ÃÂiá»Ân Biên is a province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is bordered by Lai Châu to the northeast, Sán La to the southeast, Pu'er City, Yunnan, China, to the northwest, and Phongsaly province in Laos to the west. The province covers an area of about and as of 2024 it had a population of 656,700 people.
The name "ÃÂiá»Ân Biên" () means "stable frontier" (referring to ÃÂiá»Ân Biên's location on the border between Lan Xang and Vietnam). ÃÂiá»Ân Biên has various ancient monuments including the caves Thẩm Khðáng, as well as Thẩn Búa in Tuần Giáo. The original settlers were the Ai Lao or Tai people who are a direct ancestor of Lao people in Laos today. The names of some villages and towns still use words of Tai origin, such as Mðá»Âng (city) and Tham (cave).
In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Lá»± people in Mðá»Âng Thanh were the most developed in the area and controlled Sìn Há»Â, Mðá»Âng Lay, and Tuần Giáo.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, Tai people (not to be confused with the Thai people of Thailand) from Mðá»Âng ÃÂm and Mðá»Âng Ai occupied Mðá»Âng Lò in Nghéa Lá» and Mðá»Âng Thanh in ÃÂiá»Ân Biên. They eventually gained control of the whole area between Mðá»Âng Lò and Mðá»Âng Thanh (ÃÂiá»Ân Biên).
Thẳm Khến Cave (also known locally as Chùa Ta Cave): Located at an altitude of nearly 1,000m above sea level, in a limestone mountain range with a geological tectonic process of millions of years, Tham Khen cave in Muong Dun commune, Tua Chua district has also been recognized by the Ministry of Culture. Sports and Tourism ranked national relics and scenic spots according to decision No. 3086/QD-BVHTTDL dated October 27, 2020. In addition to being unique like other caves, Chua Ta cave also has two typical types of ecosystems: Limestone mountain ecosystem and cave ecosystem. This place converges the diverse properties of nature.
ÃÂiá»Ân Biên province has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa).
ÃÂiá»Ân Biên is subdivided into 10 district-level sub-divisions:
They are further subdivided into five commune-level towns (or townlets), 116 rural communes, and nine wards.
ÃÂiá»Ân Biên has great tourism potential, especially in cultural and historical attractions. Key sites include the ÃÂiá»Ân Biên Phủ Campaign headquarters in Mðá»Âng PhÃÂng, French strongholds like Him Lam and ÃÂá»Âc LáºÂp, Mðá»Âng PhÃÂng, A1 hill, C1, E1, and the De Castries bunker. Bản Phủ Citadel and the temple of Hoàng Công Chất are also popular.
Notable monuments include the ÃÂiá»Ân Biên Phủ Victory Monument (inaugurated in 2004) and the Victory Museum (opened in 2014). The province also offers natural attractions like Mðá»Âng Thanh Valley, Pha ÃÂin Pass, Mðá»Âng Nhé primeval forest, caves (Pa Thám, Thẩm Púa), hot springs (Hua Pe, U Va), and lakes (Pá Khoang, Pe Luông). In the first half of 2018, ÃÂiá»Ân Biên welcomed around 490,000 tourists, including 94,000 international visitors, generating nearly 644 billion VND in revenue.