Lai Châu

Lai Châu is a former city in the Northwest region of Vietnam and the capital city of Lai Châu Province, bordering Phong Thổ, Sìn Hồ and Tam Đường districts. The Vietnamese Wikipedia article places it between 20°20′ and 20°27′ north latitude in the east of the province, 50 kilometres from the Ma Lù Thàng border gate with China, about 