the French military base fell after a 56-day siege by Vietnam troops; ended the involvement of France in Indochina in 1954

A battle in northern Indochina in 1954 that pitted French soldiers against Viet Minh troops, the French garrison was surrounded and France begged for U.S. air support, but President Eisenhower refused; the subsequent French defeat made it impossible for France to continue to occupy Indochina, this led to the Geneva Accords

Most significant victory of the Viet Minh over French colonial forces in 1954; gave the Viet Minh control of northern position of Vietnam. (p. 1040)

In 1954, French troops were defeated at Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam. This effectively ended French colonial rule in Vietnam and bolstered the cause of Vietnamese nationalism. Vietnam's most popular nationalist leader, Ho Chi Minh, was a communist.

Diên Biên Phu (French for Điện Biên Phủ) is a 1992 film written and directed by French veteran Pierre Schoendoerffer (aka Pierre Schöndörffer). With its huge budget, all-star cast, and realistic war scenes produced with the cooperation of the French and Vietnamese armies, Dîen Bîen Phu is regarded by many as one of the more important war movies produced in French filmmaking history. It documents the 57-day siege of Dien Bien Phu (1954), the last battle led by the French Union's colonial army during the final days of French Indochina, which was soon divided into North and South Vietnam.