It was, from the french view before the event, a set piece battle to draw out the vietnamese and destroy them with superior firepower. Battle of dien bien phu area today a map of the area around the battle positions battle of dien bien phu summary. A pitched battle happened in dien bien phu around sixty years ago. Then it was on to dien bien phu in north west vietnam close to the laos border i took the flight option which was relatively cheap and a 1 hour flight beats 14 hours in a bus over terrible roads any day. Some of the reasons for the french military disaster at. Dien bien phu is a historic province and the nature is beautiful. The vietnamese viewpoint of dien bien phu supplies some much needed balance to the accounts of the battle written by western soldiers and historians. Bien phu marked the end of the first indochinese war and left the french decimated and embarrassed. Following world war ii, fall worked as a research analyst at the nuremberg.
As world war ii ended, ho and the viet minh took advantage of the power. The center of dien bien phu is quite small and you can easily explore everything on foot. Use the map below to find specific destinations in dien bien phu which are listed on travelfish. Dien bien phu, vietnam defeated french colonial at the dien bien phu campaign 60 years ago. The name dien bien phu contains itself a great number of historical events, including dien bien phu campaign in dien bien province in 1954, which was a resounding victory over the world, defeating french colonists and liberating the complete vietnams northern region, and the victory of dien bien phu on air in hanoi in 1972, which broke the. The siege at dien bien phu was a landmark battle of the last centurythe first defeat of modern. Attractions in dien bien phu, vietnam lonely planet. It is situated in the highlands of northwest vietnam, about 420 kilometres from hanoi.
After french forces occupied the dien bien phu valley in late 1953, viet minh commander vo nguyen giap amassed troops and placed heavy. Get directions, maps, and traffic for dien bien phu. This led to the end of the first indochina war 19461954 and the surrender of french claims in indochina and the division of vietnam. Not soviet, chinese and no rpg, vietnam only has rpg 2 in late 50s and widely spread in the 60s, main armaments were still ww1 and ww2 stuff,no sks or ak 47, vietnam had artillery before dien bien phu, captured from french but had no use for them, limited shells and no training crew, dien bien phu was the first battle where vietnam had their first artillery trained. This place is great, much quieter and the people are incredibly friendly.
Nationalism grew until world war ii provided a break in french control. The battle of dien bien phu was a climactic confrontation of the first indochina war that took. It was fought between the french unions french far east expeditionary corps and viet minh communist. Red victory modern campaigns mideast 67 fulda gap 85 korea 85 north german plain 85. The game covers the critical period of viet minh assaults and french counterattacks of march to may, 1954. Dien bien phu is a wargame covering the decisive battle of the first indochina war in which elite french expeditionary force units defended an airland base against the communist viet minh. The french defeat at dien bien phu in 1954 signalled the end of french influence in indochina. Her testimony indicated the viet minh was able to anticipat read more. Dien bien phu city is located in muong thanh valley with around 20km long and 6km wide. Accordingly, the siege of dien bien phu began on march, by which time the viet minh had concentrated nearly 50,000 regular troops, 55,000 support troops, and almost 100,000 transport workers in the area. Dien bien phu is probably the best known battle in the series of post ww2 wars, that marked the dissolution of the former colonial empires of france and britain. How dien bien phu led to americas war in vietnam in the trenches in 1953, a hard fought battle between french and vietnamese forces finished off. For the french army, dien bien phu is a painful symbol.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download. The battle of dien bien phu was the climactic confrontation of the first indochina war between the french unions french far east expeditionary corps and viet minh communistnationalist revolutionaries. Even if one wrongly assumes there were important spanish and eastern european elements among the legionnaires at dien bien phu that 50% of the legionnaires were german, then only 1,900 men out of more than 15,000 who participated in. Vietnam maps covers this whole country, which is located in the easternmost part of the indochina peninsula in southeast asia, flanked by the south china sea to its east, cambodia to the southwest, laos to the northwest and china to the north. That defeat sealed the end of french colonization and of the first indochina war. The time and date were carefully chosenthe hour allowed the artillery to fire in daylight, and the date was chosen because it was a new moon, allowing a nighttime infantry attack. Dien bien phu is located in dien bien province in the northwest region of vietnam. The french defeat here led to their complete withdrawl from their colonies in indochina, and the division of vietnam into north and south. Air force dropped 114,810 tons of bombs on the north vietnamese at khe sanh, roughly as many as on japan in 1945 during world war ii. The battle of dien bien phu is seen as the decisive battle of the first indochina war between french troops and the viet minh league for the independence of vietnam, a nationalist, prosoviet union movement of ho chi minh. The attrition phase of that fighting lasted about 7 weeks, from mid march to early may 1954. Hell in a very small place the battle of dien bien phu. Dien bien phu was founded in 1841when the nguyen dynasty wanted a fortified royal district as a response.
Position your mouse over the map and use your mousewheel to zoom in or out. The triumph of dien bien phu campain on 751954 made this rural area phenomenal all over the five continents of the world which ended 80 years dominated by colonialhalffeudal system of vietnam. This morning you are picked up at the hotel, by car and tour guide for your transfer to the airport for you flight to dien bien. It has a population of more than 90 million people, making it the 14th most populous country in the world.
