Dien Bien Phu is a city in the remote Dien Bien province of northwestern Vietnam, world-famous as the site of the 1954 battle in which Viet Minh forces defeated the French colonial army, effectively ending French Indochina. The battlefield, bunkers, and museum are preserved as a major historical site, and the surrounding valley is home to Thai and Hmong minority communities. The Tay Trang border crossing to Laos is 34 kilometres away.