War veterans, party leaders and diplomats gathered in Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu province on Tuesday for an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s victory over French colonial forces.

The bloody, 56-day battle in the northwestern, remote valley ended on May 7, 1954, precipitating the collapse of French colonial rule.

The historic Dien Bien Phu battle is considered one of the great battles of the 20th century. The French defeat led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on July 21, 1954.

Undeterred by unrelenting rain, tens of thousands of people crowded Dien Bien Phu’s main stadium to watch military parades and variety shows, and listen to rousing speeches, which were broadcast on national television.

“It was a victory for colonized countries all over the world,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the opening ceremony. “We aim to achieve another Dien Bien Phu victory but in terms of economy expansion.”

During the battle, artillery boomed across the valley and there was hand-to-hand fighting. Dien Bien Phu and its surrounding hills were filled with the bodies of soldiers from both sides.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu attended Tuesday’s ceremony in Dien Bien Phu.

“A lesson from the Dien Bien Phu campaign is that Vietnam must clearly identify its national interests and pursue these interests strategically,” Carl Thayer, a senior expert in Vietnam security, said in a note. “Vietnam has codified this approach in the expression ‘bamboo diplomacy’ – to be firm and unyielding on basic principles but flexible in the ways and means to achieve its strategic objectives.”

(From Reuters)