Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam
The valley ringed by hills where French rule ended in 1954.
Terra Explorer Famous battlefields
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Make this model
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Vietnam
- Position
- 21.3836, 103.0188
- Area
- 10 × 10 km
- Real elevation
- 463 to 1,033 m (569 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:66,700
- Heights
- 1.5× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- War map
- Group
- Famous battlefields
About Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam
The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a defeat of the French Union forces by the Viet Minh forces in the First Indochina War. It took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. The French began an operation to insert, and support, their soldiers at Điện Biên Phủ, deep in the autonomous Tai Federation in northwest Tonkin. The operation's purpose was to cut off enemy supply lines into the neighboring Kingdom of Laos (a French protectorate) and draw the Viet Minh into a major confrontation in order to cripple them. The French based their forces in an isolated but well-fortified camp that would be resupplied by air, a strategy adopted based on the belief that the Viet Minh had no anti-aircraft capability. The communist Viet Minh, however, under General Võ Nguyên Giáp, surrounded and besieged the French.
From Wikipedia: Battle of Dien Bien Phu, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam
Where is Dien Bien Phu?
Dien Bien Phu is in Vietnam at 21.3836, 103.0188. The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Dien Bien Phu model?
The land in this model runs from 463 to 1,033 m (569 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 1.5 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Dien Bien Phu?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 17.8 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:66,700. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Dien Bien Phu model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Dien Bien Phu model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Dien Bien Phu terrain model good for?
People use it as a wargaming terrain board, a classroom history lesson or a gift for a history buff.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square centered on 21.3836, 103.0188. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:66,700. The heights are exaggerated 1.5× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
