Seventy years ago, the incredible feat of transporting heavy two-tonne cannons across winding mountain ranges and steep ravines to reach the battlefield in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign was a journey fraught with hardship, toil, and sacrifice for Vietnamese soldiers.

​ Pha Din Pass, also known as Pha Din Slope, connects the two northern mountainous provinces of Son La and Dien Bien. During the historical Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, the pass endured relentless bombardment, with thousands of tons of bombs dropped. 70 years later, Pha Din Pass today has transformed into one of four magnificent passes in Vietnam’s northwest.

Pha Din Pass is about 32km long and peaks at 1,648m above sea level, linking the two provinces of Dien Bien and Son La. The name of the pass originates from the language of Thai ethnic minority group, meaning the place where ‘sky’ and ‘land’ meet. It is one of the four most famous passes in Vietnam’s northwest.

Pha Din Pass in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, 100km from Dien Bien Phu city, locates in the Ta Phin plateau and is one of four renowned passes in the northwest region of Vietnam.