Historical tourism is booming in Dien Bien Phu.

Locals and tourists visit and admire the panoramic painting of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum on the afternoon of April 11.

Never before have so many groups of visitors come to Dien Bien Phu as during this 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory. Thousands of people flock there every day. Tourist attractions and historical sites are operating at full capacity.

Historical tourism is booming in Dien Bien Phu.

Tourists flock to the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum to admire the panoramic painting "The Dien Bien Phu Campaign". This is the first and only panoramic painting in Vietnam, the largest in Southeast Asia, and one of only three large circular paintings in the world .

Traveling nearly 600km from Hai Phong to Dien Bien, the first destination chosen by Mr. Vu Duc Thuan (77 years old) and a group of elderly veterans was the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum.

Adjusting his lapel and pinning his medals to his chest before entering the art gallery, the old soldier was seeing the panoramic view of the campaign for the first time.

Scenes of marching through mountain passes, battles in trenches, falling bombs, and soldiers charging into hand-to-hand combat... evoke strong emotions in the veterans, reminding them of the arduous days of fighting and those who fell for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.

The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Everyone eagerly awaits the presentation of the Dien Bien Phu campaign through this special painting.

As a member of the younger generation who participated in the resistance war against the US to save the country, Mr. Thuan expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation for the immense contributions of previous generations who made great history. Despite bearing the scars of war, he and his comrades still made an effort to travel to Dien Bien Phu for this special occasion.

"It is a great stroke of luck that we are here today, standing on this land. I feel both honored and proud to be a soldier myself, having fought to protect the independence of our country," he explained.

Having booked her flight earlier than planned, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cam Nhung (60 years old, residing in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City) shared that she wanted to travel to Dien Bien with her husband to experience the vibrant and heroic atmosphere of their ancestors' days 70 years ago.

Standing silently before the giant painting, which recreated the battle scene as if it were happening right before her eyes, Ms. Nhung confided: "The more I look at it, the more I feel compassion for our soldiers. Our country enjoys peace and independence today thanks to the great sacrifices and contributions of previous generations. I am very grateful and proud."

The areas displaying artifacts and recreating the Dien Bien Phu campaign also attracted a large number of visitors.

Even though it was almost 5 PM, the number of locals and tourists flocking to historical sites like A1 Hill was still very large.

An additional 2,000 accommodations will be provided from private homes.

With such a large number of tourists, many hotels and guesthouses in Dien Bien Phu city only have a few rooms left. Large groups of tourists are having difficulty booking hotel rooms during this period because most are already sold out.

Currently, the Dien Bien authorities have mobilized more than 100 eligible households to register for accommodation services, adding nearly 2,000 more housing options.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Chuyen, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province, said that the province has established an inter-agency inspection team to inspect all accommodation establishments throughout the province. "The results showed no cases of exploiting the large number of tourists to increase listed prices," she said.

Ms. Chuyen said that the number of tourists visiting Dien Bien during this period has increased dramatically, but there are two main streams. Firstly, there are delegations from central ministries and agencies, and other provinces visiting Dien Bien; the Provincial People's Committee has booked large hotels and other suitable accommodation facilities.

The second stream of visitors consists of veteran tour groups from various communes and localities across the country, some groups numbering in the hundreds. Most of these groups negotiate prices with accommodation providers.

"In the near future, we will mobilize more households around Dien Bien Phu city to provide accommodation services, which will create more than 2,000 additional accommodations," Ms. Chuyen said.

Here are some images of tourists flocking to Dien Bien, as recorded by Tuoi Tre Online on April 11th:

Locals and tourists visit the historical A1 Hill site.

The De Castries bunker historical site is also a popular tourist attraction.

On this occasion, many groups of veterans and military units from all over the country flock to Dien Bien Phu Cemetery to light incense for the martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives.

Photo: NAM TRAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-lich-lich-su-bung-no-o-dien-bien-phu-20240411191543971.htm