Viet Nam marks 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory

War veterans, soldiers and dignitaries gathered in Viet Nam's Dien Bien Phu on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle that ultimately brought an end to the French empire in Indochina. Viet Nam has invited for the first time a government minister from the former colonial power to attend official celebrations, a gun salute and howitzer and helicopter displays.

The French Defence Minister and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh are among those attending the two-hour event. In Vietnamese Prime Minister opening speech, he said the battle of Dien Bien Phu represented a victory for justice, marking the collapse of colonialism.