In 1954 the Viet Minh armies had the military capability to crush the French completely and take over the whole of Vietnam, North and South. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, there was little doubt the ...

Sixty years ago, French troops were crushed by Vietnamese fighters in a landmark battle that led to the country's independence, dented Paris's prestige and fuelled independence movements in other ...

Editor's note: It was 1954, and the surrounded French garrison was facing defeat in what would become known as the First Indochina War. What happened next has been a source of controversy for decades.