Travel from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien

By bus the journey from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien is scheduled to take 11 hours.

Bus Times from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien

There are currently 2 services a day from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien available to book online.

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Ninh Binh Bus Stop

Bus services from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien depart from Cau Vom Ninh Binh bus stop which is 2.9 km by road to the east of Tam Coc Boating Station.

Dien Bien Bus Stop

Bus services from Ninh Binh to Dien Bien terminate at the Dien Bien Phu Bus Station located to the north of Dien Bien Airport.

About Travel to Dien Bien

Dien Bien is a sparsely populated and mountainous province in the north west of Vietnam, about 450 km by road from Hanoi and 270 km by road to the south west of Sapa. Despite its remoteness Dien Bien Province is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. It’s also an important border crossing point from Vietnam to destinations in the north of Laos such as Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw.

Dien Bien Phu City

There’s only one major settlement in Dien Bien Province and that’s the provincial capital, Dien Bien Phu, which has a population of around 100,000 permanent residents. Dien Bien Phu also has a small airport and two long distance bus terminals. Visitors travelling by public transport to Dien Bien Province will generally pass through Dien Bien Phu even if they plan to stay somewhere else in the province.

Hotels In Dien Bien Phu City

There are around 40 hotels, hostels, and guesthouses in Dien Bien Phu, around half which are located in the city centre and the other half in the nearby countryside.

The most popular part of the city centre for leisure visitors is the Muong Thanh district, which is close to the airport. The reason it’s popular is because this is where the best of the city’s facilities are located, and it’s also close to a major historical site on the southern edge of the city. In the city centre expect to pay from the equivalent of around $5 USD a night for a bed in a shared dormitory upto $50 USD a night for a private room in arguably the city’s most luxurious hotel, the Đông Thắm Hotel.

The other 20 or so places you can stay in Dien Bien Phu are located in a scenic area to the south of the city. These guesthouses are often described as ‘homestays’ because they generally only have one or two rooms located near family homes, with food for guests cooked in the family kitchen. These types of homestay guesthouses, such as the A Thía Homestay, typically charge from the equivalent of $7 to $20 USD a night, often inclusive of breakfast.

Food in Dien Bien Phu City

Compared to Sapa, Dien Bien Phu City has a very small range of sit down restaurants, most of which are located in the Muong Thanh district of the city. If you plan to stay in one of the homestays to the south of the city you are going to need to rely on your accommodation to provide breakfast and dinner because there won’t be any restaurants nearby.

Very few of the restaurants in Dien Bien Phu city serve anything other than Vietnamese cuisine, with perhaps one or two ‘international’ dishes available, such as sandwiches and french fries. The main exceptions to this are Thaisphere Restaurant and A1 Restaurant, which serves sushi. 

For authentic local dishes, such as rice cake and Vietnamese sausage, try the small street market near the Him Lam Plaza.

Visitor Attractions in Dien Bien

Dien Bien Province has three main tourist attractions:

• Historical sites related to the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
• The Muong Thanh Valley
• Pa Khoang Lake

Historical Sites in Dien Bien

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu took place over the course of 1 month, 3 weeks, and 3 days in 1954 ending in victory for the Viet Minh over the French army. The battle directly led to the withdrawal of French armed forces not only from Vietnam, but also from France’s entire Indo-China Empire which included Laos and Cambodia.

There are 4 main historical sites related to the battle which you visit, all of which are located in or near Dien Bien Phu City:

• A1 Hill
• Al Cemetery
• Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum
• General De Castries’ Command Bunker

Muong Thanh Valley

Located immediately to the south of Dien Bien Phu, the Muong Thanh Valley is an area of tremendous natural beauty which is well known to Vietnamese for the high quality of the rice which is grown there. The valley is roughly 20 km long and 5 km wide, and bordered by hills on three sides. Travellers crossing into Laos will pass through the valley on the way to the border crossing.

The best time to visit the Muong Thanh Valley is in September and October, just before harvest time, when the rice turns a golden yellow. These are also the busiest months for the homestay guesthouses in the valley so if you plan to visit then make sure you book in advance.

Pa Khoang Lake

Pa Khoang Lake is a man-made lake located about 20 km by road to the east of Dien Bien Phu City. The lake is about 8 km long, and c-shaped. The area that was flooded is mountainous, with the lake itself located at around 900 metres above sea level with higher peaks surrounding. At this altitude it’s cool enough in winter months to camp around the edge of the lake and to walk in the nearby hills.

Kayaking and boating in the lake is also very popular. The lake has irregular shape, with lots of small inlets and a number of steep sided islands. It’s an interesting area to explore.