About 3 kilometres north of the town, the hamlet of Him Lam marks the site of the French strongpoint "Béatrice," which was the first major French position to fall — on the night of March 13, 1954, the opening of the Viet Minh assault. The attack was completed in five hours.
A small memorial marks the site, with a preserved trench system and some concrete gun emplacements. It is less visited than the central battlefield sites and requires a motorbike or taxi to reach comfortably. The Tai village of Him Lam itself is worth a brief stop for the traditional stilt houses and the weekly market, which draws traders from the surrounding mountain communities.