Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary general who masterminded Vietnam's wars of independence against the French and American armies, warned the United States that it faced defeat in Iraq.
The diminutive 92-year-old, whose only military lesson came from an old encyclopedia entry describing the mechanism of hand grenades, said Washington would fail in its bid to impose its will on the Iraqi people.
"Any country that wants to impose its will on another nation will certainly fail and all nations fighting for their own independence will be victorious," Giap told reporters.
"Everyone in the world should acknowledge that each country has the right to independence and sovereignty. Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom."
The general, dressed in a white military uniform and wearing a solitary gold-starred medal, said he was unable to comment on the effectiveness of tactics used by Iraqi resistance fighters against US forces.
"I haven't had a chance to go to Iraq and to study the specific tactics there," he said.
However, Giap, who is second only to Vietnamese Communist Party founding father Ho Chi Minh as the most revered figure in the country's recent history, stressed that "aggressors" would not prevail.
"All attempts to oppress the people of other nations, all plots to encroach on other nation's sovereignty and independence will be defeated," he added in his "message to the world's young people".
His comments came on the 29th anniversary of the fall of the US-backed Saigon regime to communist forces and ahead of next week's celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of victory against the French at Dien Bien Phu.
In a 90-minute rambling and often repetitive monologue, a relaxed-looking Giap recounted the tactics he employed during the battle that precipitated the collapse of France's colonial rule in Indochina.
In particular, he dwelt on his critical decision to call off the attack against the French military garrison in the remote mountainous valley in northwestern Vietnam that had been planned for January 25, 1954 because he did not feel his peasant army could secure an outright victory.
"I think that was the most difficult decision I had to make in my military career," he said.
The fighting began on March 13 and 56 days later, on May 7, shell-shocked survivors of the French army hoisted the white flag to signal the end to one of the epic battles of the 20th century.
Around 3,000 French troops were killed or reported missing while some 10,000 Vietnamese died. The defeat led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on July 21, 1954 that split the country into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
"It was a benchmark in the history of Vietnam and it is the first time a weak colony has defeated a powerful colonialist power," Giap said.
"Dien Bien Phu was not only a victory of the Vietnamese people but for many other countries around the world. It proved that a nation with enough determination can win against foreign aggressors no matter powerful they are."
Giap also recounted his many conversations with his fellow revolutionary and mentor Ho Chi Minh, who told him the day after the battle that "the victory was just the beginning".
"Only a person like Ho Chi Minh could say such a thing," Giap said. "He embraced me and congratulated me but added that 'we will still have to fight against the Americans'."
That "American War" lasted until 1975 and resulted in the deaths of around three million Vietnamese.
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