Dien Bien Phu (Điện Biên Phủ) is a small town in northwestern Vietnam in the province of Điện Biên. It is best known as the site of the May 7, 1954 Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, fought between the Viet Minh (led by Hồ Chí Minh ) and France (led by General Navarre), the successor of General De Lattre de Tassingny. The battle is significant in that it ended major French involvement in Indochina, and led to the accords which partitioned Vietnam into North and South. The battle of Điện Biên Phủ is described as the greatest victory for a South East Asian nation over a western power. The Vietminh carried artillery pieces up densely jungled hillsides to outflank French armaments. By mobilizing manpower to an extraordinary extent, the Viet Minh were able to make the most of their modest arms complement. Throughout the battle the French army was inadvertantly providing the Viet Minh with necessary supplies; their air drop packets were recovered by the Viet Minh. The failure of the French led to the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam. The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Christian de Castries Võ Nguyên Giáp Strength As of March 13: 10,800 (Davidson, 224) As of March 13: 49,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel (Davidson, 223) Casualties 2,293 dead 5,193 wounded 11,800 captured 7,900 dead 15... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... Official portrait of Hồ Chí Minh Hồ Chí Minh (Chinese : 胡志明) (help· info) (May 19, 1890 – September 2, 1969) was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman, who later became Prime Minister (1946-1955) and President (1955-1969) of North Vietnam. ... French Indochina was a federation of protectorates in Southeast Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN), or less commonly, Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cá»™ng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, September 2nd1945 and was recognized by the Peoples Republic of China and the... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ...

The town of Điện Biên Phủ itself has a population of around 125,000, although it was much smaller at the time of the battle. The majority of the population is not ethnically Vietnamese - rather, Thai ethnic groups form the largest segment. Ethnic Vietnamese make up around a third of the population, with the remainder being Hmong, Si La, or others. Thai ethnic groups include: the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand the Northern Thai (Lanna or Thai Yuan) of Thailand the Thai of Thailand the Shan (Thai Yai) of Burma the Thai Lue of Laos and China(also called Dai) the Black Thai of Laos and Vietnam the Red Thai... The Hmong, also known as Miao (considered derogatory by some: see below) (Chinese: è‹—; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Vietnamese: Mèo or HMông; Thai: แม้ว (Maew) or ม้ง (Mong); Burmese: mun lu-myo), are an Asian ethnic group speaking the Hmong language, whose homeland is in the mountainous regions of southern China (especially... The Si La (also Sila) are an ethnic group of about 1,800 people living in northern Laos and another 600 living in the Lai Chau province of Vietnam. ...

Điện Biên Phủ lies in Muong Thanh valley, a 20-km-long and 6-km-wide basin sometimes described as "heart-shaped". It is the capital of Điện Biên Province, and has traditionally been considered remote. It is only around 35 kilometers from the border with Laos.

External links

• Dien Bien Phu - History of the Battle