Điện Biên is a new province which was
created by a split of the former Lai Chau Province in the early 2004.
Điện Biên Province includes all the land in the south of Đà River (Black
River), and New Lai Châu Province includes all the land in the north of
Đà River.
Approximately 40 percent of the
inhabitants of the Dien Bien Province belong to the Thai ethnic minority
group. While the delta and coastal plain regions of Vietnam are largely
populated by the ethnic majority Vietnamese, also known as the Kinh,
the highlands are home to many of Vietnam's ethnic minority groups. Many
of the ethnic groups in Northern Vietnam are Chinese-descended. However
the Thai, among other ethnic groups that inhabit the Muong Thanh Valley
and the surrounding highland regions, are not Chinese-descended. The
Thai, along with other ethnic groups that inhabit the Dien Bien
Province, are largely independent and follow their own series of customs
and traditions. The Thai, among other non-Chinese minority ethnic
groups in Vietnam such as the Tay, Nung, Hmong, Muong, Cham, Khmer,
Kohor, E De, Bahnar, and Jarai, have their own languages and writing
systems. Belief holds that the Thai are originally descended from
lowland natives of Malay origin. They were forced into the highlands by
continuous invasions of the Mongoloid people of China. Much Thai
folklore surrounds the history of the Muong Thanh Valley. According to
Thai folklore, the Thai originally named the valley Muong Then (the land
of God) sometimes spelt Muang Thaeng. The Vietnamese Government
provides the following story about the history of the Thai people
according to Thai folklore:
The Thai people believe that Then (God)
created human beings in a gourd, which he punctured with a stick to
release them. The first people to emerge from the gourd were the Xa, who
have the darkest complexions. They were followed in turn by the Thai,
the Lao, the Lu, the Mong and finally the Kinh (the Vietnamese ethnic
majority). The gourd then became a mountain, which stands today in Tau
Pung Commune in the middle of the Muong Thanh Valley. It's only fitting
then that the Pha Din Pass, which must be crossed to reach Dien Bien Phu
and the Muong Thanh Valley from Ha Noi, is also known as Cong Troi, or
Heaven's Gate. ”
While the Thai are the largest single
ethnic group in the Muong Thanh Valley, the Hmong, Dao, and Day ethnic
groups also inhabit the valley. There is also a substantial population
of the Vietnamese ethnic majority group, Kinh, in the city of Dien Bien
Phu.
Most of the groups in the regions follow
animistic religious beliefs. There are also Catholics, Protestants,
Buddhists, and Muslims.
Travel in this region offers the best
opportunity to meet and greet people of ethnic-minority hilltribe
groups, from the timid White Thai to the gregarious Hmong. But remember
that responsible tourism is crucial; our collective interaction with
isolated ethnic minorities lays the groundwork for their future survival
(or demise). Hire guides if you are going off into the boonies or out
among ethnic groups. Your impact, especially if your travels take you to
real rural parts, is important.The region was fortified in November 1953 by the French Union force in the biggest airborne operation of the 1946-1954 First Indochina War, Operation Castor, to block Việt Minh transport routes and to set the stage to draw out Việt Minh forces.
The following year, the important Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was fought between the Việt Minh (led by General Võ Nguyên Giáp), and the French Union (led by General Henri Navarre, successor to General Raoul Salan). The siege of the French garrison lasted fifty-seven days, from 17:30, 13 March to 17:30, 7 May 1954.
In Vietnam, May 7, 1954 marks the victory of Vietnam over French forces at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. This victory ended 80 years of French colonization and began the time of independence for Vietnam.
Source:en.vietnam.travel.vn
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