In December 1953, French forces parachuted into the Điện Biên basin. To defend the Điện Biên Phủ stronghold, the French military deployed 10 M24 tanks for the campaign. These light tanks, manufactured by the US in 1943, were used during the Second World War. The tanks were transported by plane in disassembled form and reassembled right in the Mường Thanh field. Each tank was named after a battle or a French regiment for identification.

This tank unit aimed to create difficulties and inflict damage on the Vietnamese People's Army. However, under the brilliant leadership of General Võ Nguyên Giáp and the resounding success of the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign, the M24 Chaffee tanks were powerless against the strength of the Vietnamese forces. Most were destroyed, and a few were captured and used as trophies after the victory.

When the Điện Biên Phủ battle ended, Vietnamese troops had destroyed eight enemy tanks and captured two intact ones. The remains of these eight tanks are still preserved at historical sites in the Mường Thanh field, Hill A1, and around De Castries' bunker. These artefacts are managed by the Điện Biên Provincial Monuments Management Board and the Điện Biên Phủ Historical Victory Museum. Most of these items are outdoors and have been corroded over time, so they are now covered for preservation and regularly maintained.

Although the war has receded into the past, the tanks on the old battlefield continue to be remembered through the narratives of guides, interpreters and former Điện Biên soldiers. In the battle for Hill A1 on the morning of April 1, 1954, the French deployed two tanks from the central sector for a counterattack. Soldiers from Company 674, Battalion 251, Regiment 174, Division 316 used bazookas to destroy one tank, while the other retreated to the Mường Thanh field.

The destroyed tank, named Bezeille, is now displayed on Hill A1.

A few days after the complete destruction of the Điện Biên Phủ stronghold, Deputy Division Commander of Division 308, Cao Văn Khánh, held a wedding with his wife, medic Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Toản. They took an iconic photo standing happily on the turret of a destroyed M24 tank at the Mường Thanh airfield.

The two intact tanks captured as trophies were driven by our soldiers in the victory parade on May 13, 1954, in the Mường Phăng field.

Over the years, the remains of these tanks have quietly stood witness to the transformations of Điện Biên’s historic land, reminding future generations of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory and the heroic battles fought by the Vietnamese military and people.