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The frail, snowy haired general, who was a teacher and dabbled in journalism before becoming revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh's top commander, peppered long stories about Dien Bien Phu with anecdotes and jokes. Giap spoke mostly in Vietnamese, replying to questions submitted in advance as well as to four asked on the spot. But he broke into fluent French when a question was posed in that language. Regarded as Vietnam's most famous living figure, Giap appears in public for a few national events, and this year has been promoting the anniversary of the victory of his Viet Minh forces, a coalition of communists and nationalists, over a much better equipped French force. The culmination of the 56-day siege of Colonel Christian de Castries' forces in the valley town of Dien Bien Phu, about 490 km (300 miles) northwest of Hanoi, came on May 7, 1954. Giap will be the star of the 50th-anniversary celebrations, which are expected to draw thousands of Vietnamese and foreign visitors to the battlefield.
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