Soft sleeper Bus to Dien Bien Phu

Although of great historical interest to military buffs, there are few, if any, sights as such. It is a useful stop and transport connection on the way to other destinations.

There has been recent refurbishment of the remains of the French defenses as more tourists are showing interest:

•     French Command Bunker, (west of River Ron)
•     Strong point "Elaine" (east of River Ron)
•     A1 hill, Vietnam Military History Museum (sometimes called Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum) and cemetery on Duong 7/5 / AH13 / QL279 about 3 km south of central markets at the intersection with Hoang Van Thai.
•     D1 hill can be found near the central markets as a set of giant stairs at Tran Dang Ninh and Duong 7-5/AH13/QL 279. This site contains a monument wall, statue, and great views of the valley on all sides.

How to get to Dien Bien Phu? (you can see it above on the map), something like 300 kilometers away but nothing less than a 10hr journey due to the terrible quality of the mountain road you take.


From Sapa you can get a mini van for 300,000 Dong (about 20,800 = 1USD) to go to Dien Bien Phu. This you can ask about at Sapa Panorama Hotel. The van will pick you up at your hotel or you can wait on the corner near the main market. It takes about 10-12 hours to Dien Bien Phu. It stops for lunch for about 30 mins. It's not a long distance but the roads are dirt and in bad condition. 

SAPA TO DIEN BIEN PHU
Itineraries	Departure & Arrival time
Sapa	06:10 P.M
Lai Chau	08:30 P.M
Dien Bien Phu	05:30 A.M
DIEN BIEN TO SAPA
Dien Bien Phu	06:30 P.M
Lai Chau	01:30 A.M
Sapa	05:30 A.M

TICKETS QUOTATION
ROUTES	PRICE (US$)
Sapa - Dien Bien Phu	US$14
Dien Bien Phu - Sapa	US$14

Go next
Laos:
The bus from Dien Bien Phu to Mheung Khua in Laos leaves daily at 05:30 and costs 100,000 dong. Be sure to get there even earlier and claim a seat although you will likely be sharing your seat with a local, or sitting on a pile of goods piled in the aisle. As a rule, the "bus is never full." Bring water and snacks. It takes about 2 hours to reach the Tay Trang Vietnam exit point, which is fairly straightforward. From the Vietnamese border station it is another 6 km to the Laos border checkpoint. Visa-on-arrival is available and costs US$30-40 depending on nationality. You can pay in dong, kip, or US dollars. One passport photo is required, but if you don't have one they'll take a picture for you for 2,000 kip. Everyone pays 3,000 kip to cross the border, plus a 2,000 kip 'H1N1' test (they take your temperature). So 5,000 kip, plus your visa charge.

From there you continue along the unpaved road to Muang Khua. Total journey time, including border crossings, was about 8 hours. You will have to pay 2,000 kip for a boat ride across the river (get some kip in change at the border station), but once across there are guesthouses and a place to exchange money at the top of the road leading from the boat ramp. You can take a tuk-tuk to the bus station (5,000 kip) and then connect to Odoumxai for 35,000 kip, 2.5 hours. You should consider taking the boat ride down the fairly narrow and very scenic Nam Ou River towards Luang Prabang, stopping overnight at Nong Khiaw where road travel is possible. Departures depend on whether there are enough people interested in going. Ask at the boat ramp.