Ex-diplomat's memories of 1954 Geneva peace talks

Former Deputy Foreign Minister Colonel Ha Van Lau was a member of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)’s negotiation delegation at the Geneva Conference in 1954

In the early days of May 1954, as the Vietnamese resistance army intensified its offensive against the French stronghold of Dien Bien Phu on the military front, the Vietnamese negotiation delegation in Geneva was urgently preparing for a diplomatic struggle.

Colonel Ha Van Lau, a former deputy Foreign Minister, was in the negotiation delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) at the Geneva Peace Conference in 1954. In a 2014 interview with the Vietnam News Agency, he reminisced about the Geneva talks, which restored peace in Vietnam and Indochina as a whole.

Alongside Deputy Defence Minister Ta Quang Buu, Col Lau served as a military expert for the delegation. He recalled their journey by train via Beijing and Moscow, and arriving in Geneva on May 4, 1954.

At that time, the DRV had not yet received an official invitation to the talks. The invitation only arrived on May 8, one day before the session on Vietnam began.

"As military experts of the delegation, Deputy Defence Minister Ta Quang Buu and I focused on studying the military aspects of the talks, which included the ceasefire, troop movements, and France’s troop withdrawal from the three Indochinese countries,” Lau said.

"I felt very anxious because the task was new to me, and there was very little information available," he added.

On May 7, 1954, the Vietnamese army and people won the Dien Biên Phu battle. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, Col Lau mentioned that the team learned about the Dien Bien Phu Victory through western media before receiving reports from home.

"Our joy knew no bounds. Head of the delegation Pham Van Dong embraced everyone, and we spent a sleepless night discussing plans for the meeting the next morning,” he said.

This triumph significantly bolstered the standing of the DRV delegation at the talks.

Ambassador Ha Van Lau, head of the Liaison Delegation of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army takes photo with the International Commission for Supervision and Control of the Implementation of the Geneva Accords during the period of 1954-1958

Col Lau said that the Dien Bien Phu victory held immense significance and greatly influenced the diplomatic efforts of the DRV in Geneva. As a result, the Vietnamese delegation approached the conference from a position of victory.

At 4:30pm on May 8, the Geneva Accords on Indochina were initiated. It was from this moment that Col Lau fully engaged in diplomatic endeavours, advocating for peace, independence, and national unification.

The atmosphere at the Geneva negotiations was extremely tense, particularly regarding the demarcation and relocation of military forces from both sides. Lau noted that he and Buu held numerous meetings with the French delegation to discuss this issue.

Through much debate, the conference at last decided that Parallel 17 would be the line to temporarily divide the North and the South, which was along the Ben Hai river to the north of Quang Tri province.

Following 75 days, 31 sessions, and numerous bilateral and multilateral meetings, the Geneva Accords on peace for Vietnam was signed at midnight on July 20, 1954.

With the monumental victory at Dien Bien Phu and the steadfast principle of "independence, national unification, and territorial integrity", the DRV delegation achieved its objective of securing an agreement to end the war and restore peace in Indochina.

From this juncture, Col Lau's military career seamlessly transitioned into a diplomatic path.

Born in 1918 in Lai An village, Phu Mau commune, Phu Vang district in Thua Thien Hue province, Ambassador Lau led a remarkable life. Originally a civil servant under French colonial rule, he soon embraced the revolutionary cause and actively participated in armed struggle against French rule and Japanese occupation in Ninh Hoa and Khanh Hoa before returning to fight in his homeland in Hue city.

Earning high trust from the Communist Party and the resistance government under President Ho, he assumed several pivotal roles, including head of the Combat Operations Department of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA); military specialist at the Geneva peace talks; and head of the Liaison Delegation of the General Staff of the VPA.

He served as deputy head of the Vietnamese diplomatic delegation in the Paris peace talks, Ambassador of Vietnam to the Republic of Cuba, France, and the United Nations. Finally, he held the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1982 to 1984.

Ha Thi Dieu Hong (first from right) and Ha Thi Ngoc Ha (centre) in the family photo with their mother Nguyen Tang Dieu Huong (first left and her two brothers Ha Van Minh and Ha Tang Lam in 1962

Father and daughters

Ha Thi Dieu Hong, one of Lau's two daughters, said that his farther's entire life was devoted to the nation and its people.

She said during Lau's diplomatic missions, he was often away from home. That’s why Hong and her sister, Ha Thi Ngoc Ha, had little time with their father during their childhood.

During the period when Lau served as deputy head of the Vietnamese diplomatic delegation at the Paris peace talks, her family sometimes received his evening calls from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inquiring about their wellbeing and school progress.

"We missed our father dearly. There was an occasion when our entire family was invited by Minister of Foreign Affairs Xuan Thuy for dinner and photo taking to send to our father," Hong said.

During times of evacuation from Ha Noi to rural areas due to US air bombing, Ambassador Lau sent letters reminding them to take care of themselves. He also advised the two sisters to help the homeowner with household chores, as the host had provided them free abode.

It wasn't until peace was restored that Lau had the opportunity to spend much time with his two daughters.

Ha Thi Dieu Hong at the opening ceremony of the book about Ambassador Ha Van Lau in the central province of Thua Thien Hue

"My father often listened to radio broadcasts in English and French, so we enjoyed learning foreign languages from a young age. I can never forget those moments when the whole family sat together, had meals, and listened to French songs," Hong said.

When Ha Thi Ngoc Ha, former Ambassador of Vietnam to Chile, decided to pursue a diplomatic career, Ambassador Lau began sharing insights into the intense intellectual battles at the negotiation table, diplomatic strategies, and the lessons behind anecdotes.

Every story he recounted about the Viet Bac resistance base, the Geneva peace negotiations in 1954, and the Paris peace talks in 1973 deeply resonated with them.

Hong remembered a remark Ambassador Lau made in response to Deputy Head of the US Delegation William Harriman's accusation of the North invading the South during a closed-door meeting at the Paris conference.

"I am from the central region. I fight so that I can return to my homeland and meet my mother. And you accuse me of invading my own homeland? The American delegate couldn't say anything in response," she quoted Ambassador Lau as saying.

Hong said that the ambassador always emphasised the importance of "maintaining a warm heart and a cool head" during diplomatic negotiations. This simple yet profound lesson guided her throughout her life.

Throughout various positions held during a crucial period in the country's history, Ambassador Col Lau collected and preserved multiple documents, notes, and especially photographs sent by foreign journalists and Vietnam News Agency reporters during many historical events in the country.

​His family donated those invaluable assets to the National Archives Centre 3 in August 2022.

Ambassador Lau's daughter Ha Thi Ngoc Ha (second from right) admires the diplomatic activities captured in her father's photos during the ceremony of donating precious documents to the National Archives Center No3 in August 2022

Upon retirement, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lau and his wife returned to live in their hometown of Thua Thien Hue.

Ambassador Lau passed away in Ho Chi Minh city in 2016 at the age of 98.

TB (according to VNS)