Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Previously just a minor settlement, DBP only became a provincial capital in 2004.
Boulevards and civic buildings have been constructed and the airport now has daily flights
from Hanoi. With the nearby border with Laos now open to foreigners, many travellers
are passing through the city.
Sights
Dien Bien Phu Museum
( 0230-382 4971; Ð 7-5; admission 5000d; 7-11am & 1.30-5pm) Commemorating the 1954
battle, this well-laid-out museum features an eclectic collection. Alongside weaponry and
guns, there's a bicycle capable of carrying 330kg of ordnance, and photographs and docu-
ments, some with English translations. At the time of writing, a new modern structure to
house the collection was under construction.
MUSEUM
Bunker of Colonel de Castries
(admission 5000d; 7-11am & 1.30-5pm) Across the river, the command bunker of Colonel
Christian de Castries has been recreated. A few discarded tanks linger nearby, and you'll
probably see Vietnamese tourists mounting the bunker and waving the Vietnamese flag,
re-enacting an iconic photograph taken at the battle's conclusion.
WAR MEMORIAL
A1 Hill
(admission 3000d; 7-11am & 1.30-5pm) More 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. The elaborate trenches at the heart of the French defences have also been recre-
ated.
WAR MEMORIAL
Sleeping
Viet Hoang 2
( 0989 797 988; 69 Ð Phuong Thanh Binh; r 250,000-350,000d; ) Tucked away opposite
the bus station, this guesthouse is the newer and much cleaner offshoot of the older,
nearby Viet Hoang 1 (rooms 150,000d to 200,000d). The extra dong are definitely worth
it.
GUESTHOUSE $
Binh Long Hotel
GUESTHOUSE $
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