Vietnam Travel – Lao Cai

Field stairs
Lao Cai province is a high-border region, the northern border province Yunnan (China), the western borders Lai Chau province, bordering the eastern province of Ha Giang, the southern borders of Yen Bai and Son La.

Topography of Lao Cai plentiful including many types, with terrain valley, with mountainous terrain and low, mountainous terrain and high mountains are very high as the peak Phanxiphang – rooftops of the fatherland 3.143m high .. . Lao Cai has 107 rivers and streams running through the province, with 3 main river systems is the Red River, (which runs through the length located in Lao Cai is 120km), Chay River (which runs through the length of the province is 124km), Nam Mu River (with a length to run through the province is 122km).

Lao Cai climate climate is tropical monsoon featured mountainous, cold, dry winter, low rainfall, hot summers much rain. Lao Cai also has many different sub-regions. A typical feature of the organism Lao Cai is the biodiversity. The province has more than 2,000 plant species, 442 kinds of birds, animals, the cows, frogs. Of which have 60 kinds of animals only found in Lao Cai, 9 types of vegetation found only in Sa Pa. Lao Cai has treasure special fund gen rare (accounting for nearly 50% of the types of vegetation especially rare in our country).

Cultural history

Bai ancient stone SaPa
Lao Cai is derived from places urban neck “Lao Nhai” means “ancient city”. On 12/7/1907, Lao Cai province was established, the name of the ancient urban name become the province Lao Cai. Times building, Lao Cai is the center for economic, political importance in the Red River aristocracy. Many of the study, said that Lao Cai is the homeland of Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong. Comment period room, Lao Cai province is the continent’s Vi Thuy, Chau Van Ban and a section of land Tan Chieu, Hoa Term Government, Hung Hoa. On 12/7/1907 Lao Cai province has been established including 2-pin Vi Thuy, Bao Thang, agents Muong Khuong, Bat Xat, Phong Tho, Bac Ha and Sa Pa area. In 1955 Phong Tho district to switch to regional autonomy Thai later Cat dependent Lai Chau province. On 1/1/1976, the three provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Nghia Lo is the merger of Hoang Lien Son province. On 1/10/1991, Lao Cai province is re-established. Sapa in Lao Cai province is hotest destination for domestic and worldwide visitors in their Vietnam Travel Explore Tours.

Potential economic development and tourism

Hoang A Tuong Palace
The ethnic Lao Cai has been creative, save hundreds of historical culture. Featured are the relics of stations zone ancient stone engraved with the image engraved on the map, writing, pictures of people who are younger today how thousands of years in Muong Hoa valley (Sa Pa). Relics worship Hoang Bay, he sees a position to protect the border Hau Le is the worship is “defend the National Spirit”, Den Thuong relics – the details th? Quoc Tran Hung Dao to be built in time for Le Trung Hung The younger the Hoa (1680-1705), relics winning Pho Rang … especially Lao Cai, there is a system of caves of the virtual became famous landscapes beautiful, attracting numerous tourists visit as the Thuy Tien (Bat Xat), the Ta Phoi (Cam Duong), Tien-row Do Central (Ha Bac), the Quang Xuan (Bao Thang) …

Lao Cai nature also creates the sights, such as Ham Rong area – a “primary Thach Lam” at the Sa Pa ancient stone beach with thousands of years with hundreds of stone phien want pictures seem to want. Or summit Phan Xi Pang majestic – rooftops of the country is the museum about the life, vegetation special friendship …

Lao Cai with the resources of mineral rich, with over 31 kinds of mineral distribution points in 130 mines. Currently, Lao Cai is rich province of minerals, with stocks apatit, copper, iron on the type of the region and the world.

Ethnicity, religion

Sales souvenir
Lao Cai có 27 ethnic brothers live. Ethnicity has 194,666 business people, ethnic Hmong people has 122,825 people, ethnic Tay has 82,516 people, ethnic Dao has 72,543 people, ethnic Thai has 51,061 people, ethnic Giay have 24,360 people, ethnic Nung have 23,156 people , Ethnicity Phu La has 6,763 people, ethnic Ha Nhi have 3,099 people, ethnic Lao have 2,134 people, ethnic nationality have 1,691 people, ethnic LaHa have 1,572 people, 1,263 Muong ethnic people, ethnic Bo Y has 1,148 people, ethnic Chinese have 770 people, ethnicity is only 446 people, and 11 ethnic population with little under 70 as the San peoples Chay, San Diu, Khmer, Lo Lo, Ka Doong, Pa Co, E De, Gie Trieng, Gia Rai, Cham, Ka Tu. Lao Cai peoples have occupied 50% of the total number of races nationwide should feature in the culture of ethnic Lao Cai is a multi-cultural peoples, rich identity. In low areas, the Tay, Thai, Giay, Nung, the pioneer valley along the river, along streams, creative cultural traditions rice. In between reo, who Khang, La Ha, Phu La … create cultural nuong farmers with local knowledge in accordance with economic forest hills. In the highlands, the Hmong people, Ha Nhi, Dao exploit the fields flank the stairs up to heaven north majestic. Diversity, richness of the culture expressed in all cultural objects and non-objects.

