Dien Bien Phu

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu: A Vietnamese Perspective

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Feb 1997 08:00:00 +0000

On my last trip to Southeast Asia I found myself, somewhat unexpectedly, in the Laotian city of Luang Prabang. I had no map, no guidebook, and no particular plan, so when an English journalist and...

MASKED. A Coronavirus Journey

awen — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 07:31:46 +0000

A Journey to Dien Bien Phu

awen — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:33:46 +0000

"Bonjour, Monsieur." Stepping across the threshold of Voi Phuc Temple, the elderly man's narrow face brightened into an animated smile. He pauses near the alcove housing the White Horse statue, expectantly awaiting my reply. I'm not sure what to say. Although I'm not French, I have come to the edge of Hanoi's Thu Le Lake to visit this temple because the French were here. Before liberation, the colonialists called the Temple of the Kneeling Elephants "Balney Pagoda" after the young lieutenant who fell somewhere along its esplanade. "Je regrette, Monsieur. Mon Français . . .