Thousands gather for 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu triumph over France

Blast from the past: Performers walking with bicycles depicting the transportation of food and necessities for the battlefield during official celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Dien Bien Phu victory over French colonial forces in Dien Bien Phu city. — AFP

War veterans, soldiers and dignitaries gathered in the country’s Dien Bien Phu to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle that ultimately brought an end to the French empire in Indochina.

Vietnam had invited for the first time a government minister from the former colonial power to attend official celebrations, which involved 12,000 people, a gun salute and howitzer and helicopter displays.