Own dress codes had 34 types with colors, different materials. New survey of Lao Cai has nearly 100 dancers, they have Du 10 read 11 different music of gas. Especially, treasure festival in Lao Cai is very special identity. Type of festival rich. There are questions season, the beliefs associated with the worship the sun god, god of water, traditional food, to protect forests. There are the mean educational tradition history against foreign invasion, a high cultural identity of Vietnamese traditional. Scale festivals also diverse, with the scale of the village community, written; have to scale regions (the Gau Tao in Pha Long Muong Khuong, the Roong PoOc Giay people in Ta Van, Sa Pa .. .) But the scale of the province as spring temple in the Bay Hoang Bao Ha … time festival also reclines all 4 seasons Xuan, Ha, Thu, Dong. Especially, with other provinces in the plain, summer in the highlands village of Lao Cai is also the season of festivals. This characteristic is very favorable for the development of cultural tourism.

Transportation

Lao Cai province is a gateway editorial outlines the northwest of the country road with 203km border with China, is strategically important to both economic – political – security – national defense. Lao Cai is the “first bridge” linking Yunnan province and the whole area southwest of the extensive trade with China in the northern plain. Lao Cai has favorable conditions for transportation, including waterway, roads and railways. In parts of Lao Cai province has 3 Highway No. 6 online provincial road, road automobile was about to 163 communes, wards and towns. Red River is the lifeline route of the ancient and comment. Planning a trip to Vietnam? Get the best Vietnam Travel Deals from Viet Vision Travel.

Lao Cai is an international border gate, a national borders and borders many additional common with China.

Victoria gets new railroad cars for Hanoi-Lao Cai service

Victoria Hotels and Resorts has received three new railroad passenger cars from Vietnam Railway Corp. in preparation for connecting the carriages to trains operated by the corporation on the route between Hanoi and Lao Cai stations.

The corporation will hand over one more passenger car and one restaurant carriage to Victoria early next month for the French group to link all five cars to the trains running from the capital city to the mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Ronan Bianchi, general manager of Victoria Sapa Resort, told the Daily that the five new cars would be put into service early next month to replace the four Victoria carriages currently tailed to the Hanoi-Lao Cai trains.

Bianchi added that the five carriages with international-standard beds and facilities would be able to accommodate 100 passengers and be used to transport only guests staying at the Victoria Sapa Resort.

The new carriages will be running with the trains from Hanoi and Lao Cai every evening except Saturdays, like the service of the current Victoria railroad cars on the route.

Bianchi did not reveal the total investment of the new carriages built by the corporation and designed by the French company Architel.

However, Victoria managing director Eric Simard told the Daily earlier that the new railroad cars were part of the US$3mil the group had spent this year on renovation and new facilities at its properties in Vietnam.

Guests now occupy 70% of the Victoria Sapa Resort, and Bianchi said some 47% of the guests travel on Victoria Express train carriages between Hanoi and Lao Cai.

Bianchi said the number of passengers would increase in the coming high season in Sapa when room occupancy at the four-star resort reaches 90%.

“The demand for traveling by quality train is really high in Vietnam, especially in the seasons when tourism peaks.”

Stephen Kerslake, catering consultant of the upcoming five-star express train from HCMC to Nha Trang, said in support of Bianchi that a lot of tourists, particularly foreigners, liked to travel by quality train from here to Nha Trang and other tourist attractions in Vietnam.

Kerslake said the HCMC-based advertising company Truong Sinh and Saigon Railway Transport Co. readied to launch the 5-star express train service between the city to the central coastal city of Nha Trang on December 16.

The train will depart HCMC at 6:15am and stop at Thap Cham Station before arriving in Nha Trang at 1:33pm. The return trip is scheduled from Nha Trang at 2:55pm to Thap Cham and arrival in HCMC at 11:18pm.

