Visit the historical sites of Dien Bien.

In 2024, Dien Bien hosted the National Tourism Year. The opening ceremony of the National Tourism Year was held concurrently with the opening of the Ban Flower Festival on March 16th, the time when the ban flowers are in full bloom and at their most beautiful, attracting more than 80,000 visitors.

Tourists visit the site of the bomb crater created by our soldiers on the summit of Hill A1 during the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Photo: N. Lien

Besides the tourism year, Dien Bien this year has something even more special: the momentous event of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Following the influx of visitors from the Hoa Ban Festival, the number of tourists to Dien Bien has increased significantly, reaching hundreds of thousands since the beginning of the year.

Campaign during the blooming season of the Bauhinia flowers

March marks the beginning of the bauhinia flower season, when the bauhinia blossoms bloom throughout the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam. Seventy years ago, the Dien Bien Phu campaign also began when the bauhinia flowers were in full bloom. Every year, when the bauhinia flowers are in full bloom, the people of Dien Bien prepare for activities commemorating the liberation of their homeland – the Dien Bien Phu victory – on May 7th.

A veteran visits historical sites related to the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Photo: N. Lien

We visited the A1 Hill historical site in the heart of Dien Bien Phu city on March 13, 2024. Seventy years ago on this day, the Vietnamese revolutionary forces fired the first shots, launching the Dien Bien Phu campaign, a campaign "renowned throughout the world and shaking the earth." Along the small road leading to the top of A1 Hill, the group of tourists from Dong Nai, along with many other groups from across the country, were repeatedly moved by the stories told by the tour guide as they passed by points that marked the victory of our army and people, such as: the bunker with the broken banyan tree, the fortified tunnels, the explosion craters, the tanks…

Mr. Tran Van Phong, a veteran from Bac Ninh province, said emotionally: “I was also a revolutionary soldier. When visiting the relics of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, I felt the sacrifices and heroism of the Dien Bien Phu soldiers of the past, which are truly admirable. Dien Bien Phu will forever be a destination for today's young generations to learn about the revolutionary struggle of their ancestors, a place to nurture patriotism and national pride in generations who must know how to live and contribute to their homeland, in order to repay the great sacrifices of the heroic martyrs who shed their blood for the beautiful country we have today.”

Dien Bien province currently has over 200 tourist accommodation establishments with nearly 2,800 rooms. To meet the needs of tourists during the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, Dien Bien province has mobilized more than 100 households capable of providing accommodation services to register their operations, increasing the service capacity for an additional 1,400 tourists.

According to the Dien Bien Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, since March, historical sites such as the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post, the De Castries bunker, and the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum have attracted thousands of tourists daily. Besides sightseeing and admiring the flowers, this is also an opportunity for visitors to see and hear stories of the sacrifices and tenacious fighting that led to glorious victories, and the heroic examples of figures like Phan Dinh Giot, Be Van Dan, and To Vinh Dien... in the Dien Bien Phu victory 70 years ago.

A landmark on Vietnam's tourism map.

Many tourists visiting Dien Bien Phu city have noted that the city is now more modern and well-maintained, with many commemorative structures marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory being renovated and newly invested in. Tourist attractions have been upgraded, and tourism activities and festivals have been widely promoted and organized since mid-March. In particular, since the opening of the National Tourism Year and the Hoa Ban Festival, the number of tourists visiting Dien Bien province has increased dramatically.

A delegation from Dong Nai province visits the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post. Photo: N. Lien

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang, a young businesswoman from Dong Nai, shared her experience visiting Dien Bien Phu for the first time. She visited various historical sites related to the Dien Bien Phu campaign, from the campaign headquarters located more than 30km from the city center to landmarks like Hill A1, De Castries Bunker, and the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum. In addition to historical sites, Ms. Trang also hired a local guide to explore the villages of the ethnic groups living in Dien Bien province. Ms. Trang said: “My most memorable experience was visiting the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum. While in school, I only knew about the Dien Bien Phu victory through books. Coming here, I truly understood and appreciated it; I greatly admire the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs, the national spirit, and the unity and solidarity of our people in the struggle against foreign invaders. My days in Dien Bien Phu will be a profound and memorable history lesson that I will never forget.”

Today, Dien Bien Province has undergone many changes, becoming more developed and stronger. The people of Dien Bien, with their diverse ethnic backgrounds, remain united and closely bonded in preserving and developing their shared home, Dien Bien.

Dien Bien has left many emotions in visitors through its distinctive culture and the genuine nature of the people of the Thai, Mong, Dao, and Ha Nhi ethnic groups… The Dong Nai delegation visited the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post.

In terms of tourism development, Dien Bien province will be a destination that attracts many returning tourists to explore historical landmarks. Speaking about Dien Bien Phu, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung borrowed two lines from To Huu's poem to emphasize: “Nine years of struggle culminated in Dien Bien Phu. A red wreath of victory, a golden epic” – a land of “vast distances,” with many fascinating natural landscapes. Majestic mountain ranges, the primeval forests of Muong Nha, the beauty of the bauhinia flowers, the endless fields of Muong Thanh. Prosperous villages, countless beautiful caves and lakes, unique folk dances and melodies, and especially the system of historical relics commemorating the Dien Bien Phu victory.”

Ngoc Lien

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202404/den-voi-cac-diem-du-lich-do-cua-dien-bien-1c125ee/