How could the French have won the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

They built an airstrip and strong bunkers in a faraway valley, but they didn't take the high ground or think the Viet Minh could get big guns there. The Viet Minh surrounded them with cannons and stopped supplies from coming in by air, turning Dien Bien Phu into a deadly trap.

To have a chance at winning, the French should have:

• Taken the high ground: They should have put experienced soldiers on the hills around them.
• Had more cannons: They needed more of their own big guns to fight back.
• Protected the planes bringing supplies: They had to keep the air safe so they could get more stuff.

In the 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh, the U.S. Marines learned from what went wrong at Dien Bien Phu. They made sure to hold the hills, used lots of cannons, and got a whopping 18,000 tons of supplies by air. In the end, the North Vietnamese had to leave, and Khe Sanh never fell like Dien Bien Phu did.