Participants in the commemoration of Raymonde Dien in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps city on April 27 (Photo: VNA)The eventtook place on April 27 besides the train station of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps,where 74 years ago, Raymonde Dien, a 21-year-old PCF member then, lay on the railwaytrack to block a train carrying weapons to Indochina.
The ceremonywas among activities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the DienBien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - 2024) and the opening of the Geneva conferenceon April 26, 1954 that led to the signing of an agreement on the cessation of hostilitiesin Vietnam.
In hisremarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang stressed that the act by RaymondeDien became a historical symbol and a source of inspiration for a globalmovement objecting to war and advocating peace and independence for the Vietnamesepeople.
Heexpressed profound gratitude from the Vietnamese State and people to Dien aswell as other French friends, who contributed to Vietnam’s peace efforts in thepast and the maintenance of solidarity and peace at present.
Vietnamis aware that international solidarity, especially the relentless support fromthe French people, during the struggle for independence and peace, formed thesolid foundation for the friendship and cooperation between the two countriesnowadays, Thang said, expressing his hope that the two sides will sustain thistradition in the years to come.
GillesMoindrot, Secretary of the PCF cell in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, described theact by Dien as symbolic, brave and also a demonstration of the solidarity withVietnam, support for the Vietnamese’s aspiration for independence, and supportfor peace for the entire Indochina.
At thattime, Dien and other communist activists were convicted by the Frenchgovernment. But only four years later, when the Dien Bien Phu Campaign ended in1954, history proved them right and the Geneva Accords put an end to the warbetween the two countries, he noted.
On this occasion, the embassy also coordinatedwith historian Alain Ruscio, an expert on Vietnam, and the PCF cell in Saint-Pierre-des-Corpsto hold a seminar on the Dien Bien Phu Victory and the Geneva Accords. The eventattracted nearly 100 participants./.
VNA
