Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu is for history buffs, or a stopover for those on the way to Luang Prabang or other locales in Laos by road or to the touristy Sapa Highlands. This remote locale is the site of the French surrender to Vietnamese forces in 1954. At this place, the Vietnamese achieved clear tactical superiority over the French Foreign Legionnaires and inflicted the decisive victory that led to Vietnamese Independence from France.

There are many relics of the war maintained at Dien Bien Phu to commerate the victory and to remember those slain in battle.  And a History Musuem for further browsing on that battle.

This video by sinclair50 shows the snippet of the Dien Bien Phu Battle from the History Channel’s 10,000 Day War documentary.

And from asiapacifictravel we can see the adventurous taking the overland route between Laos and Dien Bien Phu.  From this clip, we can also get a glimpse into the life of the hill tribes of that mountainous region.