist sentiment still felt today. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu on May 5-7 the Vietnamese government invited French officials for a series of military parades, dramatic reenactments and mourning ceremonies. 

Vietnamese army battalions marched in Den Bien Phu stadium to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh retaking the city. 
Thousands attended the parade held in Dien Bien Phu. Many in onlookers view this event as part of their personal history.
Banners and cheers celebrated the life of Ho Chi Minh, who is considered to be a national hero by many Vietnamese.
Trenches like these were considered impregnable by the French; the Viet Minh took them by digging tunnels to reach the main bunker.
A dated map still hangs inside the former bunker of French Colonel Christian De Castires. His bunker was overrun by Viet Minh forces on May 7, 1954, ending the battle.
The celebration included a reenactment of the Dien Bien Phu battle. The Viet Minh fighters often carried more than 200kgs of arms and material on bikes.
The reenactment of the bloody battle for Eliane Hill was attended by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and the general-secretary of the party Nguyen Phu Trong lead the ceremony of respect at Dien Bien Phu war cemetery.
Veterans of the Second Indochina War made offerings incense at the Bien Dien Phu memorial.
French military attache Olivier Lanfant takes part in a ceremony at the French memorial in Dien Bien Phu. Some 3,000 French soldiers died in the battle
Foreign ambassadors visit Eliane Hill. Dien Bien Phu hosted a conference on integrated tourism development in Vietnam(***)s north-west provinces.
General Giap(***)s son, Vo Dien Bien (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam pose in front of General Vo Nguyen Giap(***)s statue, which will be displayed, along with other statues, in a new museum in Dien Bien Phu.
Women at the ceremony dressed in traditional outfits from Vietnam(***)s hill tribes.
The Vietnamese flag flies in Dien Bein Phu as balloons were released to commemorate the battle.