Dien Bien Phu Victory Through the Memories of a Chinese General's Son

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper based in China had a conversation with Mr. Vi Tieu Nghi - son of Senior General Vi Quoc Thanh, former Head of the Chinese Military Advisory Group during the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Mr. Vi Tieu Nghi answered an interview with a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper.

Receiving us in a small house that still preserves many memorabilia associated with General Wei Guoqing during his lifetime, Mr. Wei Xiaoyi and his mother, Mrs. Xu Qishang, who is over 90 years old this year, could not help but be moved when recalling memories of the Chinese general who was attached to and had much affection for the country of Vietnam.

Recalling the story of Senior Lieutenant General Wei Guoqing about the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Mr. Wei Xiaoyi said that after the failures in campaigns such as the Border Campaign and the Upper Laos Campaign, France appointed General Henri Navarre as Commander-in-Chief of the French army in Indochina. Navarre built a military plan named after himself to turn around the situation of the Indochina war, with the assumption that occupying this land would be able to control the entire northwest region of Vietnam, cut off communication between the Vietnamese army and people with Laos and China, and at the same time cause difficulties for the logistics supply of the Vietnamese army.

In late 1953, the French army began to deploy troops to Dien Bien Phu, including mercenaries, later supplemented by paratroopers. In that situation, at Vietnam's request, China sent a military advisory group to assist the Vietnamese army. General Wei Guoqing was the head of the Chinese military advisory group to advise on the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Mr. Wei Xiaoyi said: “Before leaving for Vietnam, Chairman Mao Zedong held a meeting with the leaders of the Delegation at Zhongnanhai. He asked everyone to support the Vietnamese revolution in a selfless and pure manner, just like serving the Chinese revolution. My father remembered Chairman Mao Zedong's advice. After going to Vietnam, he contributed his ideas to the construction and operations of the Vietnamese army.”

Mr. Wei Xiaoyi and Mrs. Xu Qishang, wife of General Wei Guoqing.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, Mr. Vi Tieu Nghi had the opportunity to visit the Dien Bien Phu battlefield in Vietnam. He said that everything he knew about Dien Bien Phu was from what he heard, and now he can experience it directly through historical sites such as the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters, where General Vo Nguyen Giap and his comrades from the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command often worked and rested; the workplace of the Chinese Military Advisory Group...

Like his father, Mr. Vi Tieu Nghi greatly admired the heroic fighting spirit, overcoming difficulties and hardships of the Vietnamese army and people, especially the transportation of weapons, ammunition and food during the campaign. Dien Bien Phu were completely dependent on human strength, in conditions of shortage and great disparity in the balance of power with the enemy.

Regarding the significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory for Vietnam, China and the world , Mr. Vi Tieu Nghi said that the victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign forced the French army to withdraw from Indochina, and Vietnam's national liberation cause was victorious. The growth and maturity of the Vietnamese army, from a guerrilla force gradually becoming a regular army, created the premise for the struggle against the invading American imperialists and the liberation and unification of the country later.

For China, in the 1950s, maintaining stability in North Korea and South Vietnam created favorable conditions for the construction of socialism in China. In addition, the victory of Dien Bien Phu also had an impact on the national liberation movement in the world. Vietnam's struggle to defeat French colonialism and later American imperialism to unify the country was a great encouragement for the national liberation movement in the world.

Senior Lieutenant General Wei Guoqing (September 2, 1913 - June 14, 1989) was the Head of the Chinese Military Advisory Group in Vietnam; Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 4th and 5th National People's Congress (Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress); Vice Chairman of the 4th and 5th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Alternate member and member of the 8th Party Central Committee; Member of the 9th Party Central Committee; Member of the 10th, 11th and 12th Politburo.

Mr. Wei Xiaoyi is the second son of General Wei Guoqing, who served in the army and is now retired; he is currently a researcher on Chinese military and revolutionary history.

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