The article " Dien Bien Phu: Retelling an Epic" was published by the Latin American news agency Prensa Latina on May 7th.
According to the VNA correspondent in Havana, journalist Moisés Pérez Mok, head of the Prensa Latina bureau in Hanoi , began his article emotionally: "The echoes of the final shots in the Dien Bien Phu campaign still resound as the father of Vietnam's national independence affectionately sends his praise to the officers, soldiers, civilian workers, youth volunteers, and local people who have gloriously fulfilled their duties."
When the Dien Bien Phu campaign ended in complete victory, President Ho Chi Minh sent a congratulatory letter to all officers and soldiers at the Dien Bien Phu front. In the letter, he extended his warmest greetings to the wounded soldiers and to all officers and soldiers nationwide who had resolutely achieved victory. However, with humility and brilliance, he warned in the letter that "The victory is great, but it is only the beginning. We should not become arrogant because of the victory, nor should we underestimate the enemy…".
Journalist Pérez Mok affirmed that the Dien Bien Phu victory was the result of the wise leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, combined with the strength of the army and the patriotic spirit of tens of thousands of Vietnamese people, many of whom sacrificed their lives on the battlefields. The veteran journalist from Prensa Latina emphasized that the clearest evidence of the great national unity of Vietnam in this glorious victory was the participation of over 20,000 civilian laborers who used bicycles modified into carts to provide uninterrupted supplies to the front lines.
Thousands of tons of food, medicine, and weapons were transported along nearly 1,500km of treacherous roads by cargo bicycles – the "king of transport" on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. Tens of thousands of bicycles were modified and reinforced to carry more than 150 kg, equivalent to the carrying capacity of 5 people, at a faster speed, and capable of transporting bulky materials and liquids such as gasoline and oil.
Many unimaginable records were set, such as "bicycle carrying champion" Ma Van Thang carrying approximately 350 kg of goods in a single trip, 13 times more than a person carrying goods on their back, or laborer Cao Van Ty transporting 320 kg per trip.
According to Prensa Latina, thanks to the effective combination of the above factors, on May 7, 1954, the "Determined to Fight, Determined to Win" flag of the Vietnam People's Army flew atop the French command post at the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex, signaling the complete victory of the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign.
However, to drive out the colonialists, Vietnam had to sacrifice a generation of its most outstanding sons and daughters, as General Vo Nguyen Giap once shared. The victory against French colonialism created extremely favorable conditions for the Vietnamese people to defeat the invading American empire on the southern front, achieving independence and national reunification.
The resounding victory at Dien Bien Phu paved the way for the signing of the Geneva Accords in July 1954, which ended the war in Vietnam, eliminated the French military presence in Indochina, and restored peace in the region. The Dien Bien Phu victory sounded the final alarm for old colonialism.
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