Mường Thanh Valley

The Mường Thanh Valley is a valley located in the Điện Biên district of Northwestern Vietnam. The valley is approximately 12 miles long by 3 miles wide. A heart-shaped basin, the valley is surrounded by a region filled with jungles, rice paddies, and lakes. Located within the Mường Thanh Valley is the city of Dien Bien Phu. The capital of Điện Biên Province, Điện Biên Phủ, is famous as the site of a decisive battle in 1954 in which French forces were defeated by Viet Minh troops.

Located in the Điện Biên Province of Northwestern Vietnam, the Mường Thanh valley lies at the crossroads of many different modern political boundaries. Two other Vietnamese provinces border the Điện Biên Province, Lai Châu to the east and north, and Sơn La to the east and south. The northern section of Điện Biên Province borders the province of Yunnan in China and the entire Western border of the province is shared with the Phongsali province of Laos. The valley is located 420 kilometers away from Hanoi.

The Mường Thanh Valley lies in a hilly, lush region. The valley runs north-south and is situated in the western portion of the Điện Biên Province, approximately 16 km from the border with Laos.

Approximately 40 percent of the inhabitants of the Điện Biên Province belong to the Thai ethnic minority group. While the delta and coastal plain regions of Vietnam are largely populated by the ethnic majority Vietnamese, also known as the Kinh, the highlands are home to many of Vietnam's ethnic minority groups. Many of the ethnic groups in Northern Vietnam are Chinese-descended. However the Thai, among other ethnic groups that inhabit the Mường Thanh Valley and the surrounding highland regions, are not Chinese-descended. The Thai, along with other ethnic groups that inhabit the Điện Biên Province, are largely independent and follow their own series of customs and traditions. The Thai, among other non-Chinese minority ethnic groups in Vietnam such as the Tay, Nùng, Hmong, Muong, Cham, Khmer, Kohor, E De, Bahnar, and Jarai, have their own languages and writing systems. Belief holds that the Thai are originally descended from lowland natives of Zhuang-Dong origin. They were forced into the highlands by continuous invasions of the Mongoloid people of China. Much Thai folklore surrounds the history of the Mường Thanh Valley. According to Thai folklore, the Thai originally named the valley Muong Then (the land of God) sometimes spelt Muang Thaeng. The Vietnamese Government provides the following story about the history of the Thai people according to Thai folklore:

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