Without the invaluable support of China, Vietnam would not have won the battle of Dien Bien Phu 60 years ago, according to 88-year-old Vietnamese professor Dao Nguyen Cat.

In an interview with Xinhua on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Vietnam's victory in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Cat said that with the rare support of Chinese forces, the Vietnamese troops were able to successfully drive away the French colonial forces from the province of Dien Bien Phu, 300 km northwest of the capital Hanoi.

During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Cat served as an official of Vietnam's Central Propaganda Committee. Although he was not directly involved in the armed campaign, Cat and other officials of the agency were able to watch closely the situation on the ground and how the Vietnamese Army won after intense fighting against the French forces.

"Definitely without China's support, we would have failed to defeat the French colonial masters," Cat said.

He said that he remembers vividly how the Chinese dispatched hundreds of trucks that transported weapons for Vietnamese military from China through provinces of Lang Son, Cao Bang and Lao Cai.

Cat said the Chinese friends shared the same hardships and difficulties encountered by the Vietnamese soldiers during the war to liberate Dien Bien Phu.

Aside from providing arms and military hardware, China also sent a delegation of advisors who helped train local Vietnamese commanders on warfare techniques.

"They not only gave training courses from the command posts but also went directly to the battlefield to talk with our soldiers. They supplied Vietnam not only weapons but also with food," Cat said.

Cat, who is also the editor in chief of the Vietnam Economic Times published out of Hanoi, said that he actually met and discussed war strategies with some of the Chinese advisors during Dien Bien Phu siege.

"My admiration and sense of gratitude to our Chinese friends are carved deep in my heart," he said.

Cat said that he hoped the new generation of Vietnamese will not forget the support that China gave them during the Dien Bien Phu campaign and that this support should form part of the foundation for a closer bilateral ties between China and Vietnam.

"For Vietnam, the victory of Dien Bien Phu Campaign is of great importance. It put an end to the long French colonial rule in the country," Cat said, adding that it is only fitting that the occasion should be commemorated every year by the entire country.

Cat said that after 60 years, Vietnam has become an independent country with diplomatic relations with over 180 countries worldwide.

He said that the victory of Dien Bien Phu 60 years ago was not only a milestone in the development of Vietnam as a nation but also a testament to the brave sacrifices of a Vietnamese generation under the leadership of the late President Ho Chi Minh.

"It can be said that the patriotism of Vietnamese people will be forever alive and remain as a source of pride for all Vietnamese people. Indeed, it is this kind of patriotism that should help safeguard our country's independence and freedom," Cat said.

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