Conquering Pu To Co peak

During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Muong Phang Commune (Dien Bien Province) was chosen to build the Campaign Command Headquarters in the old forest at the foot of the Pu Don mountain range. Pu To Co is the highest peak of the Pu Don mountain range and was chosen by General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Staff to set up an observation post to monitor and grasp the situation and developments of the Muong Thanh basin battlefield.

Tourists check in on top of Pu To Co mountain. Photo: Binh Nguyen

Muong Thanh Basin Battlefield Observatory

According to historical documents, on May 6, 1954, General Vo Nguyen Giap personally went to the Observation Tower on the top of Pu To Co Mountain to grasp the war situation. Together with information from the divisions directly at the front, General Vo Nguyen Giap ordered a general attack on the Dien Bien Phu stronghold and achieved a total victory. Accordingly, together with the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters, the Observation Tower on the top of Pu To Co Mountain became a historical relic associated with the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign "famous in five continents, shaking the earth".

View of Pu Don mountain range from halfway up Pu To Co mountain.

The Pu Don mountain range has three adjacent peaks, connected by “saddle” areas and majestic “dinosaur ridges” stretching for kilometers. The highest peak is Pu To Co. This is where General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Staff chose to place the Campaign Observation Post.

The Observatory relic located on the top of Pu To Co mountain has an area of ​​5,000 m2, 1,700 meters above sea level. Pu To Co mountain top is located near the Campaign Command Headquarters so it is kept secret and safe. From the Observatory, you can see the Muong Thanh valley and observe the entire Dien Bien Phu base. Therefore, the Observatory often has scouts and information soldiers to monitor and update the situation to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters. In the Observatory, there is a bamboo clapper used to alert when there are planes and forest fires. When a clapper sounds, it is an alarm for those who are cooking to quickly put out the fire; when the clapper sounds repeatedly, it is an alarm that a French plane is flying over, and you must quickly go to the shelter. This observatory closely monitored the developments of each battle, reporting information in a timely manner so that General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Staff could make decisions in each battle, contributing significantly to the great Dien Bien Phu Victory.

Currently, the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Observatory is a relic located in the Dien Bien Phu Battlefield Historical Relic Complex (recognized as a special national relic in 2009). In recent times, the Dien Bien Phu Battlefield Historical Relics have attracted a large number of domestic and international tourists to visit. Among them, Pu To Co Observatory with its priceless historical values ​​is a unique destination that many people want to visit.

Pu Don mountain range, including Pu To Co mountain, has a variety of precious medicinal plants as well as wild vegetables. In particular, in the forest there are many types of flowers such as: mua flowers, wild banana flowers, bo phon flowers, oak flowers, chestnut flowers... Therefore, honey taken from wild flowers is also a specialty of Dien Bien land. Wild honey has many varieties, flavors depending on each forest area, each region as well as the honey bee species. But all types of honey have beautiful colors, pure flavors of natural wild flowers.

Explore the journey to climb Pu To Co mountain

Currently, there is no organization organizing a tour to climb Pu To Co mountain. Those who want to visit the Observatory Monument located on the top of Pu To Co mountain can hire a guide who is a local resident in the villages living under the Pu Don mountain range. The journey to explore and climb Pu To Co mountain follows the local trail, which is more than 4km long, with dense trees. Many sections have no trails, and the guide must clear the forest to make his own way. The closer to the top of the mountain, the steeper the path, and the person must cling to tree trunks and roots to climb the steep, slippery sections. Therefore, although the journey to climb Pu To Co mountain only has a few kilometers of forest, for amateur climbers, it takes more than half a day to climb quickly, but leisurely and visit a few other places can last a whole day, so climbers must prepare their own food and water.

During our journey to explore Pu To Co Observatory, Mr. Khom Van Yen, a Black Thai ethnic in Muong Phang commune, was our guide. In addition to drinking water boiled from a type of forest leaf and food, Mr. Yen also brought a jungle knife. This knife was used frequently to clear the forest trees blocking the way, cut down wild banana trees to get flowers to use as daily vegetables.

The organic farm is located peacefully on the corner of Pu To Co mountain with an old hawthorn tree at the entrance to the farm welcoming guests.

Mr. Khom Van Yen said: Pu To Co Mountain has many steep slopes and dense trees that are difficult to walk on, so few outsiders set foot here. Only a few people at the foot of the mountain occasionally come up to graze livestock, pick wild vegetables or other vegetables and grasses to feed livestock.

About 1km from the top of Pu To Co mountain, there is an old abandoned stilt house. Mountain climbers often choose this place as a resting place before continuing to climb the steep slope to the top of the mountain. This is also a leisurely time for the guide to tell interesting stories about the Pu Don mountain range, about the organic farm located peacefully in the corner of the mountain.

If you know to call in advance, visitors can come here to enjoy specialties of the Northwest mountains and forests made from wild vegetables and local meat raised by local people on the steep hills. What is quite interesting on the journey to conquer Pu To Co peak, the explorer will accidentally discover a lemon tree, peach tree, hawthorn tree, and mac cop tree... planted by local people quietly blooming and bearing fruit halfway up the mountain; listen to the guide tell stories about the life and culture of the indigenous people living at the foot of the mountain. Thanks to the development of tourism , people here have begun to know the community tourism model, some households accept accommodation services, cook traditional ethnic dishes to introduce to tourists near and far.

Climbing the mountain on a sunny, clear day, standing on the top of Pu To Co, with just the naked eye, the observer can clearly see Dien Bien Phu Airport, the whole view of Muong Thanh valley, Pa Khoang lake; from another angle, one can see the vast Nam Ngam irrigation lake "hanging" at an altitude of more than 1,130m above sea level... On cold days, observers will encounter floating seas of clouds or mountain ranges and valleys appearing vaguely under the fog.

Mr. Khom Van Yen shared: “Today, the local people still maintain the habit of going to the forest to pick vegetables and flowers for food. Their cuisine clearly reflects the seasons of the year, in the style of each season has its own food. When we go to the forest, we only need to bring a package of sticky rice, salted beans or grilled meat, and the vegetables to eat with it are usually picked right in the forest.”

Although climbing Pu To Co Mountain is hard, it is a very interesting journey with wild mountain scenery, many vast forests with colorful wildflowers, enjoying moments of resting under the canopy to admire the flowers and grass or soaking your feet in the cool stream...

Binh Nguyen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/giai-tri/202510/chinh-phuc-dinh-pu-to-co-7eb04f1/