Dien Bien Phu Getting there & around

Getting there & away

The overland trip to Dien Bien Phu can be more intriguing than the actual battlefield sites for which the town is so celebrated. Of course, you miss out on this if you fly.

Land

Bus

The bus station is on Hwy 12, at the corner of Ð Tran Dang Ninh. There is a direct bus service that runs from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu (120, 000d, 14 hours) leaving at 6am and 8am.

Buses to Muong Lay (35, 000d, three hours) leave in the morning. Daily buses to Son La (50, 000d, four hours) start at 4.30am, but for normal people who like to get up at normal times there are regular departures until noon.

Although the bus is cheap, it’s not really much fun. Buses are so packed that the only scenery you get to admire is the armpit of the person sitting next to you. If overloaded vehicles, bad roads and bad brakes worry you, definitely fly or travel overland by 4WD or motorbike.

Car & motorbike

The 470km drive from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu on Hwys 6 and 42 takes at least 12 hours (if you’re lucky). Conceivably it could be done in a single direct journey, but almost everyone stays overnight in Son La. Speaking from experience, it’s no picnic hanging on to the hairpins on a motorbike in the dark!

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Air

Vietnam Airlines (824 948; fax 825 536; 7.30-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm) operates daily flights between Dien Bien Phu and Hanoi. The office is just before the airport, about 1.5km from the town centre, along the road to Muong Lay.

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