Dien Bien Phu

Country: Vietnam
Province: Dien Bien
District: Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu Holiday Weather today

Date/time of update: April 27, 2024, 1:35 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Clear Sky

Temperature: 32.73°C
Temperature feels like: 31.67°C
Minimum Temperature: 32.73°C
Maximum Temperature: 32.73°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1007hPa
Humidity:30%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 1.56m/sec
Wind Direction: 249 degrees
Cloudiness: 0%
Sunrise: 2024-04-26 10:39:31
Sunset: 2024-04-27 11:31:20

Dien Bien Phu City is the provincial capital of Dien Bien Province, 470km from Hanoi. Dien Bien Phu covers all of the Muong Thanh Valley, the biggest valley in the Northwest of Vietnam. Dien Bien Phu was the site of the decisive battle which put and end to the French rule of Vietnam.

Dien Bien Phu Travel Guide, Tourist Attractions, What to see in Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu was the site of Dien Bien Phu Battle which helped to shape up the course of the Vietnamese recent history. The battle had quite a powerful influence over the world’s history, too. Visiting Dien Bien Phu City, you will travel back in time to visit the different sites and recall the battle back then.

1/ Him Lam Hill

This is a group of three hills located to the Northeast of Dien Bien Phu commanding over route 41 (Route 279 now). Him Lam Hills were the strongest French post in Dien Bien Phu manned by 750 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion (3/13e Demi-Brigade de Légion Étrangère, 3/13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion).

The Him Lam Hill (Beatrice) in Dien Bien Phu

The battle at Him Lam Hills started from 17:05 on 13-March-1954 and ended at 23:30 on 13-March-1954. Most men of the 3rd Battalion were either killed or captured as prisoners of war, some escaped to the jungle. The battle at the Him Lam hills were the beginning of an end.

A view from Him Lam of the Nam Rom River that the Viet Minh had to cross attacking this strong point

2/ Doc Lap Hill

Doc Lap Hill was an isolated barren hill 4km north of the Commander Post of Dien Bien Phu. The hill overlooked the route between Dien Bien Phu and Lai Chau. The French had built a 2-layer defense on the hill. The French force on Doc Lap was the 5th Battalion/7th Algerian Rifle Regiment (5/7 RTA) enforced by a Thai company.

The Doc Lap (Gabrielle) Hill at Dien Bien Phu with commanding views of Route 12 between Lai Chau and Dien Bien Phu

The attack on Doc Lap was planned at 16:45 on 14-March-1954 but due to rainy weather as well as French bombardments that the plan was delayed.
14-March: 18:00 Vietnam artillery started shelling targets on and around the Doc Lap Hill.
15-March:
+ 02:00 A.M Viet Minh cannons were carried and put in place. Preparations done.
+ 03:30 A.M Viet Minh’s attack of Doc Lap Hill started.
+ 03:55 A.M Viet Minh’s howitzers ceased; close-range combat had started inside the stronghold.
+ 06:30 A.M Doc Lap Hill was overwhelmed. The 5/7 RTA was wiped out.

The French arranged re-enforcement and counter attack from 04:00 A.M to 07:30 A.M on 15-March but the efforts failed.

The quick fall of Him Lam and Doc Lap made the hedgehog much weakened and much more vulnerable. The ending results were more visible to both sides.

3/ Ban Keo Hill

Ban Keo was a White Thai village to the northwest of the Muong Thanh Airfield. The name of the village was used for the nearby knoll with two humps. The French deployed a stronghold to protect the northwestern side of the hedgehog: on the two humps of the knoll at Ban Keo and two other points on the paddy fields to the northwest of the Muong Thanh Airstrip. The French called this stronghold Anne Marie while the Vietnam addressed this as Ban Keo. Ban Keo belonged to the Northern Zone of the Hedgehog along with Doc Lap (Gabrielle).

Ban Keo Knoll (Anne Marie) at Dien Bien Phu

The French force at Ban Keo is the 3rd Thai Battalion (BT 3) which included Thai soldiers from Nghia Lo and Son La and which proved their combat capability at Na San in 1953.

The successive falls of Him Lam and Doc Lap between 13-April and 15-April proved that Viet Minh could annihilate the best European and African units in the French forces at Dien Bien Phu. That was visible to all participants including the Thai soldiers at Anne Marie. From 16-April, along with unconditional delivery of the wounded from Doc Lap Hill Battle, the Viet Minh also used loudspeakers to persuade the Thai soldiers at Anne Marie to lay down weapons and return home.

In the morning of 17-April, upon rumors that the Viet Minh was about to hammer Anne Marie, the Thai soldiers stampeded to the forest. Lieutenant Clarchambre who was commander in chief of Anne Marie 1 and 2 (the knoll) called Muong Thanh that they had to withdraw to the Central Zone immediately. Ban Keo fell quickly without a bullet fired by 36th Regiment of 308th Division.

4/ A1 Hill with two auxiliary hills (Doi Xanh and Doi Chay)

The trench between the top bunker and the entrance bunker at A1 Knoll (Eliane 2) which caused much difficulty to the Viet Minh

The central bunker at A1 or Eliane 2 Knoll

The crater created by 1,000 kilogram dynamite

5/ C1 & C2 Hills

6/ D1 Hill (Dominique 2)

A view from D1 Hill (Dominique 2) at Dien Bien Phu

A view of the Muong Thanh Valley and Dien Bien Phu City from D1 Hill

7/ The Muong Thanh Bridge

The Muong Thanh Bridge (first Bailey Bridge in Vietnam)

8/ Former Hong Cum Zone (Isabelle)

9/ Dien Bien Phu Airfield (from outside)

10/ The Commander Bunker

Inside the French Commander Bunker at Dien Bien Phu

The French commander bunker at Dien Bien Phu

11/ Dien Bien Phu Museum

Adventure Travel, Things to do in Dien Bien Phu

1/ Adventure Travel

AdventureGreen arranges adventure tours by car to Dien Bien Phu City. On the tour, we visit different sites in the city as well as Thai villages.

2/ Historical Tours

AdventureGreen operates in-depth historical tours by car or jeep to Dien Bien Phu City and other historical sites in the Northwest, Northeast of Vietnam.