Why France Lost The Battle of Dien Bien Phu 1954 (4K Documentary)

[@realtimehistory]

Get Nebula with 40% off annual subscription with my link: go.nebula.tv/realtimehistory Watch Red Atoms on Nebula: nebula.tv/redatoms

[@koharumi1]

Please use more Vietnamese sources too. It seems like you only used western sources, which creates a skewered perspective.

[@Kab-x7z]

​@@koharumi1Viet Nam sources usually are fake or exaggerated

[@nickrobl]

Minor issue, LBJ was Senate Minority Leader at the time, not House.

[@scotttyson7970]

Now we have Joe Biden trying to destroy U.SA

[@user-qz9hc7rg7b]

oh I thought that's a diet cereal

[@nikkirosenbek5471]

Personally, I think Vietnam's history is probably the most intriguing in the world because it's unique and unusual. The Mongols according to historians are still regarded as the mightiest, deadliest and most feared military force of all time even though they existed more than 8 centuries ago. The Mongol army of roughly 200,000 troops was able to wipe out all the powerful Chinese dynasties and finally successfully conquered the entire China with a population of over 180 million people in the 13th century! With its unbeatable army, the mighty Mongol Empire peaked its power under the command of the legendary Mongol general and statesman Kublai Khan controlling roughly 28 million sq. km of territory from the Pacific Ocean to central Europe, which is 3 times as large as the land area of the present day China and almost double that of Great Russia. However, even the mighty Mongol Empire had been unable to conquer the teeny tiny Southeast Asian country known as Dai Viet! It's said looks can be deceiving. In the bloody Bach Dang River battle in 1288, the Vietnamese army led by the Vietnamese Prince Hung Dao triumphantly defeated the unbeatable Mongol army, twice its size and completely sank the entire fleet of Mongol giant warships. The Bach Dang River battle has been the outstanding and incomparable naval battle ultimately destroying the last Mongol invasion of Dai Viet. The fact that the Vietnamese prince had fully understood the natural scientific phenomenon of the rising and falling tides of the Bach Dang river and placed the wooden stakes along the river bed to impale and destroy the Yuan China's naval fleet, has been a mystery challenging and intriguing modern historians' understanding. How could the Vietnamese ancestors known as the one and only people in human history more than 1,000 years ago, come up with such an ingenious and unique strategy to totally crush their powerful invaders including the mightiest and deadliest Mongol army? In fact, the unbeatable Mongol army being bitterly defeated 3 times by the Vietnamese people in the 13th century, eventually ended Genghis Khan's dream of conquering the entire world and forever changed the course of the world history. Again in the 20th century, emulating his ancestor's battle on the Bach Dang River against the invading armies of the Mongol Empire and the Han Chinese dynasties over 600 years ago, the legendary Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap's Dien Bien Phu Battle on land against the French in 1954, in fact brought an end to a 120 year domination of the French colonialism in Indochina, which eternally changed the course of human history leading to one of the bloodiest wars of the 20th century-the Vietnam War. In the Vietnam War known to the Vietnamese people as the Great Patriotic War to unify North and South Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Trail system is considered "one of the great achievements of 20th century military technology", according to the US National Security Agency. Military experts added, The legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail running from North to South Vietnam, has been considered a strategic feat, and a unique phenomenon in contemporary world military history. The trail with the length of more than 20,000km (over 12,500 miles) cutting through forests and mountains, is a magnificent construction project in human military history. The Ho Chi Minh Trail is the symbol of the indomitable will of the Vietnamese people to determine to overcome all the brutality of war and all the deadly obstacles of harsh nature on the vast mountains and in the dense forests despite the fact that more than 20,000 Vietnamese soldiers had lost their lives, 6,000 are still missing in action, and more than 30,000 were seriously wounded to keep the vital trail open under the overwhelming pressure of more than 4 million tons of the carpet bombing by the B-52 aircraft. The Ho Chi Minh Trail represents the Vietnamese people's desire for independence, freedom and the national unification. Things change and the world changes, but their iron will to unify their war-torn country as one nation, is forever engraved in stone. In the past, even after a 1,000-year domination, all the powerful Chinese Han dynasties had utterly bitterly failed to assimilate the Vietnamese into the Han Chinese. And big and populous China with over 4.000 years, is still unable to conquer Vietnam. Vietnam is still Vietnam standing tall today. In his book Ending the Vietnam War in Vietnam, Henry Kissinger (RIP) - former US secretary of state and national security adviser wrote: "Since Vietnam, the concept of power has radically changed." "Vietnam represented a unique situation, geographically, ethnically, politically, militarily and diplomatically," he wrote in the memorandum, which was declassified in 1998.

[@phuongmai7920]

Such a great comment ! I got goosebump while reading yours ! Your sharp words describing the history of Vietnam under the eyes of a foreigner make has truly inspired me, as a Vietnamese person ! What we have learned from books is worldwide validated !!!

[@t0x1n9]

really appreciated this

[@lambda.403]

Your comment is much better than our history book at school. Thank you a lot.

[@NegiSpf]

Funny thing is, it wasn't the first time an invading fleet was wiped out in that exact manner on Bach Dang river either. King Ngo Quyen was the OG spike user on that river, beating the soul out of the Southern Han army in 938.

[@anlandtank3104]

im wondering if you're Vietnamese writing this comment

[@christerprestberg3973]

Having read several books about the battle, the one thing that always amazes me is the sheer logistics for the vietnamese at the battle, and the insane work put in by the porters.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

I recall a story that the Viet Minh were hauling an artillery piece up a steep hill when they lost their grip and the gun started to slide back down. One Viet Minh, rather than have to watch his comrades haul it all the way back up the hill, threw himself under the wheel of the gun to stop it from falling. He was killed, but the gun made it to the top of the hill that day. Dedication.

[@charlesharper2357]

@@Conn30Mtenor As the old folk saying goes "It ain't the size of the dog in the fight...it's the size of the fight in the dog".

[@tonystack1622]

​@@Conn30MtenorI remember reading that 30 years ago, do you remember the name of that book?

[@Pivotcong2000]

@@Conn30Mtenor The guy's name is To Vinh Dien, and he's hailed as a national hero today. Pretty damn heroic what he did I'd say.

[@generalhorse493]

they also used elephants to help out, as did their ancestors when fighting the Chinese

[@realSonNguyen]

Do you know why the Viet Minh had artillery at Dien Bien Phu? Because the Vietnamese army brought all the artillery here, completely with bare hands. No helicopters, no trucks, no tanks. All with bare hands. The Vietnamese army created roads through the mountains specifically for pulling artillery into Dien Bien Phu. They pulled the 2.4-ton cannons with bare hands and ropes up 40-degree slopes. Each cannon required 50, even 100 people to pull it. A total of at least 24 105mm M2A1 howitzers entered the battlefield in this way along with many 37mm M1939 (61-K) guns.

[@realSonNguyen]

"If we look more widely, there is no army in this world that pulls a 2.4-ton cannon up a mountain. Only the Vietnamese army did it." Phạm Đức Cư - Veteran of the 367th anti-aircraft artillery regiment.

[@rishishard4742]

Truly on of the greatest fighting forces in the 20th century. Respect to the viet minh forever

[@33TVWVL]

As if that's not impressive enough, let's remember back then their average height was just around 160cm, and food wasn't abundant so they probably didn't get to eat enough. And yet, they'd managed to accomplish all that and WON!!!

[@dataradio]

Bọn Bắc Việt là đánh tay sai cho Trung Quốc để chống lại Pháp

[@blooketracoon]

Here we have schools named Tô Vĩnh Diện. He was the person who jumped UNDER THE WHEEL of a cannon to stop it from rolling down the hill when the rope that was securing the cannon to the people broke.

[@user-qz9hc7rg7b]

It's like that fridge commercial back in the day "How do you put an elephant in the fridge? You open the fridge and you stick it in". The Viet Minh was like "How do you put a bunch of artillery pieces on top of hills without trucks? You pull them by hands".

[@DuongLeAccountingAutomate]

Nobody cares about the lackluster the Americsn war, and again nobody asks

[@TheNameless_Whisper]

​@@DuongLeAccountingAutomate what ? Did they need your permission or your mom ?

[@31.oxuanquangminh17]

100th like🎉🎉🎉

[@user-qz9hc7rg7b]

@@peacefulamerican4994 tell me more about that, I didn't know that lee and grant was pals before the civil war?

[@user-qz9hc7rg7b]

@@peacefulamerican4994 didnt grant have lee’s sword for a long time then he got broke and had to sell it off?

[@lilykimlenia2663]

My grandmother's youngest sister secretly joined the Viet Minh army after her family prevented her from doing so because she was too young. Occasionally she would send letters to her family to reassure everyone, but then one day we could no longer find any information about her. Some people believe that she participated in supporting the battle of Dien Bien Phu. We never knew where or how she died, and we were never able to find her remains.

[@kvnrthr1589]

What's even more impressive is how recently the Vietnamese army was created at this time. 10 years before they were at most a few thousand lightly armed guerillas, but they were able to build a very skilled and motivated force that by 1954 was capable to take on the very best French units. While they did have a lot of outside help in training and equipment, without motivation and skill, all those resources could just be wasted (see the Afghan army the US spent billions of dollars and 20 years to build, collapsing to small bands of Taliban...).

[@lehoang3532]

There's a mistake in your line. The Vietnamese army was formed "10 years before", yes, but if you consider the month, it would be closer to 9 and a half year. Furthermore, the "regular" or "main lineage" of the army begins with fewer than 50 people. Yes, fewer than 50. Including 2 women and having fewer than a dozen rifles. Source: I'm a Vietnamese.

