Historical sites
In the Dien Bien Phu battle in 1954, Hill A1 was considered the most important stronghold in the French army's defense system protecting the central Muong Thanh area. At this stronghold, the French deployed many troops with strong firepower, a dense system of fortifications, and solid battlefields.
The barbed wire system (re-enacted) and the French army's dense, solid fortifications
At this stronghold, our troops destroyed many enemies, along with their military equipment - such as the Bazeille tank, currently on display on hill A1 - but many of our soldiers also sacrificed.
Our army and the French army had to fight for every meter of land here for 39 days and nights.
The attack to capture the A1 Hill stronghold was one of the most heroic battles of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, when on the night of May 6, 1954, we detonated a 960 kg explosive - brought close to the command bunker of the A1 stronghold by digging an underground tunnel. By 4:30 a.m. on May 7, 1954, the last day of the campaign, our army completely controlled this important stronghold, and then a few hours later, captured General De Castries, ending the campaign.
The crater where the 960 kg explosive block our army detonated on the night of May 6, 1954, opening the battle to capture the command bunker of base A1.
De Castries Bunker relic, where at 7:30 a.m. on May 7, 1954, our army captured General De Castries - commander of the French Dien Bien Phu stronghold, ending the campaign.
A peaceful Dien Bien
Dien Bien Phu, from the fierce battlefield of the past, has now become a peaceful and attractive city for tourists. In addition to historical relics, this city also has tourist attractions and beautiful landscapes. Among them, we must mention Him Lam stilt house - the largest ironwood stilt house in Vietnam, located in Him Lam Eco-tourism Area (Group 6, Him Lam Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province), about 4 km west of the city center.
Him Lam ironwood stilt house
Him Lam stilt house is located right next to the large Huoi Pa lake, in an eco-tourism area covered with green trees, a place that tourists to Dien Bien Phu city often cannot miss.
The stilt house is made from nearly 500 m3Lim wood and 3.5 tons of copper (covering the column bases) with a total of 64 pillars, 2 floors high, each floor has 7 compartments, 3.8 m wide/compartment, with 4 staircases (2 main staircases in the middle and 2 side staircases). The lower floor has 14 sets of beds made of solid clove wood. The entire stilt house is decorated with many details carved on wood very delicately and elaborately.
Another place also associated with Dien Bien Phu city is Muong Thanh field. This is the largest rice field in the Northwest region, with a length of more than 20 km and a width of about more than 6 km in the Muong Thanh basin.
A corner of Dien Bien Phu city and Muong Thanh field, seen from the top of D1 hill.
In mid-May, people were harvesting the winter-spring rice crop. Muong Thanh fields were bustling with laughter and chatter, and plumes of smoke from burning stubble stood out against the surrounding mountains.
The smoke from burning fields lingered on the distant green mountains.
Farmers carry bundles of ripe, golden rice, gathering them along the roadside, then tractors loaded with ripe rice travel back and forth to the villages, creating a special film about peaceful fields on a May afternoon.
