The Northwest is the site of the famous battle of Dien Bien Phu, where the garrison was overrun by Viet Minh soldiers in 1954 ending nearly a century of French occupation of Viet Nam. With the exception of Sa Pa, there are few hotels in the northwest as it is relatively undeveloped. However, homestays are possible for adventurous visitors. Sa Pa has several reasonable hotels, including one of international standard. Those in Bac Ha are very basic.

Dien Bien Phu became famous the world over as the place the Vietnamese defeated the French army and ended colonial rule. 500km (310 miles) from Hanoi, it is a beautiful valley bisected by the Nam Youm river and surrounded by high mountain peaks. The area is 18km (11 miles) long and 4km (2.5 miles) wide.

It is 75km south west of Hanoi and the place for so many different hill tribe people including Muong and Thai. These groups live in villages that are unchanged for generations. The people still practise aspects of their tradition lifestyles but exposure to the outside world and Government sponsored education is helping the people make the adjustment to the modern age.

It has long been a destination for travelers in search of beauty. The French soldiers, or so the story goes, would make special trips from their outpost at DienBienPhu in the far northwest reaches of Vietnam to the village ome 200 miles away. They didn't come to take advantage of the breathtaking scenery of the surrounding mountains, but rather the beautiful women of the Tai hill tribe who inhabited the serene valley.

This is a good stop over point if you are travelling from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu since it is approximately half way (time-wise) between the two. In the centre of the town is the old French Prison and Museum. In the prison grounds is a peach tree that was planted by To Hieu, a former inmate, some time in the 1940's.

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