[@kevinduong337]

It probably helped that the Viet Minh had some Japanese instructors for Quang Ngai Military Academy, and later had Chinese advisors (CMAG) to develop them as an army. Kind of reminds me of von Steuben in the American Revolution. Also in the 1920s, Ho Chi Minh sent revolutionaries to study at the Chinese Whampoa Military Academy, training future officers such as Major General Nguyen Son.

[@shaider1982]

It's more like the Afghan Army "collapsing into small bands of Taliban".

[@danielefabbro822]

"the best french units" is such pretending statement. French never trained their soldiers to fight in jungles. Only modern Foreign Legion does it because it have to operate in such environments. But the rest of French forces just operate in Africa, mostly in sub-sahara regions and a bit for European battlefields. If you put a french soldier on top of a mountain he will die starving and by hypotermia in just few hours.

[@garystu9878]

⁠@@lehoang3532when you’re dealing with periods of time like decades (10 years), 6 months is in most cases a rounding error.

[@toaninh9120]

My grandfather fought in Dien Bien Phu. They sent him China to learn how to drive a truck, and later on he drove soldiers and supplies to the battlefield. He got bombed twice, survived with a piece of shrapnel inside his leg

[@khanhnguyenquang2808]

thank your grandfather for the sacrifice

[@mich722]

@@khanhnguyenquang2808 He had no choice.

[@thanhhoangnguyen4754]

⁠@@mich722 Like everyone else but then again this was because the French didn’t give us any better choice for us.

[@mich722]

@@thanhhoangnguyen4754 If the North Viets weren't communist they could have avoided all this and gained recognition from the world, who would have been on their side and sympathetic to them. Their biggest mistake was choosing communism.

[@WingkKong]

@@mich722 If the North was not communist The North could not organize a powerful army to defeat the french If You did not have a powerful army you really have nothing to Bargain with the French

[@DangTheNguyen]

My grandfather fought in Dien Bien Phu for Viet Minh, he still has a bullet in his back till he died in 2016, he told me stories about battles many times and always inspired me

[@namanhnguyenhoang2695]

woah , ông của anh bạn cũng phải lớn tuổi phết

[@lynch8067]

Bullet in his back proves that he got shot while withdrawing?

[@shoeofobama6091]

@@lynch8067 he could have turned around for any number of reasons, its not like soldiers fight battles facing towards whoever is shooting at them the entire time

[@DangTheNguyen]

@@lynch8067 The battlefield of Điện Biên Phủ at that time consisted of many strongpoints on hills with fortifications on high ground. My grandfather said that while capturing a hill, French bullets from another hill were fired to support the defense, but it could also have been bullets from friendly fire. Who knows? 😂

[@itssomeoneelse]

@@lynch8067 Even in Call of Duty you can get a bullet to your back from a bot LMAO. This was a real war. You got shot and cut from everywhere.

[@user-zj5dv6fi1i]

I really can't describe my love to vietnam, long live brothers 🇩🇿❤️🇻🇳

[@ManhIMT6789]

🇻🇳✌️

[@syletrong5168]

Cảm ơn bạn. Đất nước Ageria cũng rất kiên cường khi dành được độc lập năm 1962 và đội bóng Ageria cũng đã tạo nên kỳ tích ở WC 1982. Sau chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ vào đầu tháng 5/1954 thì đến đầu tháng 11/1954 những con người yêu nước Ageria đã họp lại với 6 vị lãnh tụ và quyết định đi theo con đường khởi nghĩa vũ trang để dành độc lập, như cách mà người dân Việt Nam đã dành lại độc lập với chiến thắng Điện Biên Phủ lịch sử. Năm 1946 trên đường qua Pháp thì chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh từng ghé qua Algeria và nói rằng: Algeria không nên khởi nghĩa vũ trang thời điểm đó, bởi Algeria chỉ cách Pháp 2 tiếng bay, việc chi viện của quân Pháp rất nhanh chóng có thể dập tắt các cuộc khởi nghĩa ở Algeria. Hãy chờ Việt Nam đánh thắng Pháp rồi người dân Algeria hãy đứng lên dành độc lập. Và như một lời tiên tri của chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh, dân tộc Việt Nam đã làm nên chiến thắng Điện Biên Phủ chấn động thế giới năm 1954, làm lung lay tận gốc rễ chủ nghĩa thực dân đế quốc. Từ đó hơn 40 quốc gia châu Phi đứng lên dành lại độc lập và đặc biệt năm 1960 có 17 quốc gia dành lại độc lập. Đến năm 1962 thì Algeria dành lại được độc lập, các bạn đã chiến đấu vũ trang và dành lại độc lập hoàn toàn cho dân tộc Algeria. Những người Algeria rất kiên cường, anh dũng đã dạy cho Pháp thêm một bài học. Đó là những gì tôi được biết về những người anh em Algeria xa xôi. Cảm ơn vì đã yêu mến đất nước Việt Nam của chúng tôi. Respect Algeria 🇻🇳🤝🇩🇿 ♥️

[@user-zj5dv6fi1i]

@@syletrong5168 respect brother 🇩🇿❤️🇻🇳

[@lc5698]

Sounds like you have resentment because of common destiny getting independence from a French colonizer. Besides that, being part of an Islamic country and calling brothers a somehow fully atheist country sounds like going against your faith... isn't it ?

[@user-zj5dv6fi1i]

@@lc5698 it is not, in algeria we have atheists and christians too and we live in total peace and harmony

[@HubertBidault]

BRILLIANT commentary ! As a 6 years old French child in 1954 I have heard the name < Dien Bien Phu > so many times . First time I reallly understand what was going on at the geopolitical level

[@alaincy3395]

Điều đó có nghĩa là bạn đang hướng tới sinh nhật lần thứ 76 của bạn

[@oxuanhieu7452]

"The biggest fear of a true Vietnamese people is the fear of losing country"..remember it

[@Jett_in_CS]

@@mrobam112 chỉ những người đu càng mới ko hiểu được nỗi sợ mất nước thôi.

[@khangle1548]

​@@mrobam112 đảng cộng sản, cộng hòa hay dân chủ :) miễn Bắc Nam về một nhà, đất nước được thái bình là được.

[@thegrayyernaut]

@@mrobam112 It doesn't matter to the people (I repeat, the PEOPLE) which government and political alignment leads them, as long as they lead them to the liberation of their country.

[@congialap]

​@@mrobam112 lúc đó không có quân việt minh thì tụi mày có được độc lập không hay làm nô lệ cho pháp ,nên nhớ lúc đó quân việt minh là dân

[@Tinhxpear]

@@mrobam112 trong khi bọn tao hi sinh rất nhiều thứ để giành được độc lập từ Pháp thì kali chúng mày còn chưa ra đời

[@phungquyen3511]

0:17 The French wanted a final decisive battle in Dien Bien Phu, they got exactly that. The battle was final and decisive, just not in the French's favor.

[@manilajohn0182]

The Vietnamese were greatly underestimated- by both France and the United States. We both lost as a result.

[@bunkerkorpf1440]

The battle wasn't a strategic defeat actually. France could have continued the war for years. Remember, France didn't send any reservist in Indochina, only a part of its professionnal army. "Luckily", it was still a complete tactical and political defeat, and France finally found someone courageous enough to stop the colonialist bs here (4th republic was pretty instable).

[@pedalevaaaa4172]

​@@manilajohn0182Le gouvernement Français peut-être mais pas les hommes dans la verte

[@everburn]

Because French military efforts were being bankrolled by the us.​@@bunkerkorpf1440

[@kensvay4561]

The propaganda that this was communism is bollocks. The Viets wanted their country back.

[@TheGQBrotha]

I always admire the sheer resilience of the Vietnamese to fight for their independence time and time again against larger, powerful foes in its history.

[@michaelmcgovern8110]

"People would rather be misruled by their own than well ruled by others." - Byron Farwell

[@joshuafrimpong244]

@@michaelmcgovern8110 Sums up every country well

[@charlesharper2357]

It would make a lot more sense having them as allies than enemies...

[@michaelmcgovern8110]

@@charlesharper2357 Read history: not so easy.

[@boadebate4320]

@@michaelmcgovern8110Vietnam was not well ruled under France.

[@lebien4554]

"Don't worry guys, our air force can totally resupply a surrounded garrison". Sounds like someone hasn't been paying attention in class...

[@VersusARCH]

Demyansk... Imphal...

[@viethoangtruong54]

Stalingrad flashback lol

[@rooftopcat1785]

the viets cut that base up piece work, air support against monsoon in the highlands to boot, no viz. The world knew this was it, remain in indo or get expelled. It is suggested that giap was pressured to sacrifice his men,and Pour them off by the thousands, to appease china, Ho and giap were nationalist china did not lik that. the french had thousands killed more than the US.

[@billyshane3804]

Where's Hermann Goring when you need him!!

[@genaro5766]

Stalingrad , of course .

[@dr.woozie7500]

My grandfather was a soldier at Dien Bien Phu on the Viet Minh side. He was a very skilled mapper so he was part of a scouting mission tasked to watch French movements from only 200 meters away.

[@Etzellll]

Glory to your grandfather

[@jamesringo7070]

​@cjclark1208 it does sound shallow, especially when you consider the US was asked to intervene by S. Vietnam. Nor is it what you would call a democracy then or now.

