Cao Bằng

Cao Bằng is a former city in northern Vietnam and was the capital and largest settlement of Cao Bằng Province. It lies on the bank of the Bằng Giang river, about 30 kilometres from the border with the Guangxi region of China, and the 2019 census counted 73,549 people. The name means high plateau. The area was the stronghold of the last years of the Mạc dynasty after their 1592 defeat by the Trịnh lords, until it was overrun in 1677, and in the 19th century it resisted the Nguyễn government. The city is known for the Battle of Cao Bằng, the first major decisive victory of the Việt Minh against the French army, and it suffered heavy damage in the border war with China in 1979. After 1975 the town was the capital of Cao Lạng province, and when that province split on 27 December 1978 it became the capital of Cao Bằng province. Cao Bằng was recognised as a class III urban area in 2010 and established as a city on 25 September 2012, with 8 wards and 3 communes covering 10,762.81 hectares.