Dien Bien Phu is the main historical vestiges of Lai Chau and is known worldwide as the site of the victory of the Vietnamese Army over the French in 1954.  The battle took place on the west side of Dien Bien district.  Dien Bien Phu is surrounded by mountains and lies in the Muong Thanh valley, a 20-km long and 6-km wide heart-shaped basin.  The Nam Rom River runs across the valley, which is why the Dien Bien Phu valley is so fertile.  After 1953, French expeditionary corps occupied Dien Bien Phu and set up a group of fortresses equipped with many state-of-the-art weapons.  The Dien Bien Phu victory created a great echo in the world.  The struggle lasted for 56 days and General de Castries and his entire command were taken alive and 16,000 enemy troops were put out of action. The relics of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu include Doc Lap Hill, the airport, and the command tunnel of General de Castries.  Much of the Viet Minh's brilliant strategy was planned in a 320m long tunnel, dug into a small hill, some 30km east of Dien Bien Phu.  Some huts where planning sessions were held are clustered near the mouth of the tunnel, which is now overgrown with moss.  Dien Bien Phu is located in Muong Thanh Valley, and ethnic Thai and H'mong people account for approximately two-thirds of the valley's 60,000 residents.  Pa Khoang Lake is actually a man-made water reservoir, crucial for the irrigation of the valley below.  It is also the site of Dien Bien Phu's only tourist resort - a newly built hotel that resembles a Swiss castle. On weekends, the 21km road from Pa Khoang Lake to Dien Bien Phu is busy, as the town's residents flock here for day trips.  Attractions and Map