[@pudanielson1]

@@cjthebeesknees Well, South Vietnam existed because of what happened after, and many were a part of the Viet Minh before they grew disallusioned with the Communist leadership. What came after Dien Bien Phu was a lot of shooting of landlords and execution of religious figures in North Vietnam, this is why a million fled south.,

[@pudanielson1]

@@jamesringo7070 Vietnam is free, it is also not a democratic state. Barack Obama visited many human rights activists in Vietnam on his trip, most of them are now jailed or exiled.

[@quangminhnguyen2504]

​@@pudanielson1What can you justified for landlord's brutality for centuries, which exist during the Vietnamese dynasty, long before France finds Indochina. And South VN was never free at all (Diem's family control much of the government system, those opposed was purged out, with Communists & suspected Communisted beheaded in French revolution Terror style), and ask for help? Yeah right, US had long since try to turn VN into another Korea as soon as Geneva was signed, so with or without South's request, they would come anyway. BTW, human rights activists just called lies against us, they just wanted stupid chaos like at Middle East, where everyday is a war day. Oh and about religion? How about i talk about Diem's anti-Buddhism policies ok? Favor many Roman Catholic, Christian & Protestan. Shooting protested Buddhist monks at Hue in summer 63. Yeah, how is that freedom? Stop justify U.S. actions on us ok? We only wanted independence, not communism ok? Thanks a lot, Truman, for pushing our leader Ho Chi Minh into a corner where the only escape trapdoor named "Communism" is available, seal our fate in history forever.

[@0202068103]

In 1966, Moshe Dayan visited Vietnam as a journalist. He gained, and shared, a lot of insights about the American military adventure being undertaken there. One of his comments was that any soldiers that could move heavy pieces of artillery up and down mountains, without any mechanical help, would be "a formidable enemy."

[@caratmap3333]

I heard Moshe Dayan once also told the US that "Let the Vietnamese live under communism, then they will be anti-communists". But I can't find the source for this quote, do you have any lead? Thanks in advance.

[@thuyluong5925]

​@@caratmap3333still no sign of anti communism... Weird huh?

[@nguyentandung42]

⁠​⁠@@thuyluong5925it was only real communism in the war and for a few years after. Turns out communism does not promote creativity and economic activity, that’s why our government shifted to a more socialist economy in the 80s and it has stayed like that since. The fact that you can work in a privately owned corporation is proof of that. This change was why we and China survived while the Soviet union died.

[@nguyentandung42]

To put it into perspective, communism is great for a war because a common enemy gives people motivation to work and produce. In peace times it is bad because it makes people lazier, there is no incentive to be better because everyone is equal anyway so why work harder, when people could be better they seek to be better because it will benefit them and their family.

[@thuyluong5925]

@@nguyentandung42 capitalism + communism = nice

[@kissboss2005]

My grandfather brother was taken by force from Algeria to Vietnam, he survived this battle and when returned to Algeria, the revolution has already started there, so he immediately joined it and was killed by napalm in 1958

[@nicholasgutierrez9940]

F

[@ahmedakhan1]

Respect to your grandfather's brother! A hero of Algeria!

[@Deadassbruhfrfr]

Rest is peace. He's definitely a hero.

[@ForeskinWillis]

deserved

[@Trgn]

As Viet, respect to him for fighting for Algerian independence.

Vietnamese people fight to protect what is theirs, for them the Fatherland is more important than death... And the French and Americans fight to regain things that are not theirs, it is unjust. .. The fighting motivation of the Vietnamese people is limitless, so it is inevitable that they will win, sooner or later!... I am Vietnamese!... 🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳

[@LLF-]

Anyway, you lost France to deal with China and Russia. Nice deal. I don't know who is the worst, but surely there are no winners for the price paid by both sides in this battle, especially when the war seems over shortly before the attacks. This amount of deaths was not necessary.

@@LLF- Become Chinese? What you said made me laugh, you guys have been confused by the media, let's learn about Vietnam's history again... It's true that the price to pay for this war is too high, but if Saying who is right and who is wrong is ridiculous. Isn't it right for France to send troops to invade Vietnam?

[@henrynguyen5910]

@@LLF-become Chinese? You sure haven’t read enough

[@vantuyen7052]

​@@LLF- "Become Chinese"? "This amount of deaths is not necessery"? Are you sure? Are you French? Look at the fourteen Africa contries! The French came and brought exploitation but no glory to An Nam!

[@ad3l547]

Not only France and USA. Don't forget Japan, China and Mongolia.

[@khiemnguyentrong1677]

In the lyrics of the song “ Singing Marching Songs Forever” there‘s a line: Even though my life likes roses. Our enemies force us to hold our guns.

[@ManhIMT6789]

Quyết tử cho Tổ Quốc quyết sinh.❤❤

[@stavrosk.2868]

The French, Chinese, Americans lost. The Vietnamese are fantastic warriors. It is what it is.

[@beautychill1130]

plus the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan

[@thuankhong]

Vietnam's history is a history of wars for thousands of years

[@BH02377]

The U.S. didn’t lose. They didn’t win either and by the time they decided to leave it took the Vietnamese 3 years to take the south.

[@kennylast2565]

@@BH02377 Vietnamese achieved it's objective at the end. U.S did not achieved it's objective at the end. What part of lose do you not understand?

[@TheBucketSkill]

@@kennylast2565 Americans killed so many of them they never felt like they lost, but it did feel like they won in the end.

[@TungPham-vp6py]

The magical of this battle is how Vietnam force can transport the artillery and heavy equipment to that place in an unimaginable amount of time. As you can see on the map, Điện Biên Phủ is a valley is surrounded and full covered by very high mountain. The French destroy all the road connect to the place and air supply is the only way left to support the place. In the French's plan, they prepared for the attack by infantry, they will continues developing the base while defending it. They believed that they could build a really powerful stronghold by the time Vietnam force can rebuild the road that they destroyed before they jump in. But they were shocked by artillery attack at beginning of battle. Vietnam force did not repair any damaged road they created a new way to transport all equipment under the trees, through the forest and up to the top of mountains by man power only. The French air support did not observed any activity to rebuild the damaged road so The French believed Vietnam force can not come to attack them soon and by heavy gun power.

[@blabberer8950]

Are you Vietnamese? Did you have any family who fought with or against the French? Those were some of the best light infantry soldiers in the world at the time that they defeated.

[@TungPham-vp6py]

@@blabberer8950 Yes, I am Vietnamese and my grand father was the Vietnam's infantry in this battle in 1954.

[@blabberer8950]

@@TungPham-vp6py That is a brave man. Did he survive both the French and Americans?

[@TungPham-vp6py]

@@blabberer8950 Yes, he survived Dien Bien Phu battle but got injury. Then he had been transferred to supporting department during the period time of conflict with American.

[@blabberer8950]

@@TungPham-vp6py My dad was with the 101st and fought in the A'Shau Valley among other places. Has mad respect for the NVA Warriors.

[@user-qh9hq2fc9p]

Perhaps the best documentary about the battle of Dien Bien Phu. Excellent work!

[@josephkrupp7430]

As an American Vietnam vet I understand the determination of the Vietnamese people. The things I learnd were they just want to catch their fish, grow their rice (many other things also) and be thier independent people.

[@fortpark-wd9sx]

Agree. For them, national sovereignty was the priority. After the 1990s, they may be wary of China but they will not allow themselves to be used as a battering ram against China by the neo-cons. The neo-cons and some grandkids of Saigon exiles just do not get it. They are still talking about some US-Vietnam alliance against China,

[@marcbuisson2463]

​@@fortpark-wd9sxit's quite funny and a bit ironic that the future of the vietnamese-american relationship will be decided by how the communist vietnamese government feels threatened by China. We can probably even say that it will be the chinese policies who will make a vietnamese-american alliance a reality or a dream. Not sure if the control of the south China Sea is worth it for China in these conditions, but hey. We're not chinese policy-makers.

[@minhphamzz7746]

​@@fortpark-wd9sxbạn nói thế thì lũ vong nô Sài Gòn buồn lắm

[@phambadien650]

​@@fortpark-wd9sxHow do you know so well? . In early 2023, the neo-weak group incited terrorist groups to kill many civilians in the Central Highlands of VN

[@ennui9745]

@@fortpark-wd9sx Whether there will be a US-Vietnam alliance against China is Vietnam's decision to make, not yours. The fact that most Vietnamese feel friendlier towards the Americans today than towards the Chinese should tell you something. The Americans were at war with Vietnam once for a decade, the Chinese have tried to invade and subjugate Vietnam repeatedly, and once did it for a thousand years before getting kicked out. Bit of a difference there. But you sound suspicious anyway, probably a Chinese propagandist trying to spin things.

[@namelesscurmudgeon9794]

When the Australian Army trained me as an officer (early 1980s) we studied several battles that were examples of what to not do. This battle was one of them.

[@pacmanmcgavin7034]

Like the Australian army is capable of anything...

[@namelesscurmudgeon9794]

@@pacmanmcgavin7034 You need to read some history. Apparently, you know nothing of value.

[@pacmanmcgavin7034]

I'm ex-Australian and British army... I've lived more military history than you'll ever know. Anything else? @@namelesscurmudgeon9794

[@JeremySayers38]

Yes me too, Dien Ben Paul was a textbook example of failure of defence. Losing the key ground not the main ground.

[@nobodynothing00000]

@@namelesscurmudgeon9794 then explain Gallipoli, you brilliant soldier of a man, you

[@SirWilliamKidney]

I was crossing my fingers for this video after the last one left on something of a cliffhanger... awesome job as always RTH!

