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Standing on the site of the epic battle of Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam, French Colonel Jacques Allaire cried in memory of his 4,000 fighters who died in the bloody fight that would ring the knell of French colonial rule in Indochina.
The 94-year-old former prisoner of war accompanied on Saturday French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe into the isolated valley where the bloody battle lasted 56 days before the shocking defeat of Vietnam that would pave the way for the independence of the communist nation.
"It's like being in a dream, I think of my comrades, all my men," said Allaire, captured by communist soldiers in 1954 and kept for more than seven months, including a "death march" 90 days. "to a prison near the Chinese border.
The fate of the French becoming clear in March 1954, he received a written order from his commander: "Stop fighting and destroy your weapons."
He kept the note throughout his captivity and took a copy from his jacket pocket to the site of the battle on Saturday in an area he described as "unrecognizable".
"It was a small village, far from everything (in 1954) .Today, it is a city, which proves that Viet Minh fighters have not fought for nothing", did he declare.
The fierce battle in the rugged and rugged valley killed 13,000 people on both sides in less than two months, as Vietnamese fighters lashed the French forces – equipped with high quality weapons – and bombarded them with weapons. heavy artillery.
Vietnam's victory over the French led to the division of the country into the communist-ruled north, led by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and a pro-American South regime.
This paved the way for two decades of war that would end with the unification and defeat of America during the Vietnam War in 1975.
Today, France is one of Vietnam's most important allies, with $ 7.6 billion in trade and tight military alliances.
Philippe, who is in Vietnam for a three-day visit until Sunday, is the second senior French official to visit Dien Bien Phu after President François Mitterrand in 1993.
"It's hard to imagine that for several months, it was the scene of intense fighting rarely seen," said Philippe, after visiting the former underground command center of France and lighting up the theater. Incense on a commemorative plaque.
"For those who have lived these moments, I know that the emotion is very intense and once again, the message that I want to convey here is a message of admiration, respect and pride", a- he declared.
– & # 39; More hate & # 39; –
Before the visit, several Vietnamese veterans recalled the spirit of fight to death that led them to victory, despite the obstacles.
Hoang Bao was barely 20 years old when he traveled hundreds of miles to the site, facing the Frenchmen full of hate and ready to die for the independence of his country.
But today, retired Colonel Bao is happy to call his former enemy a friend.
"We no longer hate the French," an 85-year-old man wearing his dark green military uniform adorned with medals told AFP in Hanoi.
But he said that there were important lessons to be learned to avoid the mistakes of the past.
"The French did not learn our history well, so they lost … Vietnam is different from other countries, we do not want to surrender," he said.
Facing the French in combat was complicated for some fighters like Bao, whose lives were closely tied to those of their colonial rulers, sometimes going to school or working alongside them.
But driven by patriotism and a thirst for independence, many Vietnamese took over, reinforced by the bitter memories of the invasion of the Chinese, Japanese and French.
They were also encouraged by Communist slogans who urged everyone to participate in the war effort.
"One of the slogans was: we would rather die than be slaves again and sacrifice everything for independence and freedom," said Tran Quoc Hanh, a 83-year-old former colonel. .
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (left) lays a wreath on the French memorial of Dien Bien Phu, the battle that marked the end of French colonial rule in Indochina
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (C) shakes hands with veterans at Dien Bien Phu, where 13,000 people were killed during the battle of 1954
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visits the former bunker of the French military command in Dien Bien Phu
Nguyen Tran Viet, an 87-year-old Vietnamese veteran, shows a portrait of the time when he was a soldier
Retired Vietnamese Colonel Hoang Bao, 85, says he no longer hates the French.
"One of the slogans was: we would rather die rather than be slaves again," says former Tran Colonel Quoc Hanh, 84.
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