Power of will makes Dien Bien Phu Victory possible: Russian official

Recalling memories of his meeting with General Vo Nguyen Giap - the top commander of the Dien Bien Phu battle - while joining a youth delegation to Vietnam in the 1990s, Grigoriev said that General Giap repeatedly mentioned the power of will.

An army without tanks defeated a modern one with an air force, and this can only be explained by the power of will, said the Russian official, holding that the Dien Bien Phu Victory shows that there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome if there is determination and will.

Grigoriev pointed out that the spirit of the victory was continued in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975. At that time, Vietnamese soldiers used bicycles to transport and even carried on their backs weapons and supplies to southern battlefield through the Ho Chi Minh trail, he noted, calling this unthinkable and a strength that helped Vietnam win the war.

The Russian official compared the Dien Bien Phu battle with Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) in the great national defence war of the former Soviet Union (now Russia), during which residents of the city overcame hundreds of days and nights of blockade to defeat the fascist army, creating a turning point in the war. Grigoriev underlined that the national will is a decisive factor for victory in any battle.

Another lesson from the Dien Bien Phu Victory, held Grigoriev, is internationalism. The victory was a great encouragement for peoples, especially neighbouring countries, to stand up for independence, firmly believing in the power of will and desire for independence in the fight against colonialism.

Grigoriev said he was deeply impressed by Giap who had a gentle look like a farmer and was the one who commanded the preparation and then achieved the famous victory in 1954. The Russian official said that when he studied more deeply about the general, he understood that he had met a person who dedicated his whole life to fighting for the interests of the Fatherland and the people.

He said that he has always remembers General Giap’s saying that there are limits in military and economics, but no in human relations and sentiments among the people.