Dien Bien Phu

American  

[dyen byen foo] / ˈdyɛn ˌbyɛn 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

Geneviève de Galard became a celebrated figure exactly 70 years ago when she was the only woman nurse tending French casualties inside the doomed redoubt of Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam.

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

He related how the FLN had begun their struggle with a handful of guerrilla attacks in 1954, having been heartened by the defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela