A few weeks before the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Diên Bien Phu, the symbol is strong. This Friday, March 29, the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced in a press release the repatriation
“in the coming days”
of the remains of six French soldiers who died during this bloody confrontation, which helped put an end to the Indochina War. The bodies of the soldiers had been reported to the French Embassy in Vietnam in 2012, 2021 and 2022. They are kept in three different locations in Diên Bien Phu. On March 25, the Vietnamese authorities gave their agreement for repatriation.
The exhumation of the remains took place on Tuesday March 26, chaired by the French ambassador and representatives of local authorities. Upon their arrival in France,
“the National Office for Combatants and Victims of War (ONaCVG) will be responsible for conducting anthropo-archaeological analyzes in order to enable possible identification
,” indicates the ministry. Families who wish could then obtain the restitution of the bodies or opt for burial in a national necropolis.
2,300 French soldiers died in combat
“During the nine years that the Indochina War lasted, 80,000 of our soldiers, sailors and airmen were killed in combat. Yesterday as today, on our soil or elsewhere, it is the honor of France to always ensure a perpetual burial for those who died for it
,” responded Patricia Miralles, Secretary of State. responsible for Veterans and Memory. One of the bodies is accompanied by a surname plaque. Those who cannot be identified will be buried in the Indochina War Memorial necropolis in Fréjus.
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Nearly 2,300 French soldiers officially lost their lives during the Battle of Diên Bien Phu alone, which took place from March 13 to May 7, 1954. More than 5,000 were also injured. At least 7,800 additional soldiers died or were missing after being taken prisoner. The victory of the Viet Minh then accelerated the negotiations initiated in Geneva and the end of the Indochina War.
In spring 2023, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Vietnamese authorities, organized preventive archeology training for those responsible for the Diên Bien Phu airport expansion project, presenting the action to be taken in the event of discovery of bodies. But no other remains have been reported.