By land, it takes 10 h 33 min (432.7 km) via QL6 or 10 h 34 min (455.5 km) via QL6 and QL279. By airplane, it takes 1h 10 min nonstop from Noi Bai airport to Dien Bien Phu. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the decisive engagement in the First Indochina War (1946–54). After French forces occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley in late 1953, Viet Minh commander Vo Nguyen Giap amassed troops and placed heavy artillery in caves of the mountains overlooking Dien Bien Phu. Visit these former battlefields, where the French planned to lure the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, into the valley by sending 16,000 French troops as bait. The French however did not count on the brilliant leadership of General Vo Nguyen Giap who somehow managed to place the Vietnamese artillery on the surrounding ridges. From March until May 1954 the Viet Minh pounded the French positions until the French capitulated with the loss of 3,000 men. It is estimated that the Viet Minh lost more than twice that number. Later you can visit the headquarters of General Giap during the Dien Bien Phu campaign. We will have the chance to meet several of the different ethnic minority tribes here when we visit the villages of both the Thai and Hmong people. To visit Dien Bien Phu, email: dienbienphutours@impresstravel.com .
Dien Bien Phu Vestige with a global well-known victory in 1954. Traveling from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu takes 1 hour by plane. But by road, travelers go over kilometers of mountainous road and cross Pha Din Pass. The stretch of road goes uphill and downhill alternately with many sharp bends. It is a memorable event for everybody on this superb mountain. National Highway No. 279 links Tuan Giao to Tay Trang border gate vise Dien Bien Phu. Besides that, there is Muong Thanh Airport in Dien Bien Phu, connecting Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu.
