Dien Bien Phu Fortified village in n Vietnam. In 1954, the the Vietnamese Viet Minh captured the French stronghold after a siege lasting 55 days. French casualties were c.15,000. The resultant cease-fire ended eight years of war.

http://www.dienbienphu.org

Dien Bien Phu a village in NW Vietnam, in 1954 the site of a French military post which was captured by the Vietminh after a 55-day siege; a significant defeat for French forces in the war (1946–54) in Indo-China.