[@realtimehistory]

and next one is already next week

[@MinhVo-ig7no]

Navarre wrote a letter to General Võ Nguyên Giáp challenging him to attack Dien Bien Phu since he is so confident that this fortress is impossible to conquer. As we all know, General Giáp accepted the challenge, and the rest is history.

[@didierdenice7456]

Never heard about this. Any source or link, please ?

[@MinhVo-ig7no]

@@didierdenice7456 the letter is written in Vietnamese. And my mistake. It was De Castries who wrote the invitation, not Navarre.

[@brunol-p_g8800]

@@MinhVo-ig7no even if it is in Vietnamese, any link?

[@phamkhacdong2050]

​@@brunol-p_g8800Pháp đã rải truyền đơn bằng máy bay khắp các tỉnh phía bắc của Việt Nam và có hình ảnh trong link.

[@ucnguyenanh9414]

​@@didierdenice7456Pamphlets via aircrafts.

[@xenhacmusic]

🇻🇳I am Vietnamese Our people are learning history at school since childhood. American war. France. China 1979 We don't care who our opponents are. Only when the enemy comes to your house to fight you. Americans and French people can go to Mars, but when we go to Vietnam, we are not sure we can return I am the child of a wounded veteran and a gold star military nurse 

[@RSF-DiscoveryTime]

I am an American of 63yrs and to this day I am amazed at Gen. Giap dragging 100 cannons up mountains at Dien Bien Phu. The French forces did not even BOTHER to send patrols out. You never do that in such a situation. The French died as Invaders, and sadly most of my American countrymen did too, but they were forced to serve (draft) or lied to by U.S. politicians like LBJ.

[@xenhacmusic]

Tôi người việt nam. 🇻🇳Nếu Người mỹ bị xâm lược thì cũng như chúng tôi sinh ra nhiều anh hùng. Bít địch biết ta trăm trận trăm thắng. Chiến tranh thắng vì lòng dân tộc. Giá đình họ. Việt Nam không thích chiến tranh. Chúng tôi yêu hoà bình. Tù binh phí công mỹ. Ở trong tù được trợ cấp ăn hơn cả bộ đội việt Nam. Vì chúng tôi muốn đàm phán không muốn chiến tranh. Hãy ngừng bắn.

[@thanhthuyang9697]

​@@RSF-DiscoveryTime.❤❤❤ fr VietNam. 🇻🇳🇻🇳.Now. We are Friends. Not war, enlesss Peace

[@syletrong5168]

​@@RSF-DiscoveryTime​ Tướng Giáp kéo pháo vào những thời điểm mà quân Pháp ít cho máy bay đi tuần tra và kéo pháo vào cả ban đêm. Quần Pháp vẫn cho máy bay tuần tra thường xuyên và chụp hàng nghìn bức ảnh từ máy bay để do thám, và mật thám Pháp cũng biết chúng tôi đang kéo pháo. Một điều nữa là khi vừa kéo pháo vào trận địa thì tướng Giáp chuyển cách đánh nên chúng tôi lại phải kéo pháo ra ngoài. Người Mỹ cung cấp 80% chiến phí cho Pháp tại Điện Biên Phủ, xây dựng pháo đài kiên cố nhất từ trước đến nay. Điện Biên Phủ là cứ điểm cực kỳ kiên cố nên quân Pháp rất tự tin, và họ còn có thêm lực lượng không quân hỗ trợ. Tướng Pirot người giỏi nhất về pháo binh của Pháp còn tự tin khẳng định " Việt Minh sẽ không bắn nổi 3 phát đạn pháo" và kết quả thì ai cũng biết rồi.

[@nhanhchay2447]

Muốn thắng người mạnh hơn mình gấp trăm lần thì mình phải làm được những việc mà người khác không làm được. Đó là dân tộc VN và đại tướng Võ Nguyên Giáp của chúng tôi.❤❤

[@abdoularedj8183]

I remember playing a game called 7554 which had a campaign based on the war against France in Vietnam and it was so great and i loved so much 🇩🇿🤝🇻🇳

[@t0x1n9]

ayo mad respect for playing 7554 lol

[@abdoularedj8183]

@@t0x1n9 thx bro

[@tuanminh4d]

As a Vietnamese, i must confirm that we didnt win just by strategies but also the will of a whole nation.

[@cuongo2385]

both of my grandfathers fought and survive here. My ancestors did the impossible. May I also get their blessing to achieve the impossible just like them. Cheers for your vid

[@realtimehistory]

thanks for sharing your story and supporting our work

[@siljeff2708]

So many youtubers covering France vs Vietnam lately, definitely an anniversary afoot

[@diegoragot655]

Can you please mention a few?

[@havu-oj4qh]

There are no anniversary dates with France recently

[@generalhorse493]

Growing up us American kids aren't taught to connect the dots when it comes to history. We of course learned the story of the Vietnam war through Forrest Gump and such, but we didn't learn about the road that led us there.

[@toangomo]

a well-research Documentary except A few things need to be corrected. - He only use Western history sources while ignoring Vietnamese sources. This creates some misinformation on the tactical level from the Vietnamese perspective. This includes how story are told. The French appeared more humane than their Communist Viet Minh counterpart. - About cassuaties of both sides: He again used all western source with exactly number of French cassuatíe vs a estimate number: "Viet Minh Casuaties may be high as 30.000". So after nearly 70 years of that battle. It's still so hard to find out the cassuaties number of Viet Minh? They reported 4.020 dead, 792 missing, 9.118 wounded. - Je quoted a Chinese general about unlimited artillery shells from China. But he ignore the fact that Viet Minh only had 10 000 shells and later capture more than 10 000 while fighting in Dien Bien Phu from the French. They fired around 17000 shells in the battle, while the French fired more than 110 000. It's 6 to 1 advantage for French artillery. The Viet Minh lack of shells that if a division want to fire more than 5 shells, they must be approved by Giap himself. With a Chinese general quote you mentioned, it's very easy for the audiences think that the Viet Minh had unlimited supply while French were at shortage.

[@pointofinterest9084]

@@toangomo only one thing to consider: every single estimate that came from Viet Minh and Viet Cong as well as their opponents were between the exaggerration and outright lie, which is proven by the claims of both sides during Vietnam War, so ultra-skeptical neutral estimates are often used. To know the truth - you'll have to dig up entire cluster of mountains and count. Before that we take skeptical guess.

[@user-li6es1so1k]

There was a joint French/Vietnamese film production on the battle called "Diet Bien Phu." The film was released in the early-1990s with dialogue in both French and Vietnamese. IIRC the film was fairly well received. The film was eventually released on either DVD or Blu-Ray, but not in the US AFAIK. I managed to catch the film in a theater while in Hong Kong, where it was subtitled in both Chinese and English. (This was back when HK was still a British territory.). It's worth seeing if you can track it down.

[@saifulsidek2724]

That film 90% accurate based on who fighting at both sides at this tien bien phu battles,worth to watching this film....not like us film,just them win at every battles...

[@marcbuisson2463]

​@@saifulsidek2724Schoendoerffer, the film director, was a veteran of the battle, and at the time a cameraman for the french army.

[@saifulsidek2724]

@@marcbuisson2463 oh yeah? No wonder that film so accurate,he is recording what really happen that day i guess...

[@kolerick]

there is a live torrent for it on yts

[@richdouglas2311]

This was superb. I read Stanley Karnow's book on Vietnam, but STILL learned things from this video. Bravo!

[@pimpompoom93726]

The French people did not support an overseas war whose main objective was to protect wealthy French landowners in Indochina.

[@TheThailightZone]

It is often forgotten that America lost Korean & Vietnamese wars. This is why you don't see documentaries about these wars/battles promoted much in the USA.

[@That90sShow]

USA has never won a war bud

[@owlfighter4377]

Technically no won or lost the Korean War has it is still on going. It just in a cease fire currently.

[@maiquanghuy8807]

I wouldn't say the US lost the Korean war though

[@asmodeus0454]

The Korean War was a stalemate and ended the way it had started.

[@luctran9295]

Thắng là vua, thua làm phim. Nước Mĩ là như thế.

[@joachimgoethe7864]

Viet Minh artillery was placed on the far side of the mountains, firing over the peaks into the valley. Spotters at the top adjusted that fire. No surprise French counter batteries were ineffective.

[@g.t.richardson6311]

Actually many were on the face , they dug in and only the tube stuck out, zeroed in designated targets , near Elaine they dug thru and had tunnels with automatic weapons and recoiless rifles , the French called those hills old baldy and phony mountain

[@dungduc4047]

Nhưng bạn có biết cách nào mà người Việt Nam chúng tôi đưa được những khẩu pháo nặng hàng trục tấn lên các đỉnh núi cao vậy không? Trong khi kéo pháo lên đồi thì máy bay Pháp luôn lượn lờ tìm kiếm và thả bom, những cơn mưa làm cho dốc đồi thêm trơn trượt nhưng ý trí không mệt mỏi và sự sáng tạo đã đem đên thành công như vậy.😊

[@bluecheese20401]

The bravery of the guys that jumped into a lost battle is spectacular. If you read detailed stories, it's nuts.

[@user-xq6se9uc1g]

The British had already defeated the Vietnamese in 1945 for the loss of 40 troops.

[@tuanz8009]

@@user-xq6se9uc1g that was their fight im Malaya. Lol.