Tickets are now available for the express tourist train and over 80% of the tickets for the first train have been booked. Kerslake said bookings for the first month were “quite good.”

Return tickets cost VND900,000 for a 5-star Club seat, VND660,000 or a Deluxe seat, and VND440,000 for a Standard seat. Passengers can book tickets at www.5starexpress.com.vn.

The 5-Star Express Train has 10 carriages, including six able to accommodate 328 guests. The other cars will be used for a restaurant, bars, health care services, conferences, exhibitions, foot, hand and head massage, and movie screenings to entertain passengers during the trip.

Youth Union, stars celebrate winter with Lao Cai concert

Nearly 4,000 young people will participate on Saturday in the biggest ever musical event to come to the northwestern province of Lao Cai.

Organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Committee and its partners, the event Warm Winter will feature music and dance performances by well-known singers such as Thai Thuy Linh, To Minh Thang and Siu Black, and young performers from the Hanoi-based National Music and Dance Theatre.

The artists will perform songs and dances in praise of love for country and people by musicians Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Bao Phuc and Nguyen Cuong.

Pop star Linh will sing Ngon Lua Trai Tim (The Flame of Heart), a popular work by Thien, which encourages youngsters to contribute to building a better society.

The theatre’s young singer Ha Van will perform Van Ky’s Co Gai Tay Cam Dan Len Dinh Nui (The Tay Girl Holds Her Stringed Instrument as She Climbs to the Top of the Mountain), a romantic song that pays tribute to the Tay ethnic people.

To wrap up the show, the artists will sing and dance to Vinh Quang Thanh Nien Viet Nam (Viet Nam’s Young People Gloriously) by Quoc Truong.

Social awareness

“We hope our Warm Winter will bring smiles to remote people, particularly children and teenagers,” said Smit Chea, chairman of the 4 Oranges.

His company has given more than VND2.2bil (US$140,000) to the union to provide remote and poor people 10,000 blankets, radios and televisions.

The programme has attracted many volunteers, including university students, who are travelling to poor villages in seven remote provinces – Lao Cai, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Ha Giang.

“We visited remote villages like Moc, Dien Bien Dong and Lam Loong, meeting and sharing challenges with local youth and children,” said Vo Van Thuong, secretary of HCM City’s Youth Union, which has encouraged its members to join the event.

Thuong said his volunteers will continue their tour to Bat Xat and Muong Khuong, two small villages in Lao Cai. They will present blankets and other gifts to hundreds of local families as well as participate in the music show.

“Through their trip, urban youth can learn more about the lives and work of their remote peers, who live in much more difficulties than themselves,” he added.

Last year, the Warm Winter organisers brought music programmes and gifts to remote students and children in five Tay Nguyen (Central highlands) provinces of Dac Lac, Lam Dong, Dac Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum.

Sponsored by the Thai paint company 4 Oranges, the free event opens at 7pm at the Lao Cai Square in Lao Cai Town.

It will be broadcast live on the Lao Cai Province Radio and Television channel.

PM urges Lao Cai to tap tourism, minerals potentials

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on northwestern Lao Cai Province to bring into play its rich minerals and advantageous conditions in tourism and border gate economy to serve its rapid and sustainable development.

During his working visit on August 25, the government leader said the province needs to invest in its mining industry to raise the annual apatite output to 4 million tonnes, iron at the Quy Sa mine to 1 million tonnes and copper to 20,000 tonnes in the next few years. He noted that while doing so, Lao Cai Province must pay attention to environmental protection.

“The province should revise its trade and tourism development plan to ensure sustainable development and stable jobs for local people,” he said.

The PM also asked Lao Cai Province to closely coordinate with relevant ministries in making plans on agro-forestry development and mineral exploitation.

In the coming time, the province should continue implementing the Government’s policies on curbing inflation, develop production, ensure social welfare and overcome the consequences left by storm Kammuri, he told the provincial leader.

On the occasion, the government leader extended deep condolences to families of people who died during floods triggered by storm Kammuri early this month.

Previously, PM Dung cut the ribbon to inaugurate a 10,000 tonne copper refinery plant as part of the 1.3 trillion VND Sin Quyen Copper Complex invested by the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group

Lao Cai Province recorded a GDP growth of 11.3 percent and per capita income of 10.65 million VND in the first seven months of the year. The province has achieved the universalisation of primary education, kept good relations with neighbouring China’s provinces and completed the border demarcation and landmark planting.