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 Äiện 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.