[@Pyjamarama11]

I don't think they had a choice It's called following orders or face a Court Martial

[@richardgreen7811]

In 1969 I was flown (helicopter) West of An Khe toward Pleiku on Route 19. A bit over 1/2 way, I was directed to look down at an area known as Mang Yang Pass on the North side of the highway. I don't know why, but it hit me very emotionally. On the ground were 1,200 (+/-) white cylinders on the ground. In 1954, the Viet Minh (NVA) ambushed French soldiers there and massacred every man. The French sued for a cease-fire in order to bury their dead, which was granted. They brought in farm tractors with 36" augers on the back. For every French soldier, a hole was drilled in the dirt around 4' deep, and each body was lowered into the hole (facing France) which was then filled with lime. I'll wager that even today, that area still looks like a bee honeycomb.

[@TheMourot]

@@Pyjamarama11 At this point in the battle, there were mostly volunteers: bread for the ducks!

[@alpascalp]

It must be said, that the French didn’t just let the Viet Minh take over the hills around DBP. The concept of having an aeromobile base was to be an anchor for attack patrols in the area, however in time, skirmishes and gunfights got worse, reducing the ability of the garrison to leave their perimeter. Even at that point, the French thought of leaving DBP, but American pressure demanded them to gain a victory like Na San.

[@e63nokia57]

🤣

[@joangratzer2101]

ALSO DIDN'T HELP THET THEIR BASE WAS SITUATED IN A LOW LYING AREA SURROUNDED BY A RING OF VIET MIHN ARTILLERY.

[@scottkrater2131]

You'd think the French commanders at Dien Bien Phu would have mentioned that in the after war interviews. They did not.

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

Yeah.. it wasn't actually us fighting, it was the US. In fact, Pablo Escobar also said that. And also the Pope, when asked about child molestation.. it was all the US

[@alpascalp]

No no, this is not the old “blame the US for all our woes”. Indochina had become by that stage a political issue. Ike didn’t want anything to do with an ugly colonial war, but hardliners in both Congress and Senate wanted to fight the commies, and pushed the idea of continue fighting. I understand that for sake of time, the political and diplomatic issue related to Indochina was cut, but before DBP there was a lot of back and forth between Paris and Washington concerning how war should be waged. For example, just the building of the aeromobile base in DBP was a propaganda coup, by having VIP’s from France and the US visiting the base.

[@Maxxim218]

I served in the Legion, my brothers died here, I still am in awe of their sacrifice

[@enoughoftherough3995]

Thank you man truly, I appreciate all you do.

[@huevu3013]

my grandfather always remind me and tell me about Dien Bien Phu battle that he has contributed to make me love our country and being a next generation to protect our country!

[@josepetersen7112]

You guys do great work!

[@stitch77100]

An actual documentary on English, about a French defeat, without French-bashing or derogatory and snarky comments, with actual testimonials from the period, and covering both sides of the conflict, not forgetting the major help (or lack thereof) on an international scale ? That's very refreshing to me honestly. Thank you for the work you put into your videos, and the quality of the footage you used to illustrate it.

[@WibuAnime001]

The channel here mainly talks about a somewhat harsh perspective on the French commanders in Indochina. For example, they pointed out a series of unfavorable conditions at Dien Bien Phu and argued that the French had calculated but disregarded the Viet Minh so they lost. In fact, if you visit the Dien Bien Phu battlefield today, you will understand that the calculations of the French generals are completely well-founded for the following reasons: 1-The Viet Minh had never had experience in attacking at the corps level with large-scale and modern base clusters like Dien Bien Phu. The victories in Na San and Vinh Yen with bases one-tenth the size of Dien Bien Phu are evidence that strongly supports the hypothesis of French strategists. In fact, in the final stages of the war, the US supported 70% of France's war costs and even Americans who visited the Dien Bien Phu base had to admire its solidity and modernity and all the Everyone there thought that the Viet Minh could not take over this base and would be drowned in a sea of ​​blood 2-In the Asian battlefield, Western armies have had experience fighting the Japanese and Chinese armies in conventional battles, in which fighting the Chinese army is the latest experience. The characteristics of the Chinese army is to use large numbers of troops and attack human waves and therefore, from the perspective of the French at that time, if the Viet Minh also played human wave tactics like what China did, it would mean Viet Minh chose to commit suicide. That was also the trap that the French had set up just to wait for the Viet Minh army, whose armies were much poorer in equipment than them, to attack them in a cluster of perfectly defended bases. As the channel said, the French military described Viet Minh artillery pouring like rain into their bunkers, but that was not the case. During the whole campaign, the French used more than 18,000 artillery shells while the Viet Minh only used 3,000 shells. But what Pirot said that he would silence the Viet Minh artillery after 3 rounds of fire showed their disastrous mistake. The reason is because the Viet Minh had better vision than the French, and at the same time used camouflage tactics so that the French army did not know where the Viet Minh's artillery was to respond while the Viet Minh could easily have the coordinates. The French artillery, bunkers, and fortifications were fixed, so every time the Viet Minh fired rounds, the French army suffered huge losses, making the French soldiers feel like the Viet Minh only had a lot of artillery shells. In fact, a Viet Minh artillery battery can fire no more than 3 rounds of bullets and when you want to fire more, you must get permission from superiors because the number of reserve bullets is limited because at this time, the allies' aid is mainly from China is also facing difficulties and they are not yet self-sufficient in ammunition production, especially large-caliber artillery. As for the Soviet Union, the Stalinist period was the period when he did not support the Vietnamese people's war for independence and Ho Chi Minh was almost isolated from international communism because of his nationalism. 3-The battlefield at Dien Bien Phu is far from Hanoi and can only be supported by air. That's completely true, but compared to Viet Minh, the place where their main base is located is Viet Bac, a mountainous area bordering China, 70km north of Hanoi and equally far from Dien Bien Phu. Therefore, for France, it was impossible for the Viet Minh to march and carry artillery over a distance of more than 500km to Dien Bien Phu. Looking on the map, the Viet Minh controlled the red area, the French controlled the blue area, but in reality the battlefield was much more complicated. Viet Minh guerrillas and spies also infiltrated cities controlled by the French to attack bases, weakening the French and vice versa. French commandos and reconnaissance groups used both French and Vietnamese soldiers. local people operating in areas controlled by the Viet Minh. Therefore, as mentioned above, sending artillery hundreds of kilometers to the main battlefield without being exposed is not a simple task. 4-in case the Viet Minh could bring artillery towed by specialized vehicles near Dien Bien Phu, if the French did not detect it, then with the calculations at that time, it would be impossible for the Viet Minh army to bring the artillery. 105mm cannon entered the battlefield. Remember, France chose Dien Bien Phu as a basin surrounded by mountains 800-1000m high. There weren't any major roads where cars could bring artillery in and that was the reason the French were so confident. And in reality, the Viet Minh people showed their well-founded recklessness when they used forest vines to weave into ropes and used human strength to pull large cannons over high mountain slopes, a actions beyond the imagination of any French military or American advisors at that time. As for logistics such as food and medicine, the Viet Minh also used French bicycles, improving them so that every 2 people had one bicycle, pushing the bicycle to carry up to 250kg of food from Thanh Hoa to the battlefield in one go. The trail is 500-600km long. It was precisely because the logistical capacity exceeded what the French commanders had calculated that it completely derailed their combat plans and that was the reason why many people called General Giap the Red Napoleon for pulling artillery. Crossing the mountain to Dien Bien Phu was very similar to Napoleon leading the French army to cross the alpes on the Grand-Saint-Bernar pass. 5-Finally, the main reason is that General Giap of the Viet Minh changed his way of fighting. He decided not to listen to Chinese advisors, who proposed human wave tactics, using large numbers of troops to overwhelm enemy firepower and try to take over Dien Bien Phu in a short time. Instead, he chose the strategy of "firm attack, steady attack". It's basically a bit by bit invasion, in which the method of digging trenches is thoroughly utilized to minimize casualties for the soldiers and thanks to this method of fighting, the French military has succeeded in attracting the main force. of the Viet Minh but failed to bring all of General Giap's troops to heaven. In short, the French commanders were not bad at all. They have a clear basis and quite accurate analytical reasoning with experiences drawn from World War II, although I don't think they are the greatest generals of the century in which they lived. What they lost was simply that their enemy was too excellent, an enemy that the Americans themselves could not defeat.

[@dongle4271]

Fact: Viet Minh learned tartics from France by practical lessons 😂. It calls "independent company, concentrated battalion" method.

[@buituan7969]

You should be Japan, who high lever nation and want to find in history for future alliance.😂 Take care, be like Chinese, their little bros not simple 😆

[@WibuAnime001]

@@buituan7969 hmm. i don't know what you mean but i want actually talked about Vietnam's history, ok and i don't worry about Chinese or something else

[@nooonanoonung6237]

Agree, this video isn't poorly researched, just very biased.

[@topvevo8305]

exactly! The Mongol army, the French army, the American army, and the Chinese army all failed at the hands of Vietnam because they did not understand anything about the Vietnamese people!

[@tokencivilian8507]

Another great vid RTH. And great outtro, as always.

[@minsapint8007]

It is fantastic that, after decades of fighting against the Japanese, French and American imperialists, the Vietnamese finally managed to liberate their country.

[@meranzo8665]

Don’t forget they fought Chinese and Cambodians too

[@DK-gy7ll]

Note the horrific number of casualties on the communist Vietnamese side. Despite that they refused to give up fighting for an independent nation. Ho Chi Minh once told the USA, "you will never defeat us, because to do so you'd have to kill every single one of us". His words came true, for despite inflicting a 10 to 1 kill ratio the USA was unable to kill enough Vietnamese to make them give up. THAT is determination.

