April 25, 1954: French troops bomb Noong Nhai concentration camp, killing 444 people

On April 25, 1954, in a state of panic because of the battle on the fronts, the French army sent bombers to the Noong Nhai concentration camp (Thanh Xuong Commune, Dien Bien District), killing 444 ethnic minorities, mostly women and children, and injuring hundreds of others.
Fierce fighting taking place on Hill C area (Photo: VNA)
Fierce fighting taking place on Hill C area (Photo: VNA)

On the same day, France was instructed by the US side to "temporarily postpone discussion of military intervention in Indochina to wait for the results of the soon-to-open Geneva Conference."

On the battlefield, the coordination of Company 255 of local soldiers in Son Tay Province (now part of Hanoi) and local guerrillas held strong, fiercely fighting back more than 1,000 enemy soldiers, with seven tanks supporting the sweep of Liep Mai Village, Ngoc Liep Commune, Quoc Oai District.

The soldiers and guerrillas fought bravely and repelled five enemy's attacks, killing 102 enemies and forcing them to withdraw.

In central Laos, in order to provide reinforcements for the main battlefield of Dien Bien Phu, which was in danger, on April 25, 1954, the enemy sent the Mobile Army No.1 along with three separate battalions and an artillery battalion to withdraw to Ta Khet Town along route 12.

On the way to withdraw, they were blocked and attacked by the Regiment 18 and the Lao Liberation Army force at every stage. A part of the enemy's vital force was consumed and destroyed that contributes to detaining many of their elite mobile troops in central Laos. The Regiment 18 and the Lao Liberation Army force effectively coordinated with the Dien Bien Phu front.

On the same day, on the Cambodian battlefield, Company 40 of the main Battalion 302 of the Eastern Inter-Regional Division attacked and destroyed Ansong Station (Pray Vieng Province), which was held by a Commando platoon.