Điện Biên Phủ
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Điện Biên Phủ Thành phố Điện Biên Phủ |
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| Provincial capital | |
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 Location in northern Vietnam |
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 Điện Biên Phủ
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| Coordinates: 21°23′N 103°1′E / 21.383°N 103.017°E | |
| Country |
 Vietnam
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| Province | Điện Biên |
| Climate | Cwa |
Điện Biên Phủ (Vietnamese: [ɗîəˀn ɓiən fu᷉]) is a city in the northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the events which occurred there during the First Indochina War, the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, during which the region was a breadbasket for the Việt Minh. The city was formerly called Thaeng.
Statistics on Điện Biên Phủ's population vary depending on definitions—figures are generally between 70,000 and 125,000. The city is growing quickly, and is projected to have a population of 150,000 by 2020. The majority of the population is not ethnically Vietnamese—rather, Thai ethnic groups form the largest segment. Ethnic Vietnamese make up around a third of the population, with the remainder being Hmong, Si La, or others.
Điện Biên Phủ lies in Mường Thanh Valley, a 20-km-long and 6-km-wide basin sometimes described as "heart-shaped." It is on the western edge of Điện Biên Province, of which it is the capital, and is only about ten kilometers from the border with Laos. Until the creation of the province in 2004, it was part of Lai Châu Province. The Vietnamese government elevated Điện Biên Phủ to town status in 1992, and to city status in 2003.
National route 12 connects Điện Biên to Lai Châu. Điện Biên Phủ Airport serves the city with air route to Hanoi.
The 8th century Thai locality of Muang Then is believed to have been centered here.
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Wikipedia