[@havu-oj4qh]

@@DK-gy7ll Vietnamese people consider sacrifice for the country to be glorious

[@Skanzool]

Actually they didn't. Only the northern part. It would take until 1975 before they expelled the Americans.

[@smithjohn7855]

​@@DK-gy7llActually the kill ratio wasn't 10:1 but 2:1-3:1. People always ignore ARVN casualties which were 400,000 death and 1 million wounded. So ~450,000 death on the US/ARVN side vs 1 million dead on the VC/NVA side.

[@alexandredevert4935]

The North Vietnam mountains are quite something. Not very tall, but very steep, lots of mud and sharp rocks, thick jungle, incredible humidity and harsh heat for 8 months. It's plenty of small valleys and serpentine paths, the dream terrain for ambushes. If you can't hold the frontier to stop influx of supplies, you can't hold it. Holding the frontier would be a huge resource sink. It was unwinnable.

[@vietnamese80]

Our culture originates from wet rice. To be effective, we work together, thereby creating solidarity, love and help for each other. Currently, foreign friends coming to Vietnam to travel are facing difficulties, we still maintain the tradition of helping each other. Depending on the crops and products, we are born with customs and traditions. From customs and traditions we form behaviors to preserve agricultural achievements and land, then form villages and communes. linking the villages together. others create a society of solidarity. Therefore, it is impossible to defeat Vietnam by force, unless the Vietnamese people become extinct. That is the past. From now until the future, we will maintain our independence by promoting the spirit of world solidarity. world, taking common prosperity as the foundation

[@mich722]

And Vietnam continued to lose millions more and is still poor and not free.

[@vietnamese80]

@@mich722 thân mến. Nếu bạn sống ở Việt Nam vào những năm 75-89 mà đòi tự do cá nhân lúc ấy, tôi cam đoan hiện nay không còn người Việt Nam rồi mà thay vào đó là Polpot. Chúng tôi đi theo đường lối tự do cá nhân phù hợp lợi ích tập thể, nếu bạn nghĩ như thế là mất tự do là quyền của bạn

[@mich722]

@@vietnamese80 speak English or don't speak, I'm not translating that.

[@vietnamese80]

@@mich722🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@phonglekhoi]

Vietglish at its finest

[@FromPovertyToProgress]

The French military seriously underestimated the amount of artillery, AA guns and logistical support that Communist China was willing to give to the Viet Minh. One point that the video missed is the original Viet Minh strategy was to immediately storm the French position as soon as the 3 divisions arrived. Giáp realized that this was foolish and changed the strategy to a long slow siege once the artillery could be fully emplaced. If they had proceeded forward with their original plan, it likely would have been a decisive French victory with huge Viet Minh casualties. This would have cause the Geneva agreement to come out very different.

[@longduong1590]

that plan was suggested by Chinese, They tried to ruin Vietnamese force as much as possible because they always think weak Vietnam is better Vietnam.

[@FromPovertyToProgress]

@@longduong1590 If China was trying to weaken Viet Minh, then why did they give so much arms and training to them in the first place? Plus the attack on Diem Bien Phu was China’s idea in the first place. No, I think it was just a bad (or at least very risky) military strategy.

[@longduong1590]

@@FromPovertyToProgress China supported Vietnam because they needed Vietnam to win. What China actually want was that Vietnam won the war but suffered heavy casualty and became more dependent on China in the future, like how America put military bases in Japan and South Korea.

[@FromPovertyToProgress]

@@longduong1590 What China wanted was a Communist Vietnam (and Laos and Cambodia).

[@kylint7683]

@@longduong1590 True, Vietnam should stay being a French colony🤣

[@Nguyen181]

We pulled the artillery up the hill with human strength. The French could not imagine that they could be overwhelmed by artillery

[@eelchiong6709]

They could imagine being overwhelmed by artillery. What they did not expect was you moving artillery over dense mountains and jungles.

[@kensvay4561]

Great to see comments from Vietnamese here. The best thing about these histories is that we are now friends and not enemies. France and America learned tough lessons in SE Asia. The old commies under the bed thing was bullshit. Profits from endless war was the priority.

[@ManhIMT6789]

@@eelchiong6709họ đã quá chủ quan

[@user-ek6fd7jr7x]

@@eelchiong6709 Vietnamese are only 155-160 cm average back then, small and tiny cause not enough food. They can't imagine those tiny guys can pull canons with barehand.

[@eelchiong6709]

@@user-ek6fd7jr7x We filipinos are also small and frail-looking. But we made the Americans upgrade their .38 long Colt side arm with the Colt .45 1911 when they met our Juramentados.

[@dungnguyen_real]

In Vietnam, we have General Vo Nguyen Giap. Great leader Ho Chi Minh and great love for his country. It is a war to protect the nation. The whole world must recognize our freedom 🇻🇳

[@tnminhkhoi1398]

My great grandpa was positioned in an AA division in the battle. Years before he was a chef in a French restaurant in Hai Phong but was kicked for making bad steaks 😂. Furious, he joined the Viet Minh and worked in an intelligence unit in Hai Phong and was tortured by pouring fermented shrimp paste into his nose. Throughout the Vietnam War he not only fought the French and Americans but also became a renowed chef of many divisions. He became a general after the war but still keeps great passion for culinary and passing it to my grandma and my mom. Of course, he also made a lot of steak dishes for my grandma and mom as a revenge for being kicked out 😂.

[@vutruong7761]

My great grandpa, a native of Hai Phong also served the Viet Minh in their early day. But he wasn't lucky like your, he never came back, we don't even know his face. Because back then taking a photo was expensive, and because as an anti-colonial gov revolutionary, he not supposed to leaving any trait behind .

[@tnminhkhoi1398]

@@vutruong7761 respect

[@pimpompoom93726]

I'm a yank who served in Indochina and I have respect for both your Great Grandpas. That war never should have happened-like many wars.

[@kensvay4561]

Love these stories. The French were invaders and imperialists who exploited the people and the resources. Cruel and vicious they were hated by the people just like the Dutch in Indonesia and the British in India and Burma. Great to see honest history and the descendants of freedom fighters telling us stories.

[@bond0815]

Great video, as always.

[@1971gift]

The brilliance of Vo Nguyen Giap

[@christophernguyen5655]

If you ask me WHY no one could conquer VN, my answer is: This is because the Vietnamese people have fought the most powerful enemies for thousands years (e.g., The French, The Chinese, The Japanese, The Americans). Fighting is genetically built-in into their Blood; and as for the Spirit, The Vietnamese has the Spirit of the Dragon (The Vietnamese claimed they are the descendants of both the Angels & the Dragon who they called, "Con Rồng Cháu Tiên); with fighting built-in into their Blood / DNA and with the Spirit of the Dragon, the Vietnamese are "Unconquerable!" Not even by the Superpower such as the Americans). The Vietnamese are NOT the people anyone would want to mess with, because they would rather DIE 1st than lose to anyone at any cost!

[@emitindustries8304]

What really pissed off the Vietnamese was the French letting the Japanese soldiers stick around to keep them in control, just after the war was over. That was because the French were busy getting their country back in shape and didn't have the resources to keep Vietnam under control. That was a serious slap in the face.

[@jamesemis7376]

But many japanese soldier also joined the veit cong and become their advisor right?

[@alskjlskaj]

More so the raping and pillaging French soldiers committed when they regained control. Japanese troops (POW's) were there because of the British but this was mainly to retake control. They started to switch after the British left for their affairs in Asia. France really fucked up in Vietnam.

[@sonogamirinne7172]

And many japan soilder chose to stay and fight together with vietminh , irony

[@philipdurling1964]

I find it amazing that Vietnam had to fight 3 wars of independence, against France-USA-China! If ever a people have earned their place at the UN.

[@MrShobar]

Japan too.

[@QuanNguyen-dx6ht]

Chúng tôi chỉ muốn làm 1 nông dân trồng cây và nuôi cá

[@anchorpoint5871]

In a nutshell...because a french general never imagined the Vietnamese could carry heavy artillery in the mountains..once the airstrip was in range it was over for the frenchs..

[@danielho8052]

How ' s about Gen Tran Canh and Gen La Quy Ba role in Dien Bien Phu battle

[@DangLinh2812]

I am Vietnamese and I am really proud of our history❤❤

[@zetectic7968]

French catastrophic mistakes: 1. underestimate your enemy; 2. Put you defensive position in a valley surrounded by hills covered in jungle; 3. assume the enemy has no artillery. The sheer incompetence in believing this was a winning strategy.

[@havu-oj4qh]

The mistake of all Vietnam's enemies is to look down on Vietnam

[@phil-sv1on]

Don't forget no. 5. The armchair generals of the internet. In fact, the occupation of Dien Bien Phu was perfectly logical. The position was strong, well chosen and inescapable. It defended Laos very well. It was also quite understandable that the French could not anticipate that the Vietminh could have such power projected 500kms from its bases for 5 long months as they were never confronted with it. All the French had faced up to that point were massive waves of infantry assault weakly supported by artillery. Enough to make them fear giant ambushes in isolated areas but not enough to worry them in pitched battles against the elite of their army. Although in a desperate position from the very first days of the battle, the French troops held out for almost two months, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. So, the entrenched camp of Dien Bien was not as weak as all that. The Vietminh victory was a feat that surprised everyone. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJWwqaejnaZ2ndU

[@brunol-p_g8800]

The exact same mistakes the USA did in Vietnam and in Afghanistan, the sheer incompetence of the USA in believing this was a winning strategy, not even mentioning the astronomical ressources they poured into it. While the French situation is understandable given the political situation of the 4th republic at the time, the post war rebuilding of the country and lack of means, the troops in minority and total lack of interest and understanding in military affairs of the senate presidents (the actual head of state in the 4th republic, who changed every few months, while the president of the republic didn’t have power but only a protocol statute), the US situations on the other hand are unforgivable.

