The Dien Bien Phu Victory: A Masterful Depiction in Military Art

On the afternoon of May 7, 1954, the flag of the Vietnam People’s Army flew on the roof of Colonel De Castries’ bunker. Photo: VNA

The Chairman of the Algeria-Vietnam Friendship Association affirmed that “Vietnam is a revolutionary example for us” on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – May 7, 2024).

Cherfaoui Tayeb recounts a memorable event, which was the visit to Algeria by General Vo Nguyen Giap, the great revolutionary of Vietnam.

“We are honored to welcome and work with General Giap. We have learned a lot from President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap, from their style, internal strength, and wisdom. Those are true geniuses, they have gathered the strength of the national unity bloc to liberate and unify the country.”

According to Cherfaoui Tayeb, Vietnam is a revolutionary example when it went through many struggles against foreign invaders such as British, Japanese, French, and American troops.

He said the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and Vietnam’s resistance war proved that the French colonialists were not invincible, rallying the morale of oppressed people from across the globe.

French soldiers were equipped with more weapons, aircraft, and ammunition, but they did not have the courage and determination to fight. That is one of the motivating factors for Algerians to hope and make a revolution to regain their country, their national pride, religion, economy, and life. That is an important lesson that Algeria learned from Vietnam.

The Dien Bien Phu victory proved that military art is important, faith and justice of action are also factors that cannot be overlooked.

The Vietnamese people believed that the time had come to liberate the country and expel the French colonialists. The Vietnamese people have acted with such firm belief, and they know this is just, for the country and love for the fatherland.

There are historical films about the battle of Dien Bien Phu depicting images of Vietnamese soldiers advancing from many directions, from Hanoi, from the North by trucks, through tunnels and trenches.

According to Cherfaoui Tayeb, it is like the work of ants digging holes, and Algeria has learned this tactic.

“Thanks to the Dien Bien Phu campaign, African countries liberated their nations and gained independence. The same goes for our country Algeria. We established a national liberation front right in France, and I saw how the Vietnamese fighting inspired our own movement.”

Tayeb further revealed that Algerian soldiers deserted the French army to join forces with the Vietnamese people. Upon returning to Algeria, they brought invaluable combat experiences gained alongside the Vietnamese army and engaged in Algeria’s liberation efforts.

AVFA Chairman Cherfaoui Tayeb. Photo: VNA

President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap were revered heroes in Algeria, Tayeb stressed, adding that they were brilliant military strategists whose leadership served as a shining example not only for Algeria but for the entire world. They proved that anything is achievable with determination and strategy.

Looking beyond the historical significance of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, he commended Vietnam’s continued progress, saying that Vietnam has not stopped moving forward since its victory. The country is experiencing remarkable development and has established strong economic ties with the US and many other nations across the world.

Cherfaoui Tayeb assessed that Vietnam and Algeria have a lot of potential for cooperation such as in construction, fishing and aquaculture, food processing industry, and agriculture.

The establishment of an Algeria-Vietnam bank and the connectivity of air and sea trade routes would be crucial steps in deploying future projects, he said.