French media reflect on 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory
The ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, with the French Minister of Armed Forces in presence, has been widely covered in the French media as an action to recall the past but also look toward the future.
Major television channels, including TF1, France Info, Euronews, TV5 Monde, and France 24, all featured the event, which was held in Dien Bien province on May 7 morning (Vietnam time), prominently. The first presence of French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Secretary of State for Veterans' Affairs and Memory Patricia Mirallès at the ceremony was widely interpreted as a gesture of "reconciliation".
The daily Le Figaro, in an article published on May 7, detailed the solemn ceremony with the presence of Lecornu and Mirallès, considering it evidence of ongoing reconciliation.
The magazine Le Nouvel Obs released a special issue reflecting on the history of the Indochina War and the impact of the Dien Bien Phu battle. Its analysis delved into how the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu ultimately hastened peace talks that led to the Geneva Accords.
It further noted that the French Minister of the Armed Forces' presence at the Vietnamese ceremony 70 years later signifies a strong desire to forge new and positive relationships, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the newspaper l'Humanité viewed Dien Bien Phu as a significant step in the process of decolonisation, a symbol of Vietnam's liberation from the oppressive yoke of colonial rule and its successful struggle to reclaim national independence.
