Muong Phang (Dien Bien Phu)

HOME (English) / Vietnam / Vietnam sights

I wave the bus goodbye and look around; along the (large) road are a few Hmong women with their merchandise in front of them on a piece of carpet. Lots of fruit and vegetables with some wooden houses and high mountains in the background. I walk up the road that I have to take where a pole stands with the vague letters Muong Phang – 20 kilometres.

Oops, that’s much further away then I expected. Within 20 minutes I was picked up by a jeep and he brings me about 5 kilometres away. About 500 meters away, three cranes are busy heaping sand and I have to wait just like three men on a motorcycle. We have to wait for about 20 minutes and of course this is one of the reasons why there is no bus here and no one comes here. The view of the lake and surrounded is terribly beautiful. I start to walk and being picked up later by another (expensive) jeep. We are getting at a narrow asphalt zigzag road through a Vietnamese valley. 

Occasionally some houses but especially a lot of green; I see mountains, forest, a river and a little lake here and there. Buffaloes walk in the rice fields and here and there a stray dog. It's really a lot of driving and I really have no idea where these people are going. Then after a long ride I see "Muong Phang"; the car already stops at the first house and I also want to get off. The other three change places and ask me to close the door again. We drive through the small town, then a whole lot of open ground with here and there a wooden house and finally the parking lot where the headquarters should be.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954): 

The village itself has no (motor) taxis unfortunately and I decide to walk and I am not yet 200 meters on the road or there is a scooter; I let him stop and ask if I can jump on the back. No idea what he will ask for money but I have to go back somehow and a lot of traffic is not here now I know. We drive a mile or 5 to 8 if the man stops and points to a house a bit away from the road. Does he want to eat right here? Of course I'm quite hungry and I watch my watch. It is half one and I can easily have a bite to eat, I decide to jump back and we are now driving over a very small mud path to a large house on stilts. 

I walk up the ladder and I put my shoes off, meet the two “house” dogs and shake hands of a few people sitting inside on a big mat behind a small wooden table with food on it. I can sit behind one of the tables and just nod. It turns out to be a "Tai" family and to see that there are more guests because there are four tables covered. I look around and see a TV in a dark linen cupboard, in the corner a sort of curtain with a bed behind it and in the middle of the room (or better the room) a whole pile of bags with probably rice.

On the other hand, I see a black pot standing on a fire - that must be the kitchen. Behind me is a very large curtain made of thick clothes – I think people are sleeping there. More people come in and they are about to start eating. A little small plastic bottle appears and a few small glasses. Everybody gets a glass (also me) and we cheers – here they say “heng”. It is certainly alcohol but have no idea what it is and what it is made of. Someone says cung chau and I write down the name quickly to ask the girl in the hostel later. Rice is in a green rice tray and I can take a piece off and place it in my bowl. I also use my sticks to pick up some other thing that I have no idea what it is. 

There is glutinous rice that is extracted from a bamboo, two kinds of fish in a sauce and a few vegetable saucers which I certainly do not like. Again, new people come in who immediately look up to me, then start to laugh. I imagine so positively and politely, and when an older man comes in I stand up, give him a hand and bow. I also sit cross-legged to keep my feet with me - until I get cramp and stretch my feet for a moment.

There are no buses to Muong Thang so if you want to go anyway (if you do not want to take a taxi) you first have to take the bus to Na Nhan (15 km north of DBP) in the bus direction Son La. There will be enough busses here so you do not have to wait long. I paid 10,000 VND and did not have to pay anything backwards. The journey takes about half an hour.

You get off at a "death" intersection where there is a fairly large sign with Truc An on it (a hostel). There is also a pole with Muong Phang on it - 20 km - this is the closest village where the bunker is located. There are no motorcycle taxis at this crossroads. You first have to find 5 to 6 kilometers to the lake Pa Khoang where the hostel is located.

Then it is still about 15 km over the 4 meter wide zigzag path to Muong Phang. There you turn left and continue straight (you see on the left the exit to a larger road - no idea where it leads to) - about 2 to 3 km - if you see a parking lot on the right. Here is the museum.

• Name: Tham Quan di Tich So Chi Huy Chien Dich DBP (Hk of General Giap)

Address: Muong Phang (2 to 3 km to the north)

Price: 15,000 VND

Time: 07:30 - 11:30 and from 13:30 to 16:00

Content:

The bunker on which my travel guide spoke about may not be the correct name for this complex of cabins which was jointly the headquarters of Giap and his highest ranking staff and generals. It is a fairly large area with at least 10 to 20 thatched huts, but also shelter (bunkers) and concrete foundations where tents and buildings once stood. Of course they are replicas but you get a good idea, it must have been here at the time of the Franco war.

It all looks very slick, which is a bit of a shame. The other sad thing is that the cabins are almost empty – no furnace. There are no attributes left behind, there are no weapons, no drawings, no photographs of that time and no information panels at all about this headquarters or about the battle that raged about 20 kilometers further. There are only signs who stayed in which cabin.

To my knowledge there is no place to stay in the village Muong Phang present. There is only the hostel Truc An but this is 15 km away from the museum. I have no idea how this hostel is or what it looks like - it has to be on the lake (Pa Khoang). If you are that far (if you do not have your own transport and you still have time) I would go back to DBP.

• Name: Nha Nghi Khanh Giang

Address: So nah 2 Duong Lo from Hac - To 4 - P. Thanh Binh

Price: 500,000 VND for 3 nights (single)

Phone nr. : 0230 3 833 899/0915 067 648

Content:

This hostel is just behind the bus station but just far enough to have no "trouble". It is also close to the main road but in

a side street so you do not hear the "heavy" traffic passing by. It is clean and the lady of the house looks very smart.

She has several rooms in her 3 high counting hostel; a single room and double where you can enjoy a 1.5 person bed each. In my very large room, with balcony and overlooking the street (large windows) was a large wardrobe, table, chairs, a refrigerator, large toilet shower, AC, kettle, drinking water (with tap), TV and there was WiFi available. As always clean towels, toilet roll, soap and shampoo. It was slightly more expensive than what I normally paid in Vietnam but then I also had a great room.

Spending time:

You can easily walk around the site for about 1.5 hours if you are interested (and this is without a lunch or something else in the neighborhood). In addition, I must note that after a few thatched cabins you’ve got the idea and you can easily skip a few. Inside, the cabins are the same and contain no more than bamboo beds, tables and chairs. The underground bunkers are also dark and all the same. You can of course (and this is highly recommended) to make a day out with a lunch but also a visit to a Tai family and the lake.

TIPS:

You should actually take a lunch package to the site of the headquarters of Giap. Large stones have been placed everywhere that invite for lunch. If you bring enough food you can also invite people to eat with you.

What I would bring is rain clothing (umbrella and / or poncho) and perhaps a slightly warmer clothing than I had. It can sometimes become cold in the mountains especially when you are tired, the weather is bad and it is late. You can buy water everywhere and you can eat in the village. Maybe you can take a flashlight to look around in all the shelters.