Due to International Communist Labor Day (which I've been told is either April 30th or May 1st)- I had a 4 day weekend (Friday-Monday). Flights to Can Tho (my preferred destination) were very expensive and then sold out. I decided to save money and just make one big southern trip (ideally is to Can Tho, Mui Ne and Quy Nhon/Cao Lanh) later in May. I only have one destination left in the North/Central and it is...Dien Bien Phu.
For those of you who, like me, had only heard of Dien Bien Phu from the "We Didn't Start the Fire" lyrics, Dien Bien Phu is the site of the last battle in the 1st Indochina War (in which the Vietminh lead by Ho Chi Minh defeated the French, ending in the Geneva Accords in 1954). After "Dien Bien Phu falls" the French withdrew from Indochina.
I'll admit, I knew little about the 1st Indochina War- I knew Dien Bien Phu was famous and (I'll confess) no one in the Vietnam ETA co-hort had made it as far west as Dien Bien, so I would be the only person to go out there.
Dien Bien is a small, somewhat poor mountainous province. There are only a couple flights per week-mostly filled with locals.
If you are going to visit Dien Bien Phu, I recommend reading up on the history before you go. Seeing Colonel de Castries bunker won't mean much to you if you don't know who Colonel de Castries is!
There are three main books on Dien Bien Phu (according to my research). The first is called Hell in a Very Small Place, by Bernard Fall. This is the classic book- the definitive opinion. Sadly, its not available on kindle. It inspired a longer, more immersive (but less based on first person interviews) book called The Last Valley by Martin Windrow. At over 700 pages, its reviews recommend it only for people who are French military history buffs (which I am not).
I bought (and read): Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot by Howard Simpson. At only 300 pages and with little military jargon (like "CP" or "DZ" or stuff like that) it is much more accessible. It outlines an arrogant and cocky French military- backed up against the wall incredulously. They are losing and the French government is trying to pull them out. America won't support them without British help (and the Brits won't help). They are pushed farther and farther back by a former history teacher turned General named Vo Nguyen Giap- leaving them less and less space to get aid packages (Dien Bien Phu is under siege and so can only receive aid by air,but as they lose drop zones, more and more of the supplies fall into Vietminh hands. Hilariously, Colonel de Castries is promoted to General, but the package with his general stars falls into the Vietminh hands).
Anyway- on the first day, I got a hotel (in a scary twist, due to the holiday, the first four hotels I tried were booked, but found a motel (nha nghi) just off the main drag (named after the Vietminh General). I went to Colonel de Castries' (the commanding officer) former bunker, then a rather large history museum with an hour long English language film (much to my surprise. In fact, all the 4 tourists I encountered were French). After lunch, I went to a cemetery and climbed A1 Hill.
Dien Bien Phu had 8 "strong points" or defensive positions around it. They were named A-I (no F) and all given female French names (Annemarie, Beatrice, Claudette...Isabelle). Supposedly, they were named after de Castries 8 mistress....Anyway, A1 hill was part of the "Annemarie" strong point. There were lots of tanks and howitzers and military equipment- most of it in disrepair.
The next day, I visited D1 hill (named after Dominique) and just wandered around the town for a bit. I saw the famous bridge (Muong Thanh) and some interesting restaurants. For example, we've been told all year that Vietnam imports its dog meat from Laos. I saw a sign for a restaurant that its dog meat is from Lang Son province (far to the east, and home of Karen). So...maybe not?
I was somewhat underwhelmed- Dien Bien is a big town in a valley- I wanted to see where the battle had taken place- but it was more of a siege, and the numbers involved are huge. Its not like a Civil War battle where you can imagine it taking place. General Vo was firing 120mm Howitzers from a mile or more away. Hard to get a sense of a battle like that- especially 60 years later.
To those of you considering a visit to Dien Bien Phu: I recommend only going for 24 hours and with a book on the history of Dien Bien Phu (major players and events and stuff).
Sadly-I've been trying to post pictures but the blogsite won't let me. I'll try again later, but for now look for them on my facebook!
Onwards. Always Onwards.
Daniel
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