Điện Biên Phủ lies in Muong Thanh valley, a 20-km-long and 6-km-wide basin sometimes described as "heart-shaped." It is on the western edge of Điện Biên Province, of which it is the capital, and is only a short distance from the border with Laos. Until the creation of the province in 2004, it was part of the province of Lai Châu. The Vietnamese government elevated Điện Biên Phủ to town status in 1992, and to city status in 2003
