Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Signing of Geneva Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam

Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Signing of Geneva Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam

The commemoration ceremony, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, the Ministry of National Defense, and various central committees, agencies and ministries, was organized both in-person and online, connecting with the headquarters of all Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad.

Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Signing of Geneva Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam: Overview of the event.

The ceremony were attended by Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations; Tran Luu Quang, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister; current and former Party and State leaders, leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its units, representatives of the families of the negotiating delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ambassadors, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Hanoi, experts, and historical researchers, etc.

Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Signing of Geneva Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam: Performance to celebrate the event.

In his opening speech, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son emphasized that independence, self-reliance, and territorial integrity are the timeless and unyielding principles that have permeated the thousands of years of nation-building and defense of the Vietnamese people throughout history.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son speaks at the ceremony.

Minister Bui Thanh Son believes that harnessing those fine traditions and characteristics of the nation, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, closely coordinated with political and military fronts, and diplomatic fronts, has always played a crucial role in the national liberation cause, contributing to significant victories, and glorifying the nation's history. From the negotiations to safeguard independence following the August Revolution in 1945, to the negotiations and signing of the Geneva Agreements in 1954, and the negotiations and signing of the Paris Agreement in 1973, they laid the groundwork for Vietnamese people to realize their aspirations for peace, national independence, territorial unity, and prosperous development.

Opening up a new strategic phase

The Foreign Minister reiterated that in the "Appeal after the successful Geneva Conference" on July 22, 1954, President Ho Chi Minh assessed: "The Geneva Conference has concluded. Our diplomacy has achieved a great victory." Indeed, while in the Preliminary Agreement of 1946, Vietnam was only recognized as a free nation, with the Geneva Agreement, the fundamental national rights of Vietnam, including independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, were affirmed in an international agreement with the participation, signing, and recognition of major powers. This is a significant historical victory for Vietnam, the result of the strong and enduring struggle of Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Party during the 9-year resistance war against colonial agression.

The signing of the Geneva Agreement was not only a historical milestone for the nation but also held significance for the era. (Photo: VNA)

The Foreign Minister emphasized that along with the Dien Bien Phu victory, the signing of the Geneva Agreements marked the successful end of Vietnamese people's resistance war against French colonialism, ushering in a new strategic phase of Vietnam's revolution: the construction of socialism in the North and the simultaneous conduct of the national liberation revolution in the South, aiming to fully achieve the goals of peace, national independence, territorial unity, and socialist construction nationwide.

Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Signing of Geneva Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam: The Head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Pham Van Dong, and the Head of the Soviet delegation, V. Molotov. (Source: Getty Images)

The Geneva Conference was the first major multilateral international conference that Vietnam participated in to negotiate and sign international agreements with major powers. In this first participation, Vietnam's revolutionary diplomacy affirmed the spirit, intelligence, resilience, and dignity of a nation with a rich history of thousands of years, the status of an independent, sovereign and peace-loving nation.

The Geneva Agreement is a victory of historical significance because it is not only a victory for the Vietnamese people and the three Indochinese countries but also a common victory for oppressed peoples. The Geneva Agreements strongly inspired colonial peoples and peace-loving people worldwide, instilling confidence in righteousness, morality, and justice, prompting them to rise up and struggle to overthrow colonialism worldwide.

Gratitude and remembrance of contributions

Speaking at the Commemoration Ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized: "In this solemn and emotional atmosphere, we express our boundless gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh and the preceding generations of leaders. We will forever remember the contributions of our fellow citizens and soldiers nationwide who valiantly fought and sacrificed themselves for the independence and freedom of our homeland, contributing to the glorious history of our nation, epitomized by the legendary victory at Dien Bien Phu. We respectfully commemorate the veteran revolutionaries who participated in the negotiations and signing of the Geneva Agreement, contributing to the opening of a new strategic period for the Vietnamese revolution, aiming to achieve the sacred goal of national independence and unity. We sincerely thank and remember the invaluable support and assistance of international friends and peace-loving people worldwide for the righteous national liberation struggle of the Vietnamese people".

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang speaks at the ceremony.

"With the Geneva Agreement, we have brilliantly demonstrated the diplomatic spirit, courage, and identity of Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh era, strongly affirming the message of a Vietnam that loves peace, values justice and righteousness, possesses the will to firmly defend independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and is ready to cooperate and befriend with all countries and peoples in the world," Deputy Prime Minister Quang stated.

The Deputy Prime Minister concluded that the victory at the Geneva Conference is primarily and importantly due to the correct revolutionary path of the Party under the leadership and guidance of President Ho Chi Minh; it is the culmination of the indomitable and persistent struggle spirit of our military and people during the 9-year resistance war, with the pinnacle being the historic victory at Dien Bien Phu; it is the result of the unity, support, and invaluable assistance of friends Laos, Cambodia, China, the Soviet Union, and other socialist brotherly countries, as well as peace-loving people worldwide, including the French people.

Major General Pham Son Duong, the son of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and Head of the delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, speaks at the ceremony.

Major General Pham Son Duong, the son of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and Head of the delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, noted that the presence of the families of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and the fellow members of the Vietnamese Government delegation who participated in the 1954 Geneva Conference demonstrates the recognition by the Fatherland of those who made significant and important contributions to the success of the Geneva Conference and the revolutionary cause of the nation.

Major General Pham Son Duong received flowers at the ceremony.

He recounted his father’s description that President Ho Chi Minh was wise and experienced, who foresaw that Vietnam's participation in the Geneva Conference would encounter tremendous pressure. Despite the victory at Dien Bien Phu and the changes within the French Government and parliament, which presented favorable opportunities for Vietnam, the greatest challenge was the intervention of major powers in the conference.

The Party's and President Ho's approach was to both fight and negotiate to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. The Geneva Agreement was a comprehensive political and military solution to achieve that goal. He shared that President Ho Chi Minh instructed his father to remain steadfast in principle during negotiations while exhibiting flexibility in tactics to compel France to recognize the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Indochinese countries.

Strong torch of peace in the three Indochinese countries

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh speaks at the event.

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh said the Geneva Agreements were a tremendous victory as France and other participating countries pledged, for the first time, to respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indochinese countries.

"The three Indochinese countries, which stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against French colonists, will continue to bolster cooperation and support each other to safeguard national independence and liberty and facilitate economic growth," said the Lao Ambassador.

Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Chea Kimtha speaks at the event.

Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Chea Kimtha cited the Gevena Conference as a testament to the importance of all-stakeholder involvement in resolving international issues. The Conference, she said, was the fruit of a joint effort by the international community to avoid military confrontation amid the far-reaching impact of the Cold War at the time.

"The Geneva Conference issued the Final Declaration urging concerned countries to respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, constituting a major step towards the restoration of peace in Indochina," said the Cambodian Ambassador.

Party and State leaders presented flowers to representatives of the families of the members of the Government delegation who participated in serving, negotiating, signing, and implementing the Geneva Conference.

At the ceremony, Party and State leaders presented flowers and took commemorative photos with representatives of the families of the fellow members of the delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam who participated in serving, negotiating, signing, and implementing the Geneva Conference.

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