From Dien Bien Phu to Geneva:

An exception of history

Seventy years ago, in the early days of 1954, the whole country spent spring concentrating all efforts and resources and accepting hardship to create the Dien Bien Phu Victory — “a ringing bell heralding the fall of old colonialism” — laying the foundation for the Geneva Accords on restoring peace in Vietnam after nine long years of resistance.

In most cases in military history, aside from some exceptions where one party to a war was defeated and accepted surrender, the end of a war was subject to several main factors such as comparative positions and powers on the battlefield, the strategic calculations and moves of parties in the war, and international influence. The conclusion of the French invasion war in Vietnam was also affected by these factors but also had very different characteristics and differed greatly from the end of other wars.

From a “rendezvous with history”

In May 1953, the French government dispatched Henri Navarre, a four-star general, as commander-in-chief of the French expeditionary army in Indochina with the important mission of trying to clinch a decisive military victory on the battlefield and find an “honourable exit” for France.

On July 24, 1953, a military plan known as the “Navarre Plan” was formally approved by the French Defence Council, in which the plan would be carried out in 18 months and consisted of two steps. In step one that took place in the autumn-winter of 1953 and spring of 1954, the French would go into major battles with the Viet Minh in the north, launch attacks to pacify the southern and central regions, and eliminate the liberated 5th Military Region.

In the second step, France launched a major military strike on the main northern battlefield to prove to the Viet Minh that France was capable of solving military problems and forcing them to sit at the negotiating table. This is considered the last effort of France and the US in the Indochina war. They believed that with the Navarre Plan, a French military victory was within reach.

Meanwhile, at the Viet Bac base, right from the middle of January 1953, the fourth session of the Party Central Committee discussed the Autumn-Winter 1953-1954 plan. The plan was to attack areas where the enemy was weak, while at the same time promoting guerrilla warfare. (1).

... to the milestone of starting a new journey for the nation

One day after the Dien Bien Phu victory, the Geneva Conference on Indochina officially opened. Thus, it was not until after the “Dien Bien Phu Event” that the opportunity for an international forum to end the Indochina war came. Earlier in November 1953, in response to an interview with Expreesen newspaper (Sweden) on the prospect of resolving the peace issue in Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh expressed the goodwill of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to negotiate with France to find a peaceful solution on the basis that France must truly respect and recognise Vietnam’s independence and sovereignty. The statement of the President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam attracted international attention, especially from France - where public opinion was urging the Government to quickly negotiate with the Ho Chi Minh Government to find a solution to end the war.

After 75 days and nights with 31 plenary sessions, the Geneva Conference ended with an Agreement to end the war and restore peace in Indochina.

Vietnam came to the conference in the position of a winner. Although the Geneva solution included both political and military issues, it did not fully reflect the victories that the Vietnamese people won on the battlefield, especially the Dien Bien Phu victory.

This is understandable because the Geneva Conference is an international forum arranged by major countries, deciding the composition, time, steps and even the results. At this forum, the compromise of major countries led to a somewhat “loose” responsibility bond between the participating parties, and the US’s refusal to sign the Conference's Final Declaration created “an excuse” for them to carry out their plan to replace France and jump into Vietnam. The outcome of “post-Geneva” was that the General Election did not take place, and the Vietnamese people were forced to continue the 21-year-long journey of resistance with many losses and sacrifices to regain full independence.

Although the Geneva Agreement did not fully reflect the victories of the Vietnamese people on the battlefield, one thing that cannot be denied is that the Geneva Agreement forced the French colonialists to end the war and recognise the basic rights of the Vietnamese people. Although the country is still divided, Vietnam achieved a liberated north, which served as a basis to build a major strategic rear for the resistance war against the US for national reunification.

“The Dien Bien Phu victory rang the bell signalling the collapse of colonialism at that time, known as old colonialism”...

For Vietnam, “the Dien Bien Phu Victory marks an extremely important milestone in the historic struggle against foreign invaders, completing the cause of fighting for national independence, freedom, and reunification.

The Dien Bien Phu Victory led to the Geneva Conference and the Geneva Accords with its advantages and disadvantages for the people. It restored peace, albeit an unstable peace because the American imperialists did not sign the Geneva Accords and harboured ambitions to replace France in the south in preparation for a new war” (3).

History has no "what ifs", but without the Dien Bien Phu Victory and other military victories on the battlefield, it would have been difficult to get positive results at negotiations. The Party affirmed: “Achieving the above Accords is a great victory of the solidarity and consensus of our people and army to fight heroically under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party” (4).

With this victory, the Vietnamese revolution as well as the development of the country entered a new period of striving to consolidate peace, realise unification, and complete independence and democracy nationwide.

[1] Complete Party Documents. National Political Publishing House. H. T.14. Pg.130.
[2] Summary of the Resistance War against French Colonialism - Victory and Lessons. National Political Publishing House. H.1996. Pg.202.
[3] Pham Van Dong: Dien Bien Phu - A victory transcending space and time. T/C LSQS. No. 1/1994. Pg.1.
[4] Complete Party Documents. National Political Publishing House. H.2001. T.15. Pg.233.

Published: January 2024
Content: Colonel, Associate Professor, Dr. TRAN NGOC LONG
Design: DUONG DUONG-ANH NGOC
Photos: NDO, VNA