Dien Bien Phu

American  

[dyen byen foo] / ˈdjɛn ˌbjɛn ˈfu /

noun

1. a town in NW Vietnam: site of defeat of French forces by Vietminh 1954, bringing to an end the French rule of Indochina.

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Dien Bien Phu British  

/ ˌdjɛn bjɛn ˈfuː /

noun

1. a village in NW Vietnam: French military post during the Indochina War; scene of a major defeat of French forces by the Vietminh (1954)

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Example Sentences

Before the fall of Dien Bien Phu, de Galard was decorated with the Military Cross and the Legion of Honour, and she was made an honorary member of the Foreign Legion.

From BBC • May 31, 2024

One of the veterans, Nguyen Trung Dung, 94, said the event was a good opportunity for him to meet up with his friends, those he fought alongside in the Dien Bien Phu battle.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

France, humiliated by its rapid capitulation to the Germans in 1940, fought to reclaim wealth and glory in "French" Indochina, only to be severely humbled at Dien Bien Phu.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2023

Following its defeat in 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, France granted independence to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

In May 1954, just as Daniel Ellsberg was beginning his Marine training in Virginia, Viet Minh fighters surrounded French forces at a remote military outpost called Dien Bien Phu.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin