Battles and Campaigns

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

1954, First Indochina War

Citation Formats

General Reference

War and Military Atlas. "Battle of Dien Bien Phu." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://military.interactiveatlas.org/battles/battle-of-dien-bien-phu.

APA Style

War and Military Atlas. (n.d.). Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://military.interactiveatlas.org/battles/battle-of-dien-bien-phu

BibTeX

@misc{warandmilitaryatlas-battle-of-dien-bien-phu,
  author = {War and Military Atlas},
  title = {Battle of Dien Bien Phu},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://military.interactiveatlas.org/battles/battle-of-dien-bien-phu},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought from 13 March to 7 May 1954 between French Union forces and the Viet Minh, led by General Vo Nguyen Giap, in the First Indochina War. France established an isolated fortified camp supplied by air, but Giap surrounded the position with artillery and anti-aircraft weapons on the surrounding heights, and after a two-month siege the French garrison was overrun and surrendered, ending in a Viet Minh victory that led to French withdrawal from Indochina.

Facts

Battle Type

Siege of a fortified valley position 1

Year

1954 1

Location

Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina (present-day Vietnam) 1

Outcome

Viet Minh victory 1

Cross-Tradition Connections