After travelling for 14 hours on the night bus from Sapa to Dien Biên Phu, with all sleepers full, locals travelling cheap sitting in the aisles and two crates of chickens on the roof, I was ready for a rest. The road passed through mountains, with creaking bridges, steep sides and wandering buffalo. The bus nearly bogged twice. Whilst Zawadi and I decided to take a sleep, dad went out to explore the history of this outpost. The French made their last stand at hill A1 here, which the VC dug under and blew up. 1954 marked the end of French colonial occupation, but the struggle to reunite North and South Vietnam had begun, and as you know, the USA became involved, as did Australia. The martyrs cemetery is here, along with a partly completed museum. There is also an old Viet soldier from that era, who suffers PTSD, and goes up to westerners and taps them across the back with a piece of bamboo. He got dad and ran off leaving dad laughing with the locals. Tonight we rest, tomorrow Laos.