Senior general vo nguyen giap was, and is, the only pavn figure known at all well outside of vietnam, the only pavn general mentioned in most counts of the vietnam war, and the only vietnamese communist military leader about whom a full length biography has been written. Aug 28, 2017 17 kilometres east of dien bien phu are the remains of general giap s viet minh headquarters from which led the successful battle against the french. When the viet minh invaded neighboring laos the french deployed to fight a setpiece battle at dien bien phu, in. In 1954, french forces in french indochina sought to cut the viet minh s supply lines to laos. At dien bien phu, you are determined to implement a battle plan that imposes your will on the enemy. Dien bien phu share book recommendations with your. The author of a 20 pulitzer prizewinning book on vietnam gives his view, drawing on the array of materials that have slowly emerged. General vo nguyen giap was the nlfs most senior military commander in thevietnam war.
What a 1963 novel tells us about the french army, mission. Information agency correspondent visited the isolated french fortress and knew many of its defenders, relates the story in heroic terms. General vo nguyen giap was the commander in chief of the communist armed forces. A french paratroop operation was was to take place a valley called dien bien phu. General vo nguyen giap, who has aged 102, was the diminutive and brilliant vietnamese general who led communist forces in the wars that forced three powerful adversaries japan, france.
Oct 22, 2014 a visit to the bunker from which famed vietnamese general, vo nguyen giap, led viet minh troops against french colonial forces in the 1954 battle of dien bien phu. His forces suffered massive casualties, many times the toll inflicted on the french. Pilipix the battle was joined in late 1953 when french forces, who had been rapidly losing ground to the popularly supported viet minh, occupied the town of dien bien phu. Tourists can visit number 1 watchs station, the information center, and a trench that connects general giaps camp to general officer hoang van thais who was then assistant to the commander in chief giap. General vo nguyen giap obituary world news the guardian. Navarre committed a major force to dien bien phu, in order to. The vietnam war was not lost in vietnam it was lost at home. Did the us offer to drop atom bombs at dien bien phu. French general staff and the military chiefs were well informed. The fall of dien bien phu 59 years gone by and still forgotten dien bien phu today it was an epic battle in a tragic war and most people neither know or care what happened in the valley where a small border post named dien bien phu.
Batty was a british television producer who, seemingly, spent every waking hour of every single day in his life creating documentaries about armed conflicts and related topics in modern history. His victory over the french at dien bien phu is wellknown, as is his prosecution of the war against the americans to a. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in dien bien phu, vietnam on tripadvisor. Rendevous with history first edition memoirs of war vo nguyen giap. For more than 30 years, general giap was the key organizer of the vietnamese armed forces and its main strategic thinker. Critics of giap s butcher bill tend to discount the very nature of warfare. Waffen ss veterans fighting vietnam axis history forum. Jun 24, 1990 navarre, ordered to defend nearby laos, chose the site by placing his best battalions at dien bien phu, a distant valley not far from the laotian border in northwest vietnam never imagining that. Dien bien phu is the definitive account of the great, climactic battle in french indochina that. The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the us media, is currently well underway. Jun 20, 2010 general marcel bigeard, who died on june 17 aged 94, was france s most decorated and popular soldier, a hero of dien bien phu and the battle of algiers. In a rare interview, he recalls his part in defying the might. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. The general drew on his dien bien phu experience to create the ho chi minh trail, a clandestine jungle network that snaked through neighboring.
It was fought between the french unions french far east. His victory over the french at dien bien phu is wellknown, as is his prosecution of the war against the americans to a successful conclusion in 1975. Dien bien phu the great victory viva general giap youtube. French defense of hanoi rested on holding the red river delta, making it a key battleground. The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the us. Dien bien phu travel northwest vietnam, vietnam lonely.
