In pictures: Dien Bien Phu remembered

1 of 7 Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the French surrender at Dien Bien Phu, when the victory of Vietnam's Viet Minh signalled the end of French rule in Indochina

2 of 7 In Vietnam, the anniversary was marked by official celebrations and a re-staging of some of the key moments in the 56-day siege

3 of 7 Thousands of troops from both sides were dead by the time the French surrendered, and France's colonial aspirations were shattered

4 of 7 Vietnam's ruling Communist Party made much of the anniversary in Dien Bien Phu itself, with parades involving thousands of troops and members of ethnic groups

5 of 7 France marked the event with a small gathering in Dien Bien Phu, shown here, and a ceremony in Paris

6 of 7 For relatives of those that died, such as this grieving widow, the memories were too much ...

7 of 7 ... while for a younger generation, what happened may now seem too long ago.