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Điện Biên province facts for kids

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Điện Biên province

Tỉnh Điện Biên
Dien Bien Phu, statue.jpg
Dien Bien Phu, statue 1.jpg
Thanhbanphu.jpg
Hầm chỉ huy cứ điểm Điện Biên Phủ.jpg
Mường Ảng.JPG
Mường Lay skyline.jpg
Cánh đồng ở Điện Biên.jpg
A Water stream in Muong Cha.jpg
Phadin Hotel – Quân khu 2.jpg
The local community center in Muong Cha.jpg
Relic Battle of Điện Biên Phủ  • View of the mountains on way from Điện Biên Phủ to Sơn La  • Mường Lay skyline  • Field in Điện Biên Phủ City  • A Water stream in Mường Chà  • Phadin Hotel  • The local community center in Mường Chà
Location of Điên Biên within Vietnam
Location of Điên Biên within Vietnam
Country  Vietnam
Region Northwest
Capital Điên Biên Phủ
Subdivision 1 city, 8 rural districts and one town
Government
 • Type Province
 • Body Điện Biên Provincial People's Council
Area
 • Province 9,541.25 km2 (3,683.90 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Province 615,500
 • Density 64.509/km2 (167.078/sq mi)
 • Urban
90,300
Ethnic groups
 • Mông 38.12%
 • Thái 35.69%
 • Vietnamese 17.38%
 • Khơ Mú 3.30%
 • Dao 1.11%
 • Others 4.4%
Time zone UTC+7 (ICT)
Area codes 215
ISO 3166 code VN-71

Điện Biên is a province in the Northwest part of Vietnam. Its name means "stable frontier," which makes sense because it's located right on the border! It shares borders with other Vietnamese provinces like Lai Châu and Sơn La. It also borders China to the northwest and Laos to the west.

The province is quite large, covering about 9,541 square kilometers. As of 2019, around 598,856 people lived there.

History of Điện Biên Province

The name "Điện Biên" means "stable frontier." This name refers to its important location on the border between the old kingdoms of Lan Xang and Vietnam.

This area has a very long history. You can find ancient places like the Thẩm Khương and Thẩn Búa caves in Tuần Giáo. The first people to settle here were the Ai Lao or Tai people. They are the direct ancestors of the Lao people who live in Laos today. Even now, some village names use old Tai words, like "Mường" (meaning city) and "Tham" (meaning cave).

In the 800s and 900s, the Lự group in Mường Thanh were very advanced. They controlled a large area, including Sìn Hồ, Mường Lay, and Tuần Giáo.

Later, in the 1000s and 1100s, Tai people (who are different from the Thai people of Thailand) moved into the area. They came from Mường Ôm and Mường Ai. They took control of Mường Lò in Nghĩa Lộ and Mường Thanh in Điện Biên. Eventually, they ruled the entire region between these two places.

Climate in Điện Biên

Điện Biên province has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. It also gets a lot of rain, especially during the summer months.

