Telegram to Ho Chi Minh on the Armistice Agreement [l]
(July 23, 1954)
Comrade Ho Chi Minh, President of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam:
At a time when agreement has been reached on both the armistice and the political issues concerning Indochina, on behalf of the Chinese people and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, I extend to the fraternal Vietnamese people, to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and to you our most heartfelt and warmest congratulations.
The delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, at the Geneva Conference, represented the peace aspirations of the Vietnamese people—those who have heroically fought for national independence and freedom and achieved splendid victory—and strove tirelessly to restore peace in Indochina. Their efforts have finally resulted in an agreement, which constitutes another major triumph for the Vietnamese people. This victory will help promote collective peace and security in Asia and further ease international tensions.
The people of all China will stand side by side with the Vietnamese people, working hard to ensure the full implementation of the agreement and to safeguard and consolidate peace and security in Asia and throughout the world.
Mao Zedong
Beijing, July 23, 1954
[l] This is a telegram sent by Mao Zedong to Ho Chi Minh, President of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, congratulating him on the conclusion of the Indochina armistice agreement at the Geneva Conference.
From April to July 1954, Zhou Enlai led a delegation to attend the Geneva Conference. The conference culminated in the “Agreement on the Settlement of the Indochina Question,” bringing to an end the eight-year-long Indochina War. The photo shows the conference hall at Geneva.