[@MrGaters34]

Actually, it was the strategy to draw the ennemy into a decisive battle. And it worked exactly as intended... except the outcome of the decisive battle.

[@Skanzool]

You forgot the most important #5. Never do America's fighting for it because in the end they'll leave you hanging out to dry. You hear that Ukraine???

[@rc8698]

ironically (his kids would immigrate to the US), my great grandfather fought at Dien Bien Phu......from the Viet Minh side......He was a chinese advisor who had been conscripted from inner mongolia and served in the korean war. after that war, he then served as one of the many advisors to the Viet Minh side. Before he passed in 1998, his accounts were crazy. But he always mentioned the strong hubris and massive ego of the french. When he saw the battleground before it begun, he said without the Americans, the French were gonna lose badly. Although Ill never know of course for sure, he told us how the french legionnaires werent any better and certainly werent any more elite then the Viet Minh troops. That they thought they could single handedly win was why they lost. Alot of the French legionnaires didnt know how to dig siege trenches and didnt know how to make interlocking fields of fire with bunkers. He says the entire camp was setup terribly and if the French had instead cut their losses and regrouped at Hanoi, the war for north vietnam would have probably gone bad in long run for Viet Minh. So heres a toast to you grandpa, decades later your grandchildren in US are watching the very battle you were in on youtube.

[@thangtran8281]

Thanks to your great grandfather. May he rest in peace.

[@QuanNguyen-dx6ht]

Cám ơn ông nội bạn

[@QuanNguyen-dx6ht]

Lời cảm ơn từ Việt Nam

[@stitch77100]

As a French, I truly believe that too, and even if I dislike the deaths from both sides, I fully respect the Viet-mins military capabilities and strong-will. Plus, the French ego on that war is well-known from us, and not very appreciated anymore. (Same goes for the Algerian independence war too) The legionnaires are not actually elite infantry, and I don't know why most people believe that. They are toughened soldiers with foreign origins, but fight and die mostly the same as the others. As for the bad tranches and not well dug-up positions, it was specified during the video that the base was supposed to act as a bait, to draw the Viet-minh forces out of the jungle and in a position much more advantageous to the French. So it had to look poorly defended and easy to take. My guess is that they had orders NOT to dig strong entrenched positions, and only basic trenches, and one the constant bombing started, they were stuck in those (because, once again, they did not believe heavy artillery could be moved, installed and entrenched the way the Viet-mins did. Their mistake... a very costly one). I'm not undermining what your grandpa did or saw, only comparing it to what is said in the video, and I find that this makes a great amount of sense. Thank you for sharing your grandpa's story, and have a great day :)

[@indianajones4321]

Keep up the great work

[@maxheadrom3088]

Wonderful to have found out this series! You people do an excellent work! I still consider the PBS series "Vietnam: A Television Series" to be the best but I'll surely learn a lot watchin this series.

[@jimmynguyen5404]

Im just proud it was my people but hurt to the core when I saw there suffering. I think it was heart that gave then the advantage. I know I would die to get back at anyone who hurt my family.

Intersting that the Support in Vietnam was tied to German rearmament. I never read about that connection. Nice video

[@realtimehistory]

you should also look up the involvement of German soldiers in the French foreign legion during this battle Some wild photos out there.

[@ajithsidhu7183]

​@@realtimehistorywhy the brothels?

[@ajithsidhu7183]

​@@realtimehistory4:58?

[@Barwasser]

@@ajithsidhu7183 They didn't have Netflix & chill at the time...

[@hellomoto2084]

​​​@@ajithsidhu7183to blow off some steam Bhai Unke paas unki biwiyan nai thi na 😅😅 isiliye

[@seandobson499]

This was a great documentary and covered The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in greater detail than most other longer documentaries and was well illustrated and narrated.

[@hoangson2620]

Why did France lose to Vietnam in the battle of Dien Bien Phu? because they forgot one thing: they were at war with all the Vietnamese people, not just with the communists. And that is also what led to the failure of the US government later when they did not really understand the lesson the French left behind, which is "Don't challenge nationalism in Vietnam".

[@camilojimenez6216]

Hosts ‘ French pronounciation is impressive

[@mistergrosbig4085]

He knows French and is Canadian.

[@user-thisisarealusername]

At first the Chinese suggested human wave strategy to win fast, but the French grasped the plan so few days later General Giap decided to change the plan. He claimed that the Viet Minh Army at that time lacked experience to conduct such plan, and victory was uncertain. Later the plan was changed to a slower but steady advance instead.

[@CHIPSSALTY]

It is insane to think they dropped 15k troops into the middle of a valley, many KM away from the frontline, to be slaughtered. These kind of tactics never works in history.

[@stephendaley266]

That's what happens when you don't respect your enemy. Most colossal losses by European militaries happened because they underestimated their enemies.

[@bamboo9666]

​@@stephendaley266if they overestimated the enemy, they wouldn't invaded them in the first place😅

[@BzhToine]

The overall strategy here was to build a central strong camp as main base for multiple smaller entrenched camps to control the area with patrols. This was used before in the war at a smaller scale and worked pretty well. Problem is that was a political idea to apply it at a larger scale and if some high officers were enthousiastic, most of them were very sceptical. (And also international diplomacy and other factors like thinking that the Vietnamise would not manage to get artillery on top of the nearly vertical hills and so never anticipated it. This kind of heavy defeats generaly do not have only one cause.) But you know, that kind of a desperate defense is a French thing, have a look at Bir Hakeim or Dixmude battles if you like such stories.

[@Coolerman565]

It's called arrogance, the Americans suffered from the same mentality.

[@kagerouge9007]

Because they're not real french, just troops taken from colonial states aka slaves. Gotta love baguette people, real classy.

[@georgeamanor-boadu6771]

The Americans didn't learn any lessons from the French defeat and as usual thought they were smarter than everyone else; they were soon undeceived.

[@johncordes7885]

The SAS funded Ho and Mao..the Cia funded bin Laden, Sadam, and most of our current and future enemies... Invest in Carlyle or KBR like the former administrations

[@peterkilbridge6523]

If 10 years is "soon".

[@judas2891]

The French and US gravely underestimated the iron resolve of the Vietnamese leadership and it's people.

[@khabbad]

The Americans never bothered to invade the North, they were never looking for a quick victory or any victory the military industrial complex wanted is continuous at the cost of 56 thousand American lives and over a million Vietnamese. Sad

[@ireneusz-u9i]

When the French entered Vietnam, the Vietnamese were already seasoned combat veterans. The entire 20th century was practically one war with an enemy that only changed its language. First they fought against Japan at the height of its power. Then the French came. After them, the Vietnamese fought the Americans. And in 1979 they fought against China.

[@mistergrosbig4085]

And Pol Pot

[@noname19085]

1979 Viet Nam fought both China An d PolPot

[@5x1991]

France first invaded Vietnam in 1858, Japan came during WW II and the French came back again, then America, China as you said. There was a war with Pol Pot between America and China too.

[@bigsarge2085]

Incredible, I always learn something.

[@GamedictOjaw]

It is astounding how Vietnamese troops managed to hold out against two major global superpowers - France and America.

[@thefifthbelfry92]

By 53 France was most definitely not a global power.

[@alexis221092]

They fought for there country, they were nationalist, supported by china, and sadly france was no longer a superpower

[@whatsgoingon71]

Swap France out for China. They got their vietnamese knuckle sandwich later in 1979...

[@frazzlburry3205]

And imperial Japan and communist China

[@MrThedoors28]

We have rules to war we have to follow or prison and or death could be a consequence. They have absolutely no rules other than follow what their leader says.

[@davidhatran3160]

The Aftermath discussion is spot on and many people including Vietnamese overlooked this point. Despite the decisive victory, VietMinh leaders felt betrayed (and right fully so) by their comrades (both Soviet and China) at the 1954 Geneva Convention. This lead to the distrust of any foreign entity, including allies by Le Duan (later North Vietnamese leader) in the second Indochina War. He would never let these big brothers drive the course of the war and the destiny of his country again. And this is still the shining lesson: the South Vietnamese, the Afghanistan all learnt it the hard way when the staunchest ally abandoned them. And the other lesson: if you are weak, no ally can save you - but that's for another day.

[@paulkirkland3263]

A great summary of Dien Bien Phu. The French war in Indochina fascinates me, and I've bought just about every English language book I can find. An interesting fact - you mention the Chinese equipped Giap with American artillery captured in Korea. The French garrison was using the same type of gun, so as the perimeter shrank, much of the air-dropped resupply fell into Viet Minh hands; the new French-supplied shells were going straight to the Viet Minh's own US-made artillery. Great video - can you do some more French Indochina ones, about, say the disastrous withdrawal along RC4, or the slaughter of Mobile Group 100 ?

