Dien Bien Phu is a town in northwestern Vietnam. It is the capital of Dien Bien province, and is known for the events there during the First Indochina War, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, during which the region was a breadbasket for the Viet Minh.

Population

Statistics on Dien Bien Phu's population vary depending on definitions — figures are generally between 70,000 and 125,000. The town is growing quickly, and is projected to have a population of 150,000 by 2020.[1] 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.

Geography
Điện Biên Phủ lies in Muong Thanh valley, a 20-km-long and 6-km-wide basin sometimes described as "heart-shaped". It is on the western edge of Dien Bien province, of which it is the capital, and is only a short distance from the border with Laos. Until the creation of the province in 2004, it was part of Lai Chau province.

The Vietnamese government elevated Dien Bien Phu to town status in 1992, and to city status in 2003.

Administration
Điện Biên is a new province which was created by dividing the former Lai Chau Province in early 2004. Điện Biên includes all the land to the south of the Đà River (Black River), and New Lai Châu Province includes all the land to the north of the Đà River.