Dien Bien Phu Holiday Weather today

Date/time of update: December 22, 2024, 2:22 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Scattered Clouds

Temperature: 17.37°C
Temperature feels like: 17.02°C
Minimum Temperature: 17.37°C
Maximum Temperature: 17.37°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1019hPa
Humidity:71%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 1.11m/sec
Wind Direction: 67 degrees
Cloudiness: 31%
Sunrise: 2024-12-21 11:41:39
Sunset: 2024-12-22 10:31:20

Him Lam Hills are a group of three hills one next to another located 2-3km to the northeast of Dien Bien Phu City center (or The French Commander Post during the Dien Bien Phu Battle). During the Dien Bien Phu Battle Him Lam (or Beatrice) was the most-fortified and strongest French post in Dien Bien Phu which protected the Hedgehog from the northeast.

Vietnam Historical Tours: The Dien Bien Phu Battle

Him Lam commanded over Route 41 (now Route 279) between Dien Bien Phu and Tuan Giao which is to the south of Him Lam. Besides, there was the Nam Rom River to the north of Him Lam. The natural terrain of the Him Lam Hills made it advantageous for the defenders and put any attackers or intruders in a very vulnerable position.

During the Dien Bien Phu Battle Him Lam was among the outer protection layer which included Him Lam, Doc Lap (Gabrielle) and Ban Keo (Anne Marie). But Him Lam could be in co-ordination with firepower from the Central Zone to crush down the enemy who might try to attack the Hedgehog of Dien Bien Phu from any direction. The firepower on the three hills of Him Lam allowed them to co-ordinate well in launching counter-attacks to any intruders from any sides.

On the hills of Him Lam, there were concrete fighting bunkers connected via a system of trenches. The hills were surrounded by layers of barbed wires with width of 100-200m. The hills were manned by the 3rd Battalion (3/13e Demi-Brigade de Légion Étrangère, 3/13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion) which possessed the best historical of all the French units in Dien Bien Phu at the time.

Vietnam chose Him Lam as the opening battle of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The date was chosen to be 13-March-1954.

Prelude

- The preparation works which included digging of trenches to approach the target were from 6-March to 13-March-1954;

- The trenches were completed in the afternoon of 13-March-1954;

- Skirmishes between the French and the Viet Minh: The French tried to push back the Viet Minh forces and to stop the digging of the trenches; the Viet Minh protected their works and continued with their plan.

- Viet Minh launched 20 shells at Him Lam from their first-time-fired 105mm howitzers. This was to re-calibrate their artillery as well as to show the presence of the powerful machine guns at Dien Bien Phu.

The Opening and Ending

- 17:05 on 13-March-1954 all Viet Minh heavy artillery opened fire on Him Lam.

- 18:15 the artillery stopped and Viet Minh infantry started charging onto Him Lam.

- 23:30 The Commander in chief of the 312th Division Le Trong Tan, which was responsible for the attack, notified to General Vo Nguyen Giap that Him Lam had been destroyed, 300 killed and 200 captured. The 750-man battalion was mostly wiped out.

- 15-March-1954 Charles Piroth, Commander of the French artillery in Dien Bien Phu committed suicide after his inability to nullify Viet Minh’s artillery as he had promised before the battle.

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