People diligently tell stories about Dien Bien Phu

On an afternoon of April, the blazing sun, hot dry southwest wind and quite steep slopes did not prevent the continuous flow of people visiting the A1 Hill relic site in Muong Thanh Ward. On the top of the hill near, a group of tourists from Hanoi listened to the battles at A1 base on the night of May 6, 1954 through the presentations of narrator Ngo Thi Lai from the Dien Bien Provincial Relic Management Board. She wore traditional Thai ethnic dress, her forehead was sweaty, and her voice was resonant.

Introducing the "Mass grave" of four soldiers who heroically fought and sacrificed while destroying the enemy’s tasks, the female narrator said in a choked voice with tears in her eyes: this grave and many other martyrs’ graves in Dien Bien Phu all have in common that the heroes’ names and hometowns were not engraved. The moment when Lai slowly read a famous poem by poet and journalist Van Hien, it seemed like all people moved with infinite regret and gratitude.

Lai (from Hanoi) has been engaged in the narration for 16 years, welcoming many groups of visitors, but she has never gotten bored. As one of nearly 20 presenters of the Dien Bien Provincial Relic Management Board, Lai has been working hard with all her heart over recent days. There are many tourists, even from Ho Chi Minh City, recognised her immediately because she appeared in many videos introducing Dien Bien Phu via YouTube.

In addition to the information about historical developments and characters that she had to learn by heart, the female narrator had to research and collect valuable details and touching stories from the witnesses and official books and newspapers to make her presentations more inspiring. Especially, Lai impresses many visitors by regularly quoting classic poems and passages. She shared that these literary works are associated with the campaigns.

Despite being younger than Lai, 9x girl Nguyen Viet Hang from Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum is also a guide loved by tourists and trusted by her colleagues. Since March, Hang and her colleagues have regularly worked from early morning to late afternoon, even working overtime until late at night because the Museum welcomes visitors on several evenings of the week from April 1.

Every day, Hang welcomes 8-10 groups of guests, meets hundreds of visitors, and answers many questions, she overcomes the pressure and fatigue with the joy and pride of a person who was born and raised in Dien Bien Phu City. “Witnessing many elderly men and women, with white hair and blurred eyes, still patiently and excitedly listening my stories, I was very moved and tried to share more and slowly. When I guide groups of young students and officers from other localities, we adjust our voice and expression to evoke the spirit and pride among them”, Hang said.

Thanks to her passion, professionalism and efforts, Hang has been chosen to guide Party and State leaders’ delegations, diplomatic guests and international experts.

Meanwhile, at the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command relic site in Muong Phang Commune, the Thai women Lo Thi Thuy fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a narrator. Every day, she tries to “breathe life” into artifacts, trees and camps when she tells visitors stories at the place that made the historic victory towards liberating the hometown of her and other tour guides and volunteers such as Lo Thi Ha, Ca Thi Minh, and Quang Thi Huong Giang.

Deputy Director of the Dien Bien Provincial Relic Management Board Pham Thi Thao said the selection and training of tour guides and volunteers has been done carefully in accordance with regulations, meeting many standards such as the communication and presentation skills, flexible settlement of situations, in-depth knowledge of the culture and history of the locality and ethnic groups. The image of tour guides and narrators dressed in colourful clothes and enthusiastically guiding visitors has contributed to making Dien Bien more beautiful and memorable.