Natural conditions
Location:
Lao Cai is a border highland province, located between the Northeastern and
Northwestern parts of Vietnam; it is 296km by railway and 265km by road from
Hanoi. Its natural area is 6,383.88 km2, accounting for 2.44% of Vietnam’s
area, ranked 19th out of 64 provinces and cities nationwide).
Lao
Cai borders Ha Giang province in the East, Yen Bai province in the South, Lai
Chau province in the West, and Yunnan province in the North with 203 km
borderline.
Topography:
Lao Cai’s topography is very complex, high level of stratification and
division. The two major mountain ranges are Hoang Lien Son Range and Elephant
Range along the Northwest - Southeast to the East and the West, creating the
lowland and middleland between the two ranges and an area to the West of Hoang
Lien Son. In addition, there are many smaller mountains that are diversified
and fragmented to create different sub-climates.
The
topography is divided so the high area and the low one are clearly distibuted, which
the height of 300m - 1,000m makes up the majority of the province. The highest
point is the peak of Fansipan in Hoang Lien Son Range with the altitude of
3,143m, another high point is Ta Giang Phinh with the altitude of 3,090m.
The
strip of land along Red River and Chay River including Lao Cai city, Cam Duong
district, Bao Thang district, Bao Yen district and the Eastern part of Van Ban
district are at lower altitude (the lowest point is 80 m in Bao Thang
district). The terrain is less rugged, has more sloping hills and valleys. It
is a favorable location for agro-forestry production or infrastructure
development.
Climate:
Lao Cai has a tropical monsoon climate, however, located deeply in the continent
and divided by complex terrain, the weather is changing to different time and
space. Temperature fluctuation often occurs in the form of high or low
temperature during a day (Sa Pa town had days with temperature below 0 ° C and
with ice or snow).
Lao
Cai climate is divided into two seasons which
rainy one starts from April to October, dry one starts from October to
March of the next year. In the highland, the average temperature is from 15 ° C
to 20 ° C (Sa Pa’s temperature is from 14 ° C to 16 ° C and never over 20 ° C),
the average rainfall is from 1800 mm to over 2000 mm. In the lowland, the
average temperature is from 23 ° C to 29 ° C, the average rainfall is between
1,400mm and 1,700mm.
Fog:
Fog is commonly found throughout the province, some places is in a very thick
level of fog. In cold weather, in high mountains and valleys without windy,
there is frosty lasting 2 to 3 days.
Lao
Cai climate is very suitable for temperate crops, so it has advantage of
developing cold specialties that are not available in other areas such as
flowers, fruits, herbs, and cold-water fish.
Soil:
It is fertile and diversed, including 10 groups, 30 soil types, which are
suitable for many different crops.
Human Culture
The
total population is 674,530 people (2016 figures). The average density of
population is 106 people per km2 with 25
ethnic groups living together to create a multi-ethnic culture, of which ethnic
minorities accounting for 64.09% of the province's population, Kinh accounting
for 35.9%, Hmong 22.21%, Tay 15.84%, Dao 14.05%, Giay 4.7%, Nung 4.4%, the rest
are Phu La, San Chay, Ha Nhi, La Chi.
Economic potential
* Industrial potential:
-
Lao Cai is rich in mineral resources with more than 35 different minerals and
150 valuable mines, including many kinds of high quality and large reserves.
There are apatite with 2,1 to 2.5 billion tons, iron with 137 million tons,
copper, gold, graphite, rare earth, feldspar, ceramic materials, glass
porcelain ...
-
Many kinds of minerals are being exploited for deep processing in Lao Cai such
as apatite, copper.
-
Lao Cai has great potential of hydropower.
* Agro-forestry development potential:
Lao
Cai’s topography is diverssed, the high area and the low one are clearly
distibuted. It has tropical monsoon climate divided into two regions: highland
and lowland. In the highland, the average temperature is from 15 ° C to 20 ° C
with sub-tropical climate which is cool in summer and cold in winter. That
climate condition is very suitable for temperate crops such as apples, pear, peach,
plum, rose, lily, cymbals, herbs, cold water fish such as salmon, sturgeon.
These products are all special that lowland provinces do not have, which makes
an unique potential and strength of Lao Cai. In the lowland, the average
temperature ranges from 23 ° C to 29 ° C, including communes along Red River
and part of Chay River. The region is characterized by tropical humid climate,
which suitable for developing tropical fruits such as pineapple, banana,
orange, tangerine, especially for growing tea and tobacco... At the same time,
it has favorabale condition to raise cattle, poultry and to develop aquaculture
(fish living in warm water, blue shrimp ...).
Lao
Cai has potential for forestry development, production forest land occupies 45%
out of agricultural land.
* Trade potential - Border Economy:
Lao
Cai has a pair of international border gates of Lao Cai and Hekou (railway and
road) with 3 clearance points which are Lao Cai International Railway Station,
Nam Thi River Crossing Bridge and Red River Crossing Bridge. Red River Crossing Bridge connects between Ha
Noi - Lao Cai Expressway (Vietnam) and Hekou - Kunming Expressway (China),
which is an important bridge in the economic corridor of Kunming, Lao Cai,
Hanoi, Hai Phong, also the gateway of Vietnam and other ASEAN countries and the
center of the North-South Corridor in cooperation betwwenn the Greater Mekong
Subregion (GMS) and the Southwest market in China. Lao Cai International Border
Gate is the only border gate in the North of Vietnam in a provincial city,
which is equiped with service system of an typed III urban as well as services
for trade transportation, Logicstics, cargo inspection, ICD port.
Since
2001, border trade fair has been rotated annually between Lao Cai,Vietnam and
Hekou, Yunnan, China, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign
businesses.
* Tourism potential:
Lao
Cai has many resources with unique features to develop tourism such as the
highest peak of Fansipan moutatin in Indochina, famous destination with cool
weather like Bac Ha, Sa Pa, ancient mysterious rocks, ranked historical sites,
diversed culture of 25 ethnic groups with the typical culture of writing,
costumes, housing styles, culinary and spiritual culture... Lao Cai is a
regional tourism center in the Northwestern mountainous region and also the
border gate province, bordered by Yunnan, a potential tourism province of
China. This is one of favorable conditions for Lao Cai to develop its tourism
economy. The advantages from geography and tourism resources in Lao Cai are to
develop many types of tourism such as cultural tourism, resort tourism,
ecotourism, sightseeing tours, sports tourism, research science tourism./.