Memory of Dien Bien Province On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu historical victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2014), I revisited the old battlefields. I started from Hanoi at daybreak. After driving nearly 500 kilometers of winding roads that ran through mountains and hills, I reached Dien Bien Province at sunset. I continued to go to the monument of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Standing at the foot of the huge monument, I had strange feeling and my mind was flooded with the images and stories about the Dien Bien Phu Victory. … [Read more...] about 60th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory
Dien bien phu tourism
Vietnam celebrates Dien Bien Phu Victory
VietNamNet Bridge - A variety of activities are taking place in Viet Nam and around the rest of the world to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, which falls on Wednesday. A photo exhibition was opened on Saturday (May 4) at the grave of General Vo Nguyen Giap on Yen Island in the central province of Quang Binh by the Viet Nam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). … [Read more...] about Vietnam celebrates Dien Bien Phu Victory
Dien Bien Phu opens up new front
Crossroads:The hut where General Vo Nguyen Giap once lived in and managed war affairs during the Dien Bien Phu battle, defeating the French colonialists. — VNS Photos Viet Thanh Upcountry: Staircase-like rice fields are a common sight in north-western region of the country. — VNS Photos Viet Thanh Renowned as one of the country's most famous battlefields, a historic district is using its cultural attractions to promote tourism, reports Ngoc Le. In appearance, Dien Bien Phu is no different from any town or city in the country's Northwest region, but the name evokes one of the most glorious chapters in the nation's independence-fighting history. Once you reach the place, you can see vestiges of the epic battle that marked a turning point in the tide against colonialism, and you learn why the city in Dien Bien Province is the most famous historic location in the region. But it is not just history that Dien Bien Phu offers. It is a place that hosts great natural beauty … [Read more...] about Dien Bien Phu opens up new front
Dien Bien Phu – Land of legend
The history of Dien Bien Phu, where Vietnam won its decisive victory to end the French occupation in 1954, goes back much further than five decades, and there's plenty more to explore than the war. According to legend, the Thai people, who account for 40 percent of the population of modern-day Dien Bien province originally named the valley surrounding Dien Bien Phu as Muong Then. The Thai people linked the land with spirituality, and spoke of Muong Con (the land of the living), Muong Phi (the land of the dead) and Muong Then (the land of God ). The Thai people believe that Then created human beings in a gourd, which he punctured with a stick to release them. The first people to emerge from the gourd were the Xa, who have the darkest complexions. They were followed in turn by the Thai, the Lao, the Lu, the Mong and finally the Kinh (the Vietnamese ethnic majority). The gourd then became a mountain, which stands today in Tau Pung Commune in the middle of the Muong Thanh Valley. It's … [Read more...] about Dien Bien Phu – Land of legend
Folklore painting exhibition to mark Dien Bien Phu victory
On May 4th, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum coordinated with the Dien Bien provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to open an exhibition of Vietnamese traditional folklore paintings to mark the 58th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7). The exhibition brought visitors the feeling of the specific forms of folklore arts, with a diversity of famous folklore paintings of northern provinces and cities, such as Dong Ho paintings from Bac Ninh province, Hang Trong paintings from Hanoi, and religious worship paintings from ethnic minority groups in mountainous areas of Vinh Phuc and Nghe An provinces. Each painting reflects its own strand of national cultural identity. The exhibition will remain open until May 12th. Source: CPV … [Read more...] about Folklore painting exhibition to mark Dien Bien Phu victory