Dien Bien province

Dien Bien province Tỉnh Điện Biên
—  Province  —
Nickname(s): Stable Frontier
Location of Dien Bien within Vietnam
Coordinates: 21°23′N 103°1′E / 21.383°N 103.017°E / 21.383; 103.017Coordinates: 21°23′N 103°1′E / 21.383°N 103.017°E / 21.383; 103.017
Country	Vietnam
Region	Northwest
Capital	Dien Bien Phu
Government
– People's Council Chair
– People's Committee Chair
Area
– Total	9,560 km2 (3,691.1 sq mi)
Population (2004)
– Total	440,800
– Density	46.1/km2 (119.4/sq mi)
Demographics
– Ethnicities	Vietnamese/Kinh, H'Mông, Dao, Thai
Time zone	ICT (UTC+7)
Calling code	23
ISO 3166 code	VN-71
Website	dienbien.gov.vn

For the district, see Điện Biên District.

Điện Biên ( listen) is a province in northwestern Vietnam. It is bordered by Lai Chau and Son La provinces of Vietnam in the east and the south, Pu'er City of Yunnan, (China) in the north, and Phongsaly Province of Laos in the West.

Administration

Điện Biên is a new province which was created by dividing the former Lai Châu Province in early 2004, both themselves were once part of the Lan Xang kingdom, then switched ownership to Vietnam during the French Colonial period. Điện Biên includes all the land to the south of the Đà River (Black River), and New Lai Châu Province includes all the land to the north of the Đà River.

Điện Biên is divided into one city (Điên Biên Phủ), one town (Mường Lay - formerly called Lai Châu), and six districts:

• Điện Biên
• Điện Biên Đông
• Mường Chà (formerly called Mường Lay)
• Mường Nhé
• Tủa Chùa
• Tuần Giáo

The capital of the province, Điên Biên Phủ, is a world-famous battlefield.

Etymology

The province's name derives from Sino-Vietnamese (Hán Tự: 奠邊), meaning "stable frontier".^[1]

Places in Điện Biên

• Mường Thanh Valley

References

1. ^ "Điện Biên, tìm về cội nguồn chữ nghĩa" (in Vietnamese). Baodienbienphu.info.vn. http://www.baodienbienphu.info.vn/NewsDetail.asp?Catid=36&NewsId=28968. 

External links

• Official website