The northwestern province of Dien Bien, most famous for the Dien Bien Phu victory against French colonists, is preparing for its peak tourism season.

The number of tourists visiting the Dien Bien Phu battlefield complex began to surge this March. The complex features 45 relic sites, of which eight have been put into operation to serve tourists. The battle occurred in Dien Bien between March and May, 1954 under the command of General Vo Nguyen Giap. Its victory led to the signing of the 1954 Geneva Accords in which France agreed to withdraw its forces from the colonies in Indochina. Between the end of 2018 and early 2019, the province upgraded a series of important relic sites within the complex. Various events have also been scheduled to entertain visitors. A highlight of them is the Ban Flower Festival 2019, which will take place from March 13-18. The annual festival, named after the most beautiful flower in the region, is set to feature the cultural life in the north and northwestern region – home to 19 ethnic minorities. Dien Bien is planning to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector, expecting to create a driving force to boost other industries in the locality. In the first quarter of 2019, the local battlefield complex welcomed about 87,000 visitors, including some 3,000 foreigners. The number of tourists to the site increased in recent years, from 310,000 in 2016 to 380,000 in 2017 and more than 400,000 in 2018.-VNA