[@jean-pierrebarbisan1502]

Oui cette bataille de la RC4 fut un désastre. Un concentré d'irresponsabilité et d'incompétence. Ça me rappelle une époque...🤔😉

[@malpreece5008]

Why focus on the French defeats? I would like to see a video about Giap’s disastrous attempt to take the Red River Delta in January 1951. The Viets had at least 12,000 casualties and they achieved nothing. Also, a video about the Battle of the Day River in May-June 1951 might be interesting. It could discuss how the French defeated the Viets, inflicting at least 2,500 casualties on them for the loss of less than 500. And let’s not forget the battle of Na San in late 1952, when Giap once again showed that he was an unimaginative commander willing to throw his mens lives away in human wave assaults. The Viets had at least 4,000 casualties at Na San, and again they achieved nothing.

[@jean-pierrebarbisan1502]

@@malpreece5008 Bien sur,il y eut quelques batailles victorieuses grâce au Maréchal Delattre qui en dépit des difficultés énormes redonna confiance au corps expéditionnaire. Toutefois ce que l'on retient c'est surtout la dernière bataille perdue ,tant sur le plan militaire que politique. Que GIAP fut peu économe de ses hommes est une réalité ; que tant d'hommes ait pu le suivre en dépit des pertes énormes laisse perplexe. Tant et si bien que même l'oncle HO s'en etait ému et avait envisagé de le destituer. Puis DIEN BIEN PHU l'inscrivit dans l'histoire à tout jamais. And for the record focusing on French defeats is part of French Bashing made by Americans( US),who are talking about"French pussies": in the 2d WW first month one hundred thousands casualties ( remember DUNKERQUE who allowed British army to pass the Channel). They should think about that.

[@malpreece5008]

@@jean-pierrebarbisan1502 Indeed. Giap should have been dismissed, as he squandered the lives of his men. The French fought well throughout the war, but as with Algeria the French military were ultimately compromised by their politicians.

[@jean-pierrebarbisan1502]

@@malpreece5008 Yes ,yes you tell the truth. Even in the second WW, French have been betrayed by politicians but not only. You should read " une étrange défaite " by Marc BLOCH( a gringe defeat ).

[@cosmos0918]

Truman could of helped Ho Chi Minh get independence for his people but instead handed Vietnam back to the French. That's why Ho Chi Minh went to the chinese and russia for help, the Vietnam war could of been avoided.

[@DanielGarcia-kw4ep]

Most of these conflicts during the cold war could have been solved like that, Cuba is another blatant example... They could have been communist but would be very friendly with the USA as both countries were more simpatethic to them than for the soviets. But they had to have the total control of foreign resources, not an emancipation movement for the world

[@kennylast2565]

You can always rely on the Americans to overblow things out of proportion.

[@kennylast2565]

The irony here is that France was just recently liberated from occupation by another foreign power and U.S fought hard against British colonialism yet did not support Vietnam's exact same movement and even fought against them.

[@jemima2879]

"Grotesque century of despair" was a great line

[@paulhomsy2751]

Excellent narration. A luxury of exact details in proper sequence. Outstanding delivery of information. Thank you. One small correction @ 15.51 VO NGUYEN GAP; the principal not the "principle" trait of that phase. Principal as in main.

[@edl617]

Some historians believe If FDR had lived until 1948, the French would have been persuaded to let Vietnam become an independent nation. Ho Chi Min had established a constitution based but not similar to America constitution.

[@glennhecker4422]

I found out only very recently that Ho Chi Minh approached the US first (1944-1946) but was rebuffed... Only thereafter did he look to the USSR and China. I can only imagine how much more positive the outcome would have been if the US had indeed helped the Vietnamese then...

[@haraffael7821]

​@glennhecker4422 It wouldnt have changed much, since their sympathy to Socialism was already there. Also the concept of working together wasnt new to them, they had a system for health care and welfare before the French arrived and destroyed it.

[@nguyentrunghieu3597]

Well researched video. Especially the part when China made Vietnam to accept the conception of dividing the country. This and the same thing happened at the end of Vietnam war (didn't works this time) is a source of resentment of Vietnamese to this day.

[@brunol-p_g8800]

@Crying-Croc USA trying to keep Europe United? Interesting, I’d like to know where you got that idea. To start Europe is a continent, not a country, the USA have some leverage on some eastern countries but that’s all, every country has its own path and none is marked by the USA. But some states do have to comply to US leverage more than others. Finally if the USA wanted to « keep Europe United » (to start Europe is not United), then it wouldn’t be such an ally to Turkey and back it in such ways, nor would the USA treat European countries the way they do. We might have some common interests, be « allies », but we’re far from being friends with or liking the USA.

[@WingkKong]

@@brunol-p_g8800 When the American Empire began It really want to help European But now america is declining It need to sacrifice its allies in order to keep its Empire That is why we have the Ukraine War

[@haraffael7821]

Quick reminder, that the Vietnamese had "health care" and "welfare" systems before the French came.

[@thanhyen5832]

There was one surprising thing that the French could not understand, which was how the Vietnamese army was able to bring 105mm cannons and 37mm anti-aircraft guns into the battlefield. They did it in secret, using human power to create a road longer than 15km. Gravel was cleared, big trees were uprooted. A road went through dozens of steep slopes. Some slopes were up to 40 degrees. The cannons weighing more than 2 tons were pulled by human power over dozens of steep hills in the dark. The French did not discover that. That was a surprise to the French, why the Vietnamese army had such strong firepower. And what was truly admirable was that they had to abandon their initial decision. General Vo Nguyen Giap reviewed the situation of the battle and changed his decision to bring the cannons that had been pulled into the battlefield for 7 consecutive days. They had to pull the cannons out of the battlefield again, pulling the cannons up and then pulling them down. an extraordinary feat of human beings. In the end, the Vietnamese people won because of their patriotic spirit and determination to gain independence from the invaders. Greetings to the peace-loving people. ☘️

[@MrLemonbaby]

Outstanding. It was very accurate and I particularly liked the direct quotes. Very, very well done.

[@NormanSilv]

In a military sense the French gave Indi-China away. The last event was Dien Bien Phu. When I arrived at Bien Hoa in 1962 there were still French military personnel there. They had no way to get home.

[@pauldelamusica1139]

Late stage fighting in Korea near the DMZ showed that air power could not take out artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves. The head of the Chinese advisory group, General Wei Guoqing was reported to be delighted on hearing that the French put their forces in the valley. Viet Minh put in 4 infantry divisions and 1 engineer division for the siege. Among them, 308th, 312th, and 316th divisions had Chinese advisers with Korean war experience. Half trained Viet Minh AA battalions were called back from China with Chinese advisors down to the company level. The Chinese also provided the artillery pieces, ammo, and logistic support. The outcome was predetermined.

[@starshine6053]

I respect the effort you put into pronouncing our Vietnamese names

[@pablosalazarsojo3877]

And to think most of the "free" world thought the french were the good guys

[@lebien4554]

They will make the same mistake again 30 years later, this time with the Khmer Rouge

[@patrickmunneke8348]

The French were the good guys. Better them than murdering Communist devils.

[@daveanderson3805]

Better the French than communists

[@pablosalazarsojo3877]

@@daveanderson3805 not to the native people, just look at the countries that remained under french influence, sh*thole countries by now, Vietnam is doing fine, really fine by now

[@WhenInDarknessSeekTheLight]

​@@markgarrett3647Millions of French Colonists fleeing liberated colonies aren't natives bro 😂.

[@alexfilma16]

Brace yourself. France surrendering memes are coming…

[@brunol-p_g8800]

What about US surrendering memes? They wasted more ressources, money, soldiers and time in Vietnam than France and still lost and the same goes for Afghanistan where the USA lost. Not even talking about Korea..

[@alexfilma16]

@@brunol-p_g8800 Holy whataboutism Batman!

[@prettysureidateyourmom5104]

Ah yes... That never get old.

[@mattbolz340]

Korea was a stalemate@@brunol-p_g8800

[@VTDMilitaryHistory]

thank you for making this video from Vietnam

[@alfredpaquin3563]

Underestimating the enemy has always guaranteed failure. As Napoleon said, "Never interrupt the enemy when they are making a mistake."

[@rickwong9049]

The defeat that will drag an even more parties in the Indochina War. The French really love to leave their mess behind.

[@tibsky1396]

Like US now and everywhere they pass.

[@huudang3419]

the Dien Bien Phu battle supposed to be a big trap to destroy Giap's army, the result turned out was in opposite because the U.S. betrayed French, did not support Air power as promises! FYI I'm American.

[@ricardobufo]

Never mind. Yus Yanks got to demo your Air power a little later. :)

[@redcardinalist]

Georges Delerue's Concerto de l'Adieu for the 1992 movie "Dien Bien Phu" is well worth a listen

[@wynfordemanuel4792]

Superb, highly professional and objective documentary.

[@Jarod-te2bi]

Can you do a vid about Vietnamese fighting Chinese armies throughout the centuries? They even successfully fight off a occution in ancient times.

[@thienlai4689]

Vietnam has 4,000 years of formation and more than 2,000 years of being colonized and fighting with China. If you want to find someone who stands in China's way, call Vietnam.

[@ETSUNAN2024]

Ý bạn là 3 lần thắng Mông Cổ của người Việt Nam ?

[@thuantla]

No. Those are the Mongols, very different. It's the 1000 year rule of the Chinese over Vietnam i think @@ETSUNAN2024

[@tmajec]

I don’t care why they lost, what were they doing there in the first place?

[@That90sShow]

Teaching the peasants how to make pho...

[@sneakyfeats2353]

French arrogance and insurmountable Vietnamese determination. Love to the Vietnamese!