PV:Sir, 70 years ago, the Dien Bien Phu campaign was considered “famous in five continents, shaking the earth”, ending the victorious resistance war against the French colonialists. This was also a brilliant milestone in the history of our nation’s struggle against foreign invaders. Looking back at this battle, what do you think contributed to the victory?
Dr. Le The Cuong:Many scholars have summarized this issue from different perspectives. In my opinion, the main factors that contributed to the victory are:
The first,The wise leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh in determining the line of resistance for the entire people, comprehensive, long-term, self-reliance and mobilizing the strength of great national unity. With the line of the entire people, comprehensive, mobilizing the combined strength of both the rear and the front was brought into full play, promptly providing all requirements for food, provisions, equipment, and weapons throughout the campaign. This was an extraordinary effort, bringing into full play the tradition of great national unity, mobilizing the strength of the whole country, beyond the calculations of the French colonialists. In particular, the role of the Thanh - Nghe - Tinh rear was extremely important, as General Secretary Le Duan noted: "Without Thanh - Nghe - Tinh, there would be no Dien Bien Phu".
Monday,The bravery, intelligence and adherence to reality of the Vietnam People's Army led by General Vo Nguyen Giap in the timely decision to change the campaign's combat strategy to be correct and effective. The campaign's command with the historic decision to change from "fight fast, resolve quickly" to "fight firmly, advance firmly", demonstrating the steadfast bravery, sharp intelligence, clear military thinking and determination to fight and win of the talented General Vo Nguyen Giap is the direct and decisive cause.
Tuesday,The spirit of determination to fight and win of the entire nation, especially the shock troops on the front, directly fighting against the enemy. Besides, we cannot fail to mention the spiritual support of the international community for peace, independence, democracy and social progress... also contributed to the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu.
PV: The Dien Bien Phu victory was not only significant for Vietnam but also for many other colonies. What was the impact of this victory on the world revolutionary movement, sir?
Dr. Le The Cuong:The Dien Bien Phu victory went down in world history as a brilliant feat of breaking through the stronghold of the old colonial slavery system of imperialism, opening the process of collapse of old colonialism in the world. President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “That is the great victory of our people, but also the common victory of all oppressed peoples in the world”.
Before that, we know that by 1900, Western colonialism had stepped up its colonial invasion and established its domination in 90.4% of Africa, 56.6% of Asia and 27.2% of America. Therefore, the victory at Dien Bien Phu was a special event. For the first time, the army of a small country that was once a colony in Asia, a country that had just gained independence, defeated the modern and sophisticated army of a European power. The victory was considered an unexpected disaster for French colonialism and also a heavy blow to the Western world, defeating France's plot to maintain colonial rule in Indochina and forcing France to negotiate and sign the Geneva Agreement to end the war and restore peace in Indochina.
After the Dien Bien Phu victory, in a short time, many African countries gained independence. As a matter of course, the “Dien Bien Phu spirit” also crossed the ocean to the Western Hemisphere to join the national liberation struggle in Latin America. Four years after the Dien Bien Phu victory, the Cuban revolution won.
The time of the Dien Bien Phu campaign was also the time when the world situation in the bipolar order and the Cold War was developing extremely complicatedly. The Dien Bien Phu victory shattered the strategic calculations of the French and American sides, which wanted to strike a decisive blow to win the final victory, both defeating the Vietnamese resistance forces and preventing the "communist wave" spreading in Southeast Asia. This victory contributed to consolidating and further developing the strength of the socialist system on a global scale.
Seven decades have passed, but the Dien Bien Phu victory still retains its stature and contemporary significance. That victory is not only a “golden milestone” in the history of the Vietnamese nation, but also a great event that “made the colonies hold their heads high”, “contributed to changing the world situation”. The Dien Bien Phu victory has proven that: “In today’s era, any nation that uses force to impose its will on another nation will eventually fail”.
PV: During his lifetime, General Vo Nguyen Giap - the talented general who commanded the Dien Bien Phu campaign said:“It is necessary to promote the spirit of the Dien Bien Phu victory in the past in the cause of innovation, construction and protection of the Fatherland today.".According to you, what values from the past to the present still hold true?
Dr. Le The Cuong:The Dien Bien Phu victory is a vivid reality of the lesson of great national unity and the strength of the entire nation. In the process of building the country, if we want to develop quickly, strongly and sustainably, we must create the unanimity of the entire nation, from the lowlands to the highlands, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, party, class, etc., to believe in and follow the guidelines, policies and strategies of the Party and the State. The reality of the Dien Bien Phu victory shows that from the strength of great national unity, the people's belief in the Party's guidelines is a valuable source of spiritual strength for development and integration.
PV: Vietnam is a particularly resilient nation. This is demonstrated in the process of building and defending the country, typified by the Dien Bien Phu Victory. What does educating about national traditions mean to today’s young generation, sir?
Dr. Le The Cuong:The young generation are young people who did not directly witness the great historical events of the nation such as the resistance war against French colonialism and American imperialism... Through the awareness of the developments, results and significance of the Dien Bien Phu victory in particular, and the resistance war against France and America in general, the young generation is given more spiritual strength, thereby helping them to be ready to contribute to the prosperity and sustainable development of the country. This is both a source of pride and a great responsibility placed on the shoulders of the young generation.
Traditional education for the younger generation is of special importance. This is also one of the important factors that create national strength. Traditional education helps us look back to the past, see clearly the present, look towards the future, and together move forward.
In the context of complex international developments, the construction of Vietnam's country takes place in a context of many advantages but also many difficulties and challenges. The cause of educating the young generation in tradition is not only the task of schools, Youth Unions - Associations - Pioneers at all levels, but also the joint efforts of the entire political system and the whole society with clear strategies, policies and measures. Fostering and educating the young generation in national tradition to build generations of "both red and expert" youth is a strategic task in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
PV: In order for students to learn and love History, teaching History in schools is very important. In recent years, teaching History to students has had many limitations. In your opinion, how should we change so that History is no longer just a lesson about numbers but becomes an attractive subject. In the History department, what adjustments will you make to train a team of teachers who can meet the new teaching requirements?
Dr. Le The Cuong:In recent times, public opinion has harshly criticized the current situation of students' indifference, poor and weak knowledge of History; dry teaching methods, focusing only on data, and unattractiveness of teachers. In fact, in recent years, teachers have used traditional teaching methods (usually teachers lecture - students listen, take notes and memorize) with many limitations, unable to fully meet the requirements of the History subject. When it comes to studying History for many generations of students, it is a subject with a lot of knowledge and events, and the simple rote learning method of "difficult to remember and quick to forget" has made many students less interested, even less motivated to study History.
Currently, in the General Education Program, History has undergone many strong improvements. History has also become a compulsory subject for 12th grade students. Therefore, with a relatively progressive program and well-trained teachers, I believe that History will become an attractive subject if teachers skillfully implement the teaching viewpoints of the new Program.
For us, in response to the new requirements today, the development of the History training program also needs to change. From 2021, we will continue to develop a program that closely follows the new General Education Program for History in terms of content, teaching methods, and assessment according to output standards. Many active teaching methods and techniques have been applied such as group work, role-playing, etc. so that students can improve their capacity and create interest for future learners.
In a 4-year course, in addition to classroom learning, students will experience high school and organize practical learning at historical sites. I believe that these experiential lessons will contribute to training future History teachers who can convey the spirit of learning History, making an important contribution to creating interest for learners.
PV: Thank you!