Plentiful activities to mark Dien Bien Phu Victory

A series of activities will be held across the nation, especially the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, from now to the end of May to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, which helped end French colonial rule in Vietnam.
The information was revealed by Bui The Duc, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education, at a press briefing in Hanoi on April 10. Duc, who is also deputy head of the Organising Committee for the National Celebration for the Dien Bien Phu Victory, said that the national-level ceremony aims to affirm the great historical significance, stature and values of the victory as well as the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh.
The activities will help Vietnamese at home and abroad and international friends understand more about the glorious history of the nation, he added.
Among the activities will be an incense offering ceremony at the Hill A1 martyrs’ cemetery and a meeting and parade with the participation of 15,000 people at Dien Bien province’s stadium and along streets in Dien Bien city on May 7.
A special art programme entitled “ Dien Bien Phu – an eternal epic” will take place at Dien Bien city’s square on the evening of May 6.
In addition, ministries and agencies will send delegations to visit and present gifts to policy beneficiaries and launch emulation movements in celebration of the 60 th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.
Books and stamp collections on the victory will be issued alongside a seminar entitled “Dien Bien Phu Victory – Vietnam ’s strength in the Ho Chi Minh era” and a conference to promote tourism in the northwestern region.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will make a 5-episode documentary and organise film screenings on the victory in many districts in the province while designing and issuing 15,000 badges celebrating the event.
In Dien Bien province, there will be ceremonies honouring organisations and individuals who donated victory-related artefacts and documents and the naming of a road after General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was Commander of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.
A requiem for martyrs at the Hill A1 martyrs’ cemetery, a live TV programme linking Dien Bien and Ho Chi Minh City, and a photo exhibition on the victory will also be held.