French legionnaires during the combats on huguette for 3 days and 3 nights, 86 legionnaires isolated on the top of a hill fought against two regiments of giaps 308 division before being helped by reinforcements. Map of dien bien phu hotels and attractions on a dien. The loss of dien bien phu struck a death knell for the french effort to retain control of their former colony of indochina. The battle of dien bien phu there is a book in the kinsley kansas library called the 20 most decisive battles in world history, or it might be called the 20 most decisive battles in vietnam. The battle of dien bien phu began in 1953, when general navarre fortified the valley of dien bien phu, which lay in an isolated corner of northwestern vietnam.
Today, the former battlefield is one large historical site. The tragedy at dien bien phu that led america into the vietnam war. About 2,000 lay dead all over the battlefield in graves left unmarked to this day. This major confrontation occurred at dien bien phu, a large heartshaped valley located in northwestern part of vietnam, near the border with laos. For france, it was the decisive turning point of the entire conflict in indochina, from which, despite the fighting going on, the french far east army was never able to recover. Information how to get to dien bien weather accommodation interesting places map dien bien phu town is of special interest for fans of military history. May 7th, 1954 the guns fell silent as the last organized resistance in the fortified camp of dien bien phu came to an end. Vietnamese leaders pay homage to the cemetery of revolutionary martyrs of the battle of dien bien phu in vietnams northwestern dien bien phu province, some 300 km west of capital hanoi, vietnam, may 7, 2014.
Ac car and guide pick up and drive to dien bien phu hotel for check in. That is one of the bordered cities as it is around 35km to laos, 474km to hanoi. Historically, the viet minh won the battle, overrunning the base. Date th march 7th may 1954 location dien bien phu, vietnam war first indo china war combatants france vs viet minh outcome french defeat. The fourway circular thingy marks sights, attractions and other points of interest. A contemporary feaf map shows the supply routes for usaf aircraft as they carried. Battle of dien bien phu, the decisive engagement in the first indochina war 194654. Dien bien phu is a comparatively new town established in the middle of the 19th century to help to rid the area of incursions by bandits from siam, laos and china. I had no map, no guidebook, and no particular plan, so when an english journalist and. Deep in the hills of northwest vietnam, the position was surrounded by high ground.
Greek wars modern airpower war over vietnam war over the mideast air campaigns of ww2 defending the reich naval campaigns jutland. After lunch you will visit dien bien museum, hill a1, hill independence and the cemetery. The battlefield sites, most of which are found west of the nam yum river, are frequented by many visitors. Dien bien phu is a useful and stop, if you en route to other destinations in the province. Results of the battle of dien bien phu the battle of dien bien phu, and the international peace conference that began in geneva the day after the battle, brought the war to an end on july 20, 1954. Fifty years ago, the french garrison at dien bien phu fell to the viet minh, in one. Battlefield vietnam part 1 of 12 dien bien phu the legacy. The battle of dien bien phu was one of the most influential battles in military history. French troops, dien bien phu, vietnam, the first indochina war.
During this battle march may 7 1954, the bloodiest since world war ii, thousands of french soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. There are also people who offer you a motorcycle ride, if needed. The battle fought around dien bien phu was the last major campaign by a european state in the region. Its remote location in the extreme northwest of vietnam deterred both visitors and development, apart from becoming a french garrison during the colonial period. The fight i am thinking of is the seige of dien bien phu in the french indochina war. Battle of dien bien phu french foreign legion information. The first indochina war began in french indochina on december 19, 1946, and lasted until. The viet minh victory in this battle effectively ended the eightyearold war. It consisted of a struggle between french and viet minh vietnamese. The vietnamese viewpoint of dien bien phu supplies some much.
It consisted of a struggle between french and viet minh vietnamese communist and nationalist forces for control of a small mountain outpost on the vietnamese border near laos. War in vietnam documentary on the battle of dien bien phu. There are tanks and a monument to viet minh casualties on this former french position, known to the french as eliane and to the vietnamese as a1 hill. It is located in the muong thanh valley in a heart shape, a 20 km long and 6 km wide valley. Dien bien phu map vietnam maps vietnam travel guide. This vantage point was crucial in the battle of dien bien phu. Each bed icon indicated a guesthouse, hostel or hotel covered on travelfish. This is a historical site which its name was in the mind of most of vietnamese and french people of that generation. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. Chinese aid, consisting mainly of ammunition, petroleum, and some large artillery pieces carried a distance of 350 kilometers from the. Dien bien phu was the site of a major french defeat 1954 in the first indochina war, and was of tremendous historical significance.
The place is bestknown for having seen the french defeated against the vietminh army on may 7 th, 1954. Waffen ss veterans fighting vietnam axis history forum. Battlefield vietnam part 1 of 12 dien bien phu the legacy ernest mc daniel. Dien bien phu was founded in 1841when the nguyen dynasty wanted a fortified royal district as a response to the growing problem of banditry in the area. Bien phu was a symbol throughout the world that small guerrilla forces like the viet minh could turn away even the largest of imperial powers.