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Phu. We dug forts and tunnels towards
the enemy. Many comrades were killed
while digging,” says Colonel Le Quang
Tuan, who led a company attacking hill
C2 in the Dien Bien Phu battle.
The humble bicycle played an im-
portant role in the victory of the Viet
Minh. Thousands of normal bikes were
strengthened and turned into carriage
bikes that carried weapons and food
along narrow roads and slippery slopes
to the frontier. Each could carry 200-
300 kilos against the normal 100 kilos.
With these efforts, Viet Minh troops
defeated the French one day before
the Geneva conference, forever sealing
Dien Bien Phu’s place in history.
However, this day came following
56 hard days and nights of consecutive
assaults. These days of fierce war left
many scars on the land and now a mu-
seum tells the tale of the events.
To this day a huge cone-shaped
hole is evident, the result of a one-ton
bomb. Visitors can also still see zigzag-
ging trenches on hill A1, De Castries’s
bunker, artillery roads, Muong Thanh
Bridge and many other places that tell
the story of the pivotal battle.
This land of war remnants is draw-
ing many people to reminisce about
wartime and the glorious victory. Along-
side veterans, young people as well as
families and international groups are
coming to Dien Bien in greater numbers.
Thirty-four year old Hoang Van Tu
took his family to Dien Bien, where his
father was a soldier in 1954. He is over
80 years old now. “This is a touching
journey. For me to see my father’s tears
visiting his old comrades’ graves is mov-
timeout
23
Huge guns were brought
to the battlefield
by Viet Minh troops
The new Dien Bien Phu Museum
tells the tale of the 56-day battle