Dien Bien Phu a victory for both Vietnamese and French peoples: sociologist

The victory flag was flying on top of the bunker of French General de Castries on May 7, 1954 (Photo: VNA)

In a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents, Said Bouamama further asserted that the collapse of the French military complex was not a purely military defeat for France, but it tolled the bell of death for the French colonialist regime.

The immediate impact of Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu victory accelerated profound subsequent changes, not only on colonialized countries but also on the changes of French colonialist strategy, the scholar said, adding that besides being a military feat for Vietnam, the victory also serves as a symbol and a promise of independence for suppressed nations.

The victory came as a clear-cut distinction between the victor and the loser, he said, describing this as quite worthy and undeniable for Vietnam after its huge sacrifices during the war. The obvious loser was the then French state and the ruling social strata it was protecting.

However, the French people had never supported the war, the scholar affirmed, pointing to the fact that the anti-war movement was very effervescent with many activities all over France. This proves that the French people cannot be taken as the loser of the Dien Bien Phu battle.

All the factors that smash the colonialist spirit in fact are the victory of the French people, he said, concluding that the Dien Bien Phu victory holds a great significance: a defeat to colonialism, racial discrimination and the French state and at the same time a victory of the Vietnamese and French nations.