Blogs from Dien Bien, Northwest, Vietnam, Asia

We arrived in Dien Bien Phu after a fairly long day on the bus from Oudomxai in Laos. Awkwardly we were on a sleeper bus for the day, which meant that you could only lie down, no sitting option. You never know what species of bus you're going to get in SE Asia, a fact of life we're trying to embrace! Crossing the border at Tay Trang (most northern crossing into Vietnam from Laos) was a piece of cake. We had heard that people had some difficulties with the next border crossing down, but as we were on the one bus for the whole trip it was very streamlined. On arrival at Dien Bien Phu we were unexpectedly met with what has now become a theme of our trip: public holidays. We were expecting to be ... read more

There is no chilling sound as the squealing of a pig. Especially at 4am when one is in a deep slumber. But I guess if you want to be one with nature, there are drawbacks. Does it have to be followed up with the barking of dogs and the crowing of roosters? Leaving Son La behind we head further west to Dien Bien Phu, passing through some of the most amazing valleys I have ever seen. Everywhere you look there is a photo. I have run out of superlatives to describe it, so you can just look at the pictures. The tribes people here are long ,thin and elegant as opposed to others I have encountered. All are exceptionally friendly and beautifully dressed in their local costum. Arriving at Dien Bien Phu, we separate with our ... read more

Trip of a life time... Russian Minsk motor bike.. Cruising at... well no idea they have no speedometer but it feels fast going down the hairpin mountain passes... Hanoi to Sapa via Lia Chau Son La Dien Bien Phu Hoa Binh. Take your time... The roads are not great but also still fine.. But you will want to stop for photo after photo after photo.. The will get saddle sore so no need to rush.. Hotels are easy to find in most of the towns you pass.. 15$ average and that was for white-man with-our any local dialect who didn't even try to haggle.. What was great was to see the real vietnam of the north, without tourist without guides or craft shops without postcards.. Well apart from SAPA but by then we were happy for ... read more

So the journey to Laos began with getting to the Hanoi bus station which was 20 minutes outside the city centre. We got there around 11 after our hotel advised that buses left throughout the day until 6pm. Of course this was wrong and we found out instead that the next bus didn't leave until 4:30, so we looked around for some way of spending our time but not money and also changing some dong to dollars in preparation for Laos. The local western union was closed and the only other two buildings in the area were a toyota dealership and a German style restaurant/brewery. So our logic was flawless - german beer comes in steins, which are big and so can be made to last some time. We got a drink each and settled in ... read more

Viet Nam Lo ginge es in Điện Biên Phủ, die Hauptstadt der Provinz Điện Biên in Nordwest-Vietnam. Sie liegt im 20 km langen und 6 km breiten Mường Thanh-Tal, nur 35 km von der laotischen Grenze entfernt und somit meine erste Stadt die ich im Viet nam besuchte nach meinem Aufenthalt in Laos!. Die Stadt ist jedoch eine der beruehmtessten im Vietnam, wegen seiner Geschichte. Sie hat 25 000 Einwohnern. Die Bevölkerung besteht nur zu etwa einem Drittel aus ethnischen Vietnamesen (Kinh), den Hauptanteil stellen Thai, in geringerem Maße Hmong, Si La und andere. Im französischen Indochinakrieg war der Talkessel vom französischen Expeditionskorps zu einer Festung ausgebaut worden und Ort der französischen Niederlage am 7 Mai 1954 (Schlacht von Điện Biên Phủ). Noch heute erinnert ein großes Mahnmal sowie ein französischer Soldatenfriedhof an die entscheidende Schlacht. ... read more