French Defense Minister Lecornu visits wartime relics in Dien Bien Phu

(6 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam - 6 May 2024
1. French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu arriving at the site of a wartime bunker where General Christian de Castries surrendered after the fall of Dien Bien Phu
2. Lecornu entering bunker
3. Bunker exterior
4. Various of Lecornu listening to guide inside bunker
5. Close of map
6. Lecornu inside bunker
7. Various of Lecornu walking outside bunker
8. Various of Lecornu viewing old weaponary
STORYLINE:
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited a bunker on Monday preserved after the Dien Bien Phu battle in Vietnam, where the French colonial army was defeated by Vietnamese troops 70 years ago.

Lecornu is also scheduled to attend a ceremony to mark the military event.

The preserved bunker of Commander General Christian de Castries, now reinforced with cement and covered with a roof, is the location where de Castries surrendered, ending the fierce battle of nearly two months.

Lecornu also visited preserved artillery positions.

When Dien Bien Phu fell, it was the decisive point that ended French colonial rule after almost a century.

It also led to the division of the country into North and South, paving the way to the United States’ involvement in the costly war in Vietnam that lasted over two decades.

AP video shot by Hau Dinh

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected].

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...