(VOVworld) – On July 20, 1954, the Geneva Accord was signed in Geneva, Switzerland, under which France and other world powers for the first time recognized the independence and territorial integrity of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This resulted from a staunch diplomatic struggle by the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to protect national interests.

After the Dien Bien Phu victory, on May 8, 1954, the Geneva Conference was held under a resolution of the Soviet Union, the US, the UK and France to resolve the North Korea issue and the war in Indochina. Tran Viet Phuong served as Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, Vietnamese chief negotiator at the Geneva Conference. He said that the conference stemmed from the interests of the major world powers.

Pressure in negotiations

The delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam entered negotiations with 8 other parties, each with its own calculations to achieve its goals. Vietnam faced huge pressure and difficulties during the 75 days of negotiation. Mr. Phuong said: “As head of the Vietnamese delegation, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong was very flexible to achieve victory. In the last session of the conference, all chief negotiators voiced their opinions and satisfaction at the results. They looked at one another around the table but Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong stood aside and looked toward the homeland without saying a word, implying that the Vietnamese delegation had done its best but had only achieved half of its goal and our struggle still had a long way to go.”

Veteran diplomat Ha Van Lau and Deputy Defense Minister Ta Quang Buu were tasked with planning military measures to put and end to the war. Mr. Lau recounted that negotiations at the Geneva Conference were very tense and the Vietnamese delegation had to make the most of every step of the negotiations. With the Dien Bien Phu victory and a firm stance on the principle of independence, unification, and territorial integrity, Vietnam eventually forced its adversaries to sign the Geneva Accord. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Van Lau said: “The most memorable moment of the negotiation was at the end on July 19, when all parties agreed on conference issues, particularly the parallel issue. Our goal was to end the war, restore peace, and ask other nations to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity. When the Accord was signed we had earned the right to our nation.”

Diplomatic victory in many ways

After 75 days, 31 sessions, and many bilateral and multilateral meetings, at 12AM on July 20, 1954, the Geneva Accord on peace for Vietnam was signed. France and other countries involved in the conference recognized Vietnam’s fundamental rights of independence, unification, and territorial integrity. But Vietnam was temporarily divided into north and south. Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan, a 40-year career diplomat, said negotiations at the Geneva Conference were a hard but flexible fight. Given the international situation and the balance of power, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam opted for a truce, accepted a diplomatic solution, and the temporary division of the nation at parallel 17 in return for peace, which paved the way for a general offensive to liberate the country 21 years later. Mr. Khoan said: “We did not accept parallel 17 in the beginning, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong proposed parallels 13, 14 or 16 below Da Nang, not Ben Hai river. We fought step by step to obtain something most beneficial to the revolution. But due to the balance of power and relations between major world powers, the final agreement was that parallel 17 was temporary.”

The Geneva Accord was an important diplomatic victory of the Vietnamese people and army, which created a premise for Vietnam’s continued struggle for eventual national liberation. The victory of 75 days of negotiations was a victory of staunch and confident diplomacy. It embodied Vietnam’s tradition of peace, solidarity, hospitality, and friendly relations and Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic ideology that peace must be associated with independence, freedom, sovereignty, and national teritorial integrity.