Climate data for Điện Biên Phủ
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.4
(90.3)
35.0
(95.0)
36.1
(97.0)
38.5
(101.3)
38.6
(101.5)
37.9
(100.2)
36.0
(96.8)
36.0
(96.8)
35.0
(95.0)
35.5
(95.9)
34.0
(93.2)
31.1
(88.0)
38.6
(101.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.8
(74.8)
26.2
(79.2)
29.0
(84.2)
31.0
(87.8)
31.7
(89.1)
31.1
(88.0)
30.4
(86.7)
30.4
(86.7)
30.5
(86.9)
29.2
(84.6)
26.7
(80.1)
23.9
(75.0)
28.6
(83.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)
18.3
(64.9)
21.0
(69.8)
23.8
(74.8)
25.5
(77.9)
26.3
(79.3)
25.9
(78.6)
25.6
(78.1)
24.9
(76.8)
22.9
(73.2)
19.7
(67.5)
16.5
(61.7)
22.2
(72.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 12.5
(54.5)
13.5
(56.3)
15.8
(60.4)
19.3
(66.7)
21.7
(71.1)
23.4
(74.1)
23.3
(73.9)
23.0
(73.4)
21.7
(71.1)
19.4
(66.9)
15.7
(60.3)
12.4
(54.3)
18.5
(65.3)
Record low °C (°F) −1.3
(29.7)
4.8
(40.6)
5.3
(41.5)
11.6
(52.9)
14.8
(58.6)
17.4
(63.3)
18.7
(65.7)
10.7
(51.3)
14.2
(57.6)
7.7
(45.9)
4.0
(39.2)
0.4
(32.7)
−1.3
(29.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 26.0
(1.02)
30.3
(1.19)
64.1
(2.52)
133.8
(5.27)
222.9
(8.78)
305.3
(12.02)
359.6
(14.16)
324.8
(12.79)
168.6
(6.64)
71.7
(2.82)
44.1
(1.74)
26.0
(1.02)
1,784.3
(70.25)
Average rainy days 5.7 5.4 7.5 13.7 17.9 22.0 24.4 22.3 15.6 10.1 6.8 4.6 155.9
Average relative humidity (%) 82.4 80.2 80.2 81.7 82.2 83.9 86.4 87.5 86.3 84.2 83.1 83.1 83.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 159.8 177.3 198.4 202.0 202.3 141.3 132.7 148.6 168.4 170.5 160.5 160.0 2,025.4
Source: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology
Climate data for Pha Din
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.3
(84.7)
31.8
(89.2)
36.0
(96.8)
36.5
(97.7)
36.6
(97.9)
35.5
(95.9)
36.0
(96.8)
29.9
(85.8)
32.6
(90.7)
31.4
(88.5)
31.2
(88.2)
29.1
(84.4)
36.6
(97.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 17.2
(63.0)
19.6
(67.3)
22.7
(72.9)
25.0
(77.0)
25.2
(77.4)
24.6
(76.3)
24.2
(75.6)
24.5
(76.1)
24.2
(75.6)
22.4
(72.3)
19.7
(67.5)
17.1
(62.8)
22.1
(71.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.5
(54.5)
14.5
(58.1)
17.7
(63.9)
20.0
(68.0)
20.7
(69.3)
20.8
(69.4)
20.6
(69.1)
20.6
(69.1)
20.0
(68.0)
18.1
(64.6)
15.2
(59.4)
12.4
(54.3)
17.7
(63.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 9.8
(49.6)
11.3
(52.3)
14.3
(57.7)
16.6
(61.9)
17.9
(64.2)
18.7
(65.7)
18.7
(65.7)
18.6
(65.5)
17.7
(63.9)
15.8
(60.4)
12.7
(54.9)
10.0
(50.0)
15.2
(59.4)
Record low °C (°F) −4.3
(24.3)
0.1
(32.2)
−0.1
(31.8)
5.9
(42.6)
11.0
(51.8)
13.1
(55.6)
14.0
(57.2)
15.0
(59.0)
10.9
(51.6)
8.3
(46.9)
4.2
(39.6)
−1.2
(29.8)
−4.3
(24.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.2
(2.76)
73.5
(2.89)
104.5
(4.11)
213.4
(8.40)
340.6
(13.41)
381.4
(15.02)
461.0
(18.15)
451.9
(17.79)
303.1
(11.93)
201.3
(7.93)
106.3
(4.19)
65.7
(2.59)
2,779.6
(109.43)
Average rainy days 16.3 16.3 15.7 17.9 22.2 24.4 25.6 23.4 19.8 18.6 13.8 13.5 228.1
Average relative humidity (%) 81.4 75.8 71.1 75.5 83.0 89.7 91.4 90.5 86.9 86.0 83.9 81.9 83.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 179.7 172.6 205.9 213.4 192.5 119.7 125.6 140.5 162.4 164.9 162.7 180.9 2,019.9
Source: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology

How Điện Biên is Divided

Điện Biên province is split into 10 smaller areas called district-level sub-divisions. Think of them like smaller regions within the province.

These 10 areas include:

  • One main city: Điện Biên Phủ city
  • One town: Mường Lay town
  • Eight rural districts:
    • Điện Biên District
    • Điện Biên Đông District
    • Mường Ảng District
    • Mường Chà District
    • Mường Nhé District
    • Nậm Pồ District
    • Tủa Chùa District
    • Tuần Giáo District

These districts are further divided into even smaller parts. These include five commune-level towns (which are like small towns), 116 rural communes (like villages or small communities), and nine wards (which are areas within a city).

Second Tier
subdivisions
Area
(km²)
Third Tier subdivisions
Ward Township Commune
Điện Biên Phủ city 64.27 7 2
Mường Lay town 114.03 2 1
Điện Biên District 1639.85 25
Điện Biên Đông District 1206.39 1 13
Mường Ảng District 443.52 1 9
Mường Chà District 1199.42 1 11
Mường Nhé District 1573.73 11
Nậm Pồ District 1498.00 15
Tủa Chùa District 679.41 1 11
Tuần Giáo District 1136.29 1 18

Places to See in Điện Biên

  • Mường Thanh Valley

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Provincia de Điện Biên para niños

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Điện Biên province Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.