Điện Biên Phủ

Dien Bien Phu ( pronunciation: [ ˧ ˩ ʔ ˀ di̯ən ˧ ˀ bi̯ən ˧ ˩ ˧ fʊw ]; Chu Hán :奠边府) is the capital of Dien Bien province in Northwest Vietnam. The city is located in the 20 km long and 6 km wide Muong Thanh Valley, just 35 miles from the Laotian border.

The population is only about one-third of ethnic Vietnamese ( Kinh ), the main content represent Tai, to a lesser extent Hmong, Si La, and others.

In the French Indochina War, the valley was built by the French expeditionary force into a fortress and place of the French defeat in 1954 ( Battle of Dien Bien Phu ). Even today, a large monument as well as a French military cemetery at the decisive battle.