Lai Châu province

Lai Châu
Province
Clockwise from top left:
Official seal of Lai Châu
Seal
Map
Interactive map of Lai Châu
Coordinates: 22°0′N 103°0′E / 22.000°N 103.000°E / 22.000; 103.000
Country Vietnam
RegionNorthwest
Government
 • TypeProvince
 • BodyLai Châu Provincial People's Council
 • Chairman of People's CouncilGiàng Páo Mỷ
 • Chairman of People's CommitteeLê Văn Lương
Area
[1]
 • Province
9,068.73 km2 (3,501.46 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)[2]
 • Province
595,500
 • Density65.67/km2 (170.1/sq mi)
 • Urban
90,000
Ethnic groups
[3]
 • Thái31.05%
 • Mông23.97%
 • Vietnamese[4]15.91%
 • Dao12.79%
 • Hà Nhì3.47%
 • Others12.81%
GDP[5]
 • ProvinceVND 14.998 trillion
US$ 0.654 billion
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Area codes213
ISO 3166 codeVN-01
HDI (2020)Increase 0.600[6]
(63rd)
Websitelaichau.gov.vn

Lai Châu (Vietnamese pronunciation: [lāi cʌ̄w] ⓘ) is a mountainous province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Lai Châu was a semi-independent White Tai confederation known as Sip Song Chau Tai, was absorbed by France into French Indochina in the 1880s and became part of Vietnam following Vietnamese independence in 1954.[7][8] It became part of the Northwest Autonomous Area of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975, when Lai Châu province was formed. Điện Biên province was carved out of Lai Châu in 2004. The province covers an area of about 9,069 km2 (3,501 mi2)[1] and as of 2022 it had a population of 482,100 people.[2]

Demographics

As of April 1, 2019, Lai Châu's population was 460,196 people, ranked 62/63 provinces and municipalities nationwide, above Bắc Kạn province. 17,8% of the population lived in urban areas while 82,2% lived in rural areas. Thai people have 131.822 people (34% of the population), Kinh people have 73,233 people (15.9% of the population), the rest are of other ethnic group such as Hmong, Hani, and Dao.[3]

Economy

A bridge in Lai Châu province

In 1974, the industrial output of Hanoi was 47 times as high as that of Lai Châu.[9] The more industrialised south was separated to become Điện Biên province. In 2007, Hanoi's industrial output (before its merger with Hà Tây province) was 93 times that of Lai Châu.[10] Industrial output has grown, more than tripling between 2000 and 2007, making it the fastest growing sector in the province compared to an agriculture and forestry sector that has grown by less than 50% and a service sector that has more than doubled in the same time.[10]

Lai Châu's main agricultural products (in 2007) are rice (99,900 t), maize (35,000 t), cassava (48,900 t) and tea (16,532 t). The production of rice and maize has tripled since 2000, while the output of cassava and tea has been increasing by around 40% and 120% respectively.[10] The forestry sector has an output of 176.3 billion đồngs in 2007. It has grown by 1.69% in 2006 and 1.66% in 2007, after declining by almost 19% between 2000 and 2005.[10]

There are plans to exploit rare-earth elements in Lai Châu, such as those in Đông Pao mine. Vietnam's central government signed an agreement in October 2010 to supply Japan with rare-earth elements[11] from Lai Châu province.[12]

Lai Châu's economy grew by 50.75% between 2000 and 2005, 12.3% in 2006 and 14.56% in 2007.[10]

Infrastructure

Road construction works in Lai Châu province

Transport

Freight traffic increased from 1 million ton-km in 2000 to 21.3 million ton-km in 2007, while passenger traffic increased from 4.4 to 16.7 million passenger-km.[10]

19.36% of the roads in the province are paved and 10.53% of respondents to a survey of local businesses think that road quality is good or very good.[13]

Telecommunication

As of 2007, there 22,100 telephone subscribers in Lai Châu, an increase from the 14,200 in the previous year.[10] 35.59% of the respondents to a survey assessed telecommunications quality as good or very good, the lowest value among all the provinces in Vietnam.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Biểu số 4.1: Hiện trạng sử dụng đất vùng Trung du và miền núi phía Bắc năm 2022 [Table 4.1: Current land use status in the Northern Midlands and Mountains in 2022] (PDF) (Decision 3048/QĐ-BTNMT) (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Vietnam). 18 October 2023. – the data in the report are in hectares, rounded to integers
  2. ^ a b "Area, population and population density by province". General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved 12 April 2024. – Interactive table which you can view by making your selection in three boxes: (1) Cities, provinces: Select all; (2) Year: Select 2024; (3) Items: Select all.
  3. ^ a b General Statistics Office of Vietnam (2019). "Completed Results of the 2019 Viet Nam Population and Housing Census" (PDF). Statistical Publishing House (Vietnam). ISBN 978-604-75-1532-5.
  4. ^ Also called Kinh people
  5. ^ "Tình hình kinh tế, xã hội Lai Châu năm 2024" (PDF). Cục Thống kê tỉnh Lai Châu. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Human Development Index by province(*) by Cities, provincies and Year". General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David: Vietnam Past and Present: The North (History and culture of Hanoi and Tonkin). Chiang Mai. Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN: B006DCCM9Q.
  8. ^ "WHKMLA : Historical Atlas, Laos Page".
  9. ^ Beresford, Melanie (2003): "Economic Transition, Uneven Development, and the Impact of Reform on Regional Inequality", in Luong, Hy V. (ed.): Postwar Vietnam: dynamics of a transforming society. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield
  10. ^ a b c d e f g General Statistics Office (2009): Socio-economical Statistical Data of 63 provinces and Cities. Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi
  11. ^ "Rare earths supply deal between Japan and Vietnam". BBC News. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  12. ^ "Vietnam signs major nuclear pacts". Al Jazeera. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  13. ^ a b "Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index 2009". Archived from the original on 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Chau_province