Luang Namtha to Dien Bien

By bus the journey from Luang Namtha to Dien Bien is scheduled to take 12 hours, including the time it takes to pass through Lao and Vietnamese passport control.

Bus Times from Luang Namtha to Dien Bien

There is currently 1 bus service a day from Luang Namtha to Dien Bien available to book online.

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Luang Namtha Bus Stop

Laos Group Tour services from Luang Namtha to Dien Bien depart from Luang Namtha Bus Station.

Dien Bien Bus Stop

Laos Group Tour services from Luang Namtha to Dien Bien terminate at Dien Bien Phu Bus Station.

About Travel to Dien Bien

The city of Dien Bien Phu is a great place to stay for a day or two to break up the long journey from Luang Namtha to the more popular visitor destinations in Vietnam. From Dien Bien Phu it’s an 8 to 9 hour journey by bus to Sapa, and a 9 to 10 hour journey by bus to Hanoi. Travelling direct by bus from Luang Namtha to either Sapa or Hanoi would involve a journey lasting at least 20 hours.

Facilities in Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu is a small city with around 100,000 permanent residents that receives relatively few visitors compared to easier to reach destinations such as Phong Nha or Tam Coc Village, and as a consequence has a much less developed tourist infrastructure. Nonetheless, foreign visitors can find good standard overnight accommodation and good quality restaurant food.

Hotels in Dien Bien Phu

The city and the area close by has around 40 hotels and guesthouses. A fairly large number of these establishments are located in scenic areas outside the city centre so it’s important to check the location when you are booking, particularly if who are only planning to stay only 1 night and don’t want to venture too far from the bus station.

The city’s most expensive, and arguably most luxurious, hotel is the Đông Thắm Hotel which charges around $50 USD a night for a standard room. The cheapest option is a night in a shared room in a hostel which costs the equivalent of about $5 USD. If you want to stay outside the city in one of the scenic areas then expect to pay from $7 to $20 USD a night depending on the facilities and the location.

Food in Dien Bien Phu

There’s not much ‘international’ cuisine available in Dien Bien Phu. 1 of the 14 sit down restaurants in the central Muong Thanh district of the city is a dedicated sushi restaurant, all the others serve mostly Vietnamese cuisine with a small number of other types of dishes listed on the menu.

Whilst in Dien Bien Phu we recommend that you try some of the local specialities, many of which involve using locally grown rice. Two dishes closely associated with Dien Bien are round rice cakes with Vietnamese sausage and rice cooked inside bamboo.

Scenic Areas in Dien Bien

Dien Bien Phu is close to two scenic locations. The most famous of the two is the Muong Thanh Valley, which is immediately to the south of the city centre. The Muong Thanh Valley is a 20 km long and 5 km wide flat area, surrounded by hills, where rice is grown. The valley itself is very beautiful, and the rice grown in the valley is often described as being the best in Vietnam.

The second scenic spot is Pa Khoang Lake, which is located 20 km by road to the east of Dien Bien Phu. Pa Khoang Lake is located in a mountainous area of exceptional beauty around 900 metres above sea level. Camping near the lake is a popular activity, as is seeing the large plantation of cherry trees near the lake come into bloom in January each year.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Other than rice from the Muong Thanh Valley, the thing which Dien Bien Phu is best known for is the highly significant Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The battle, which lasted 1 month, 3 weeks, and 3 days, ended in victory for the forces of the Viet Minh over the French Army. Defeat led to the withdrawal of France from Vietnam, along with Laos and Cambodia. The Viet Minh’s victory is also believed to have inspired other independence movements around the world.

There are 4 main places to visit in the area related to the 1954 battle:

• A1 Hill
• Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum
• General De Castries’ Command Bunker
• A1 Cemetery

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