Mường Thanh is a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

(''phường'') of

Điện Biên Phủ Điện Biên Phủ (, vi-hantu, ) is a city in the Northwest (Vietnam), northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Battle of Điện Biên Phủ ...

in Điện Biên Province in northwestern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It was a township of Điện Biên District before it was incorporated into

city. Mường Thanh is named after ''Muang Theng'' or ''Müang Thaeng'', which was, according to the

Khun Borom Khun Borom (, ) or Khoun Bourôm (, ) is a legendary progenitor of the Southwestern Tai-speaking peoples, Mythology According to the myth of Khoun Borôm, a myth commonly related among Tai-speaking peoples, in ancient times people were wicked ...

creation myth, the original home of the

Tai peoples Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai people, Dai, Thai people, Thai, Isan people, Isan, ...

( Lao, Thai, Shan, upland Tai peoples). Until the 1950s, Mường Thanh was the centre of an autonomous

chiefdom A chiefdom is a political organization of people representation (politics), represented or government, governed by a tribal chief, chief. Chiefdoms have been discussed, depending on their scope, as a stateless society, stateless, state (polity) ...

of the Tai Dam ("Black Tai"), one of the 12 cantons of the confederation Sip Song Chau Tai.

References

Communes of Điện Biên province Populated places in Điện Biên province Dien Bien Phu {{DienBien-geo-stub