The Battle of Dien Bien Phu shook the world. For the first time a colonial power had lost a pitched battle to the people it had colonised. The French defeat at the hands of the Vietnamese, precipitated the decline of the French Colonial Empire. It marked a new chapter in world history and showed that the Powers that be, were losing their grip, and a new world order was in ascendancy. It was the prelude to the cold war clash that would consume Vietnam, and see a superpower brought low. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu turned America’s eyes to Vietnam, and would demonstrate the tenacity and determination the Vietnamese people possessed. Lessons that should have been learned from this battle were not. This shocking victory was as unexpected as it was complete. The Vietnamese annihilated the arrogant French forces.