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Region: Northwest Vietnam> Province: Dien Bien>Location: Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu sights and attractions

Dien Bien Phu Museum - Run down, but still worth seeing

7-5 Road, Muong Thanh Ward, Dien Bien Phu

Description
This museum won't be the highlight of your visit, but it does offer an account of the battle from the perspective of the Vietnamese soldiers who faced down one of the largest forces then seen in South East Asia. Those on a group tour will probably be happy to have a guide around that speaks their language and can explain what they are looking at, as there are few English captions, and a lot of the displays are in a dilapidated state. Also, curatorial rigour may be lacking as well -- a careful eye might detect some errors, such as the American military outfits passed off as French in one of the displays.

Some of the photojournalism is interesting, particularly the classic photo taken of three, weary French soldiers surrendering in front of a crashed transport vehicle. Among the artefacts, maps and diagrams are a number of items that are little more than 'trophies' really, being shown off to prove how hastily the French had to abandon their position -- the Bathtub of General De Castries has little historical value, but is cheekily displayed, as if to comment on the foppishness of the French leaders as compared to the Viet Minh leaders, men of the people, all, who bathed in a icy cold water from a stream, along with their troops, and were happy to do so.

Outside the museum, a number of military transports and heavy artillery pieces have been set up, some Vietnamese and some captured from the enemy. Particularly striking is the contrast between an old French, single-shot canon on wooden wheels, which looks like it dates from the Napoleonic wars, and the massive hardware the Vietnamese dragged in over the mountains. It was the presence of these big guns that took the French by surprise and all-but guaranteed a Vietnamese victory. Also quite telling, the wreckage of several planes that were shot down, in a big pile, with a wing prominently displayed bearing the U.S.A insignia. This demonstrates the link, as far as the North Vietnamese were concerned, between the two Indochina wars, and substantiates their claim that the US was the chief force behind an imperialist 're-conolisation' effort both times, despite it's 'cynical' claim to be fighting for freedom and against Communism.

Opening Hours: 07:00 to 11:00 and 13:30 to 17:00 daily

A1 hill and Cemetery - Monuments to the fallen

Opposite the Museum

Description
A1 Hill, known as Elian II to the French, is the feature attraction in Dien Bien Phu. There were actually six fortified hills in the area at the time of the battle, but all the others have been given over to agriculture and development, while this one has been preserved for posterity.

It was the last hill taken by the Viet Minh, marking the end of the battle, and was the scene of some of the most intense fighting, and loss of life. The hill was eventually blown up from underneath by the Vietnamese, so what's on display here is mostly a reconstruction, making it, by our reckoning, the world's largest, open-air, diorama in situ.

Nevertheless, it does provide a vivid and striking picture of what the Viet Minh took on, in terms of military logistics, and if you can imagine the challenge of taking on such a well-entrenched hill from the ground, and then multiply that by six, you'll understand why the Vietnamese are deservedly proud of the victory, and why it had world-wide repercussions.

The maze of trenches is extensive and elaborate, and would have provided cover for hundreds of troops to fire from a protected position on high ground at any force attacking from any direction. The French certainly didn't lose for lack of trying, and that's what A1 Hill is on display to demonstrate. They lost due to a fatal miscalculation. They were unaware that long before they broke ground on the garrison at Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh had already anticipated the move, and had begun the long arduous process of moving heavy artillery into secret positions encircling the location.

After you enter the front gate, take the road up the hill to the right. Once you're at the top you'll find some bunkers that can be explored, giving access to the trenches. War buffs will want to spend some time walking through the trenches, which are navigable on foot, and will be rewarded with the occasional appearance of the likenesses of Vietnamese soldiers crouching in cubby holes within the walls of the trenches. This commemorates the period during the conflict when the Viet Minh took the hill, but then were pushed back, before finally routing the French troops for the last time.

The nearby cemetery will have deep meaning for those connected to the conflict on the Vietnamese side, but for the casual tourist it's just another Vietnamese cemetery and you might want to skip it.

Opening Hours: 07:00 to 11:00, 13:30 to 17:00

Muong Thang Bridge and the Bunker of Commander Pirot - Famous locations

Description
There's no significant payoff in visiting either of these sites, but you'll pass them on the way to the bunker of General De Casties if you're headed there. The bridge has been preserved by barring vehicular traffic, but bikes and motorbikes can cross. Just before crossing the bridge, on the right, there is a stone plaque in front of what is now just a weedy hole in the ground, but used to be the bunker of Chief Artillery Commander Pirot. As the story goes, the moment he heard the first shot from Vietnamese artillery in the nearby hills, he knew defeat was inevitable and committed suicide. Whether this was out of despair at the inevitable lose of human life that was about to take place, or simply to avoid the humiliation of going back to France and explaining himself, will never be known.

The Bunker of General De Casties - More big guns

Description
This is the command quarters where General De Casties and his staff holed up while coordinating their forces during the 57-day siege. Yes, this is where they found the bathtub now on display at the museum. It's a small series of trenches and bunkers covered by a good metre of concrete bricks made using burlap sacks as molds, protected by another layer of thick, curved steal designed to deflect incoming rounds. It's the most heavily fortified bunker we've seen in all of Vietnam, and that may be the Vietnamese rationale for preserving it. The fact that the French had gone from colonial masters, to animals cowering in an underground den, marked a sea change in their struggle for liberation. To further illustrate the point, some of the heavy artillery that all that concrete was built in fear of is on display in back of the bunker. The area features some more tanks and memorials, and if you're with a guide you'll probably be taken to see them.