For those unaware of general giaps background he was selftaught, studied eg. In winter 195354 the french army in vietnam challenged its elusive enemy, general giaps viet minh, to pitched battle. Photo courtesy of hanois museum of dien bien phu victory. Catherine karnowcorbis giap s political timidity came as a crushing disappointment. In 1953 the vietnamese were in revolution against the french government in what was then french indochina. It was fought between the french unions french far east expeditionary corps and viet minh communist. Vo nguyen giap, born 1912, an xa, vietnamdied october 4, 20, hanoi, vietnamese military and political leader whose perfection of guerrilla as well as conventional strategy and tactics led to the viet minh victory over the french and to the end of french colonialism in southeast asia and later to the north vietnamese victory over south. Dien bien phu, battle ofstatue honouring the 50th anniversary of the battle of dien bien phu. Ten thousand french paras and legionnaires, with artillery and tanks, were flown to the remote valley of dien bien phu to build a fortress upon which giap could smash his inexperienced regiments. Cultural products such as films and books clearly revived vietnam. General giap, whose victory at dien bien phu forced france from vietnam, later waged a long battle with the united states military that eventually sapped americas political will to fight. Reflections on general giap and the end of an era in.
The vietnamese victory at dien bien phu in may 1954, with the killing or capturing of over 16,000 enemy forces, sealed the defeat of french colonialism in indochina. Battle of dien bien phu military history oxford bibliographies. General giaps headquarter, the viet minh leader, is located 27 kilometers away from dien bien phu, in the middle of a forest. Dien bien phu was effectively at the bottom of a valley and giaps men controlled all the surrounding area. The white house and the us media became convinced that the decisive battle of the war had begun. He later commanded the vietnam peoples army during the vietnam. On the last evening in dien bien phu, nev and i decided to buy about fresh big bread rolls from a local bakery run by a old matriarch who keeps here sons under tight control mind you. Tv news reports were so obsessed with giap s threatened replay of dien bien phu that daytoday life at khe sanh became leadstory material even when it showed nothing other than anxious marines waiting for something to happen. General vo nguyen giap, commander of the north vietnamese army, wrote in his memoirs that his army was on the brink of collapse, but the u. Giap s troops veterans of dien bien phu, when thrown against green first cavalry division soldiers, experienced for the first time the full meaning of americanstyle conduct of war. Vo nguyen giap, the vietnamese general who planned the ho chi minh trail and defeated the french at dien bien phu, turns 95 today. Slaughter in wholesale fashion has been the reality of most wars. Basically, all the book contains is a few commonsense points eg.
The tragedy at dien bien phu that led america into the vietnam war. Vietnam war a memoir history of vietnam tet offensive. Dien bien phu dbp plays a star role in vietnams modern history. General vo nguyen giap at dien bien phu stories and history. Giap proved to be a worthy opponent to the americans. The battle of dien bien phu was a climactic confrontation of the first indochina war that took place between march and 7 may 1954. General marcel bigeard, who died on june 17 aged 94, was frances most decorated and popular soldier, a hero of dien bien phu and the battle of algiers. Bidaults version is supported by senior french official jean chauvel in his memoirs, and by french general. The battle of dien bien phu 19531954, stresses the author, was one of the modern eras most decisive confrontations. General giaps memoirs comprise the most interesting portion of the book. Vo nguyen giap 191120 commanded the military forces that freed vietnam from french colonialism in the 19461954 war that ended with the victory at dien bien phu 1954, and that then defeated u. General vo nguyen giap was the nlfs most senior military commander in the vietnam war.
Even if one wrongly assumes there were important spanish and eastern european elements among the legionnaires at dien bien phu that 50% of the legionnaires were german, then. General giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most americans knew. What a 1963 novel tells us about the french army, mission command, and the romance of the indochina war. And we learn that as commander of the assault on dien bien phu, giap faced a difficult decision. Content foreword 7 notice 9 president ho chi minks letters 11 dien bien phu. Vietnam war a memoir bio of general vo nguyen giap. In 1944, ho chi minh called on giap to organize and lead guerrilla forces against japanese invaders during world war ii. Oct 04, 20 general vo nguyen giap in 1994, the 40th anniversary of the defeat of the french at dien bien phu. Complete with detailed accounts, maps, and photos, giap s memoirs depicts concretely how a small and weak nation can overcome a stronger force. In his book, he writes about great events such as the battle of dien bien phu in. The 15 best things to do in dien bien phu 2020 with. This was the navarre plan named after its architect general henri. For more information about this and related ideas, see my books.
Vietnamese general behind victories over french and us. The two concepts addressed similar problemsnamely, how to deprive the viet minh of their relative freedom of maneuver by threatening their base areasbut french decision making rested on two fatal assumptions. The cost of giaps victory at dien bien phu had been extremely high. Apr 10, 2010 the following year, the important battle of dien bien phu was fought between the vi.
By this standard dien bien phu was a perfect failure, rather in the style of the cias misguided bay of pigs operation. This is general giaps latest memoir on the supreme commands sharp and. Only a handful of french or englishlanguage books offer a comprehensive general overview of the battle in dien bien phu. Van tien dung mar 28th 2002 ap an american historian, eugene grayson, who served in vietnam as a colonel, reckoned that van tien dung was one of the grea. You gather your staff and division commanders in your command bunker in the hills north of dien bien phu to brief them on three courses of action you are considering. Two of them, fall 1967 and rocolle 1968, were strangely. Critics of giaps butcher bill tend to discount the very nature of warfare. Their casualties totaled over 2,200 killed, 5,600 wounded, and 11,721 taken prisoner. The general drew on his dien bien phu experience to create the ho chi minh trail, a clandestine jungle network that snaked through neighbouring and ostensibly neutral laos and.
General vo nguyen giap 2nd, r and other commanding officers discuss dien bien phu plans in 1954. Giaps decision, most of us wouldnt have been able to fight in the resistance war against the us years later, said general le trong tan. Dien bien phu and the french defeat in vietnam cassell. This was evidenced as early as 1944, when giap sent his minuscule force against french outpost in indochina. After japan surrendered to allied forces the following year, the viet minh continued their fight for independence from france. The battle of dien bien phu was fought from march to may 7, 1954, and was the decisive engagement of the first indochina war 19461954, the precursor to the vietnam war. General vo nguyen giaps immortal sayings tuoi tre news. Particularly outstanding were his use of artillery to cut off french supplies from the air and his series of overlapping wave attacks which struck the french defences first on one side and then on the other. You gather your staff and division commanders in your command bunker in the hills north of dien bien phu. Vo nguyen giap august 25, 1911october 4, 20 was a vietnamese general who led the viet minh during the first indochina war. More devastatingly, in 1954 at a place called dien bien phu. Oct 04, 20 vo nguyen giap masterminded battle of dien bien phu, which led to france leaving indochina, and commanded north s forces in vietnam war. When the battle at dien bien phu began, the french artillery commander committed suicide as a result of his inability to hit giaps artillery. We learn details like the fact that giap traveled on horseback or in a captured army jeep and that he had great affection for the natural beauty of his country.
On the same day talks opened in geneva to end colonialism in indochina. Both the journey out and the historical sight are highlights of a visit to the area. General vo nguyen giap dien bien phu revised and enlarged edition foreign languages publishing house hanoi 1964. As a commander, giap was willing to mix his tactics between classic guerrilla warfare and conventional attacks as was seen in the 1968 tet offensive.
In his memoirs dien bien phu, the historic rendezvous published later, general giap shared that this decision was the toughest in all his commanding career. How would you compare van tien dung with vo nguyen giap in terms of military talent. Giap s coolie army covered the valley at dien bien phu with an extensive trench network by which french fortifications were surrounded and cut off, one by one. This is especially true of the french sources that enable windrow to piece together the fastmoving events during the siege of dien bien phu. The disparity between general giap and the othersthe lone figure standing in the forefront of a legion of shadowy. Vo nguyen giap, born 1912, an xa, vietnamdied october 4, 20, hanoi, vietnamese military and political leader whose perfection of guerrilla as well as conventional strategy and tactics led to the viet. It exposes the enormous power of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the american public. Surprisingly, however, windrow makes almost no use of general henri navarres memoir.
Written, directed and produced by peter batty and released in 1979, battle for dien bien phu is a straightahead war documentary. When the results justified the sacrifice, as at dien bien phu, giap pressed for a victory. Complete with detailed accounts, maps, and photos, giaps memoirs depicts concretely how a small and weak nation can overcome a stronger force. This summer in paris, a french army general handed me a missing piece of the puzzle. We got enough for each kid and their carer mother or aunty as a treat. General vo nguyen giap, commander of the north vietnamese army, wrote in his memoirs that his army was on. How would you compare van tien dung with vo nguyen giap in.
The general headquarters in the spring of brilliant victory memoirs. Dien bien phu and the french defeat in vietnam, new york, da capo press, 2004. Giap had time to dig in and camouflage where his artillery was. The plan for a successful defense of dien bien phu had been premised on an assumption of uninterrupted air support.