| Vietnamese name | Lao Cai |
|---|---|
| Area | 6,384 km² |
| Population | about 750,000 |
| Provincial capital / central city | Lao Cai City |
| Climate | Mountainous subtropical climate. The annual average temperature around Sa Pa is 15–16°C. Frost and snow in winter too. |
| Access from HCMC | about 5 hours by car from Hanoi, about 8 hours by sleeper train |
Overview
Lao Cai Province is the northwesternmost province of Vietnam, bordering China's Yunnan Province. Home to Vietnam's highest peak, Mount Fansipan (3,143 m), Sa Pa is a world-famous tourist area for its ethnic-minority culture and spectacular terraced fields. In the highlands at an altitude of over 1,500 m, frost falls in winter, making it the only region in Vietnam where temperate agricultural products can be grown.
More than 30 ethnic minorities live here, including the Hmong, Dao, and Tay peoples, each preserving its own agricultural culture. The terraced fields, as the 'Mu Cang Chai terraced fields' (including the adjacent Yen Bai Province side), have become a candidate for World Heritage status, making it a region of high landscape value for traditional agriculture.
Features of agriculture
High-altitude cool agriculture around Sa Pa is a feature of Lao Cai Province. Making use of the cool climate with an annual average temperature of 15°C, the cultivation of temperate fruit trees (peach, pear, European pear, persimmon) is thriving. 'Sa Pa peaches' are known as a premium fruit within Vietnam.
In addition, the cultivation and gathering of traditional ethnic-minority medicinal plants (such as ginseng of the Araliaceae family) is also an important industry. In the Bat Xat district, high-quality tea is produced and traded as a premium product even among Vietnamese teas.
Around the lowland city of Lao Cai, the import and export of agricultural products using cross-border trade with China is active, making it an important hub for Vietnamese fruit exports to China.
Main agricultural products
Peach, pear, persimmon (temperate fruit trees), medicinal plants (ginseng, artichoke), tea (from Bat Xat), rice (terraced-field rice), cinnamon, cardamom, highland vegetables such as cabbage and radish
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