A significant conflict

71 years ago, the Genève Accords put an end to the French presence in Indochine, nearly a century after the first French military expeditions in Cochinchine. The Indochine War, which began in 1946 with the bombing of the port of Haïphong, took place in an international context marked by the East-West rivalry. The Battle of Diên Biên Phu, in 1954, sounded the death knell for French hopes of a quick victory. French fighters, from metropolitan France and the territories of the Union française, fought a fierce 57-day battle against the forces of the Vietnamese People's Army. This battle claimed many victims: on the French side, there were 3,500 dead and missing, hundreds of wounded, and 10,000 prisoners. On the Vietminh side, losses are estimated at around 8,000 dead and 15,000 wounded. In 2005, 13 soldiers were repatriated to the mémorial des guerres en Indochine in Fréjus. Six others were found between 1998 and 2022 and their remains were exhumed on March 26, 2024, during the Franco-Vietnamese ceremonies. In Cavalaire, the ceremony took place in the presence of Bernard Jobert, mayor of La Croix-Valmer, as well as numerous elected officials and representatives of law enforcement. Among the guests were also flag-bearers and representatives of patriotic associations.