Dien Bien Phu
Dien
Bien is the northwestern province in North-Vietnam. Extremely
mountainous, it is one of the newest provinces in
Vietnam
, as it was previously a part of Lai Chau province further to the
north. Bordering on
China
and
Laos
, its provincial capital –
Dien
Bien
City
- is situated in a valley near the junction of
Nam
Ron
River
and Da River.
The
province features some of the most refreshing mountainous terrain in
all of
Vietnam
. Between idyllic rural scenes of village centered life and isolated
mountain looping roads it is difficult at times deciding which
direction to look.
Dien
Bien province is inhabited by up to 23 ethnic groups, most notably
the Thai and the H'mong The most attractive tourist site in Dien
Bien is the former battlefield of Dien Bien Phu, Dien Bien Phu lies
in
Muong
Thanh
Valley
and is surrounded by steep, heavily forested hills and mountains.
This valley witnessed the extremely heroic attacks by Vietnam
People's Army (VPA) against the French forces.
On May 7th, 1954, the VPA forces overran the headquarters of the
beleaguered French garrison at
Dien Bien Phu
after a 56-day siege, capturing General Christian de Castries and
all his staff and troops. Since then,
Vietnam
has been famous for its resounding victory at
Dien Bien Phu
. Those French men who had involved in the Dien Bien Phu battle are
particularly interested in returning to
Vietnam
to visit the old battlefield. Places of interest in
Dien Bien Phu
include Hill A1 and Hill C2 (known as Eliane 2 and Eliane 4 by the
French) where fierce fighting took place. Other places worth seeing
are the headquarters of General de Castries, and the shelter of
Pirot, commander of the French artillery, who killed himself in
despair on March 15,1954 in his shelter. Also open to tourists is
the cemetery for fallen Vietnamese soldiers.
A
one-hour flight from Ha Noi will take you to Muong Thanh airport 
in
Dien Bien Phu
. If you travel by car, you will pass
Pha
Din
Pass
through the rugged interior of Tuan Giao or stopovers in the
undeniably beautiful Lai Chau. In the local language, Pha Din means
Heaven-Earth, and according to local legend, it was the frontier
between Heaven and Earth. Climbing and descending the slopes with
their bends and deep gorges is a really interesting trip amid such
magnificent scenery.
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