The Dien Bien Phu memorial (Vietnam)
On 7 May 1954, the fall of the entrenched French camp at Dien Bien Phu represented a turning-point in the war waged in Indochina since 1946 by the French Far East Expeditionary Corps (CEFEO). The war may not have been over, but it was clear it could no longer be won, and the talks taking place in Geneva culminated, on 21 July 1954, in the signing of agreements recognising the independence of Laos, Cambodia and a democratic republic of Vietnam north of the 17th parallel. It was the end of French Indochina.
The iconic Battle of Dien Bien Phu left an indelible mark on minds and memories. Seven weeks of fierce fighting left more than 3 000 victims on the French side. In addition, of the 10 000 French Union soldiers taken prisoner, nearly 7 000 were to die as a result of the appalling conditions of detention.
The monument presented this month recalls that sacrifice
The Dien Bien Phu memorial was erected in 1994 on the initiative of Foreign Legion veteran NCO Rolf Rodel, and was officially unveiled in 1999. On a remarkably well-kept site, the memorial offers a real place of contemplation
Legally, France has no rights over the memorial: the Vietnamese authorities recognise only the right to sign a maintenance agreement with the People’s Committee of Dien Bien Phu province, on condition that no changes are made to its current appearance. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces allocates the funding required for its upkeep annually to the defence mission in Vietnam. The last works were carried out in 2016, when electricity was installed to illuminate the memorial.
On 3 November 2018, prime minister Édouard Philippe laid a wreath at the memorial during his visit to Vietnam, in honour of all the French service personnel killed in the First Indochina War.
The site also receives large numbers of local and foreign visitors to the valley. Every year, for instance, troisième students (ages 14-15) of the Lycée Français Alexandre Yersin in Hanoi go on a school trip to the site, as part of their project work on the First Indochina War.
Find out more:
Consult a wide variety of resources on our special page on the National day of remembrance of French servicemen killed in Indochina