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Battle of Dien Bien Phu
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Battle at the town of Dien Bien Phu in northwestern Vietnam in 1954 which
led to the division of Vietnam. The combatants were the French and the
Vietnamese Communist forces. In 1953 the French reinforced their garrison
at Dien Bien Phu thus trying to prevent the Vietminh from gaining too much
control. On March 13, 1954 the Vietminh under General Vo Nguyen Giap started
to attack the French at Dien Bien Phu. With the French defeat in the battle
and its surrender the first Indochina War (1946-1954) came to an end. On
July 20, 1954 the international peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland,
began. The result of the conference was that the French gave up control
over the north of Vietnam and the country was divided into North and South
Vietnam, two separate states. The new communist government leader of North
Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh.
Listen to US Secretary of State John Forster Dulles
(dulles.wav 243kByte) announcing the fall of Dien Bien Phu on May 8,
1954.
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