1954-2024 : General Giap, Dien Bien Phu Battle and Geneva Conference – the end of Indochina war

On May 7th of this year 2024, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu. This article highlights the military events and the Geneva conference that opens at the same time as the final days of a battle taking place thousands of kilometers away, the outcome of which is eagerly followed by the French media.

The Geneva Conference of 1954 was a conference that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the situation in Indochina and Korea. It resulted in the Geneva Accords, which temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel, with the North governed by the communists and the South by anti-communist forces.

The Battle of Dien Bien where the Viet Minh forces defeated the French colonial forces in 1954 directly influenced the Geneva Conference in 1954 as the events were happening simultaneously. Its outcome was a key factor in the discussions at the conference.

General Giap was the Vietnamese military leader who played a crucial role in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. His strategy of surrounding and besieging the French stronghold at Dien Bien Phu, cutting off their supply lines and using guerrilla tactics, ultimately led to the French surrender.

These following documents are the exclusive photos and archives collected by Inlen Gallery :

National Mourning of General Giap, 2013

The series images of the national mourning in 2013 for General Giap show how the hero of Dien Bien Phu was revered in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. It is following an ederly man who seems to be one of brother in arms of the General. The photos were taken at the Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

Headlines from French newspaper Le Figaro, 1954-04-26

Here are the headlines of the French newspaper Le Figaro from April to July 1954. It will allow us to feel the deep parallel of these two events that shaped Vietnamese independence.

They shows also at the battle’s last days the desesperate efforts of the French Army which was not prepared to counter the strategy of the Viet Minh: surrounding the French forces in the valley, cutting off their supply lines and gradually wearing them down through a combination of guerrilla tactics and conventional warfare. The Viet Minh also utilized a network of tunnels and trenches to outmaneuver and outflank the French troops, while also using artillery and anti-aircraft guns to neutralize French air support.
Overall, the Viet Minh’s strategy was to force the French into a protracted and costly battle of attrition, ultimately leading to the French forces being overwhelmed and defeated.

Geneva Conference Insert

Uncertainty lingers in Geneva last night
As The Asian Conference Is Set To Begin Today
Delegations’ focus is on the events in Indochina.

Dien-Bien-Phu Insert 1

Imminent general assault on Dien-Bien-Phu
Despite a heroic counter-attack, the garrison couldn’t regain the positions lost.
Franco-laotian forces from the south try to get closer to the enclosed camp

Dien-Bien-Phu Insert 2

Under Viet D.C.A. Fire
Unlicensed paratroopers jump into the “pocket” of the besieged camp. (An exclusive cable by Bernard Ullmann)

Hanoi, April 25.

True to the appointment of Dien-Bien-Phu, men plunge – every evening into the night filled with tracer bullets. Leaving the relative safety of the Dakota under Viet Minh anti-aircraft fire, they go to fill the gaps among the defenders of the besieged camp. They are all volunteers. For most of them, this jump onto a less than six hundred meters field represents their first parachuting experience.

Barely one or two days passed between the moment they volunteered and the jump into this tight space, now representing the landing strip of Dien-Bien-Phu. In twenty-four hours, they were taught in Hanoi how to put on a parachute, jump from the carcass of an old plane under the command of an instructor.

Headlines from French newspaper Le Figaro, 1954-04-27

Geneva Conference Insert

The Geneva conference opened yesterday at 3 pm after a last-minute agreement on the presidency
Alongside the conference, negotiations continue between the Big Three regarding France’s urgent appeal emphasizing the seriousness of the military situation in Vietnam
Mr. Molotov refuses any meeting if Communist China is not represented

Dien Bien Phu Insert

Tightly holding their defenses, the Dien Bien Phu garrison waits hour by hour

Headlines from French newspaper Le Figaro, 1954-07-21

The ceasefire for Vietnam and Laos was signed last night.
The same measure was expected to be implemented later for Cambodia.
The plenary session has been postponed to today.

Headlines from French newspaper Le Figaro, 1954-07-22

After 87 days of hard work,
the Geneva conference came
to an end yesterday afternoon.
Numerous documents formalising the armistice agreement were presented at the Palace of Nations, bringing together the nine delegations. (from our special envoy Roger MASSIP.)

Geneva, 21st July – The Geneva conference, after 87 days of intense work, concluded today. In fact, it was last night, on the very deadline set by Mr. Mendes-France, that the negotiations were finalized. Two armistice agreements, one for Vietnam and the other for Laos, were signed at dawn. Today, the corresponding agreement for Cambodia was yet to be signed, and the closing session of the conference was held, during which the nine delegations reached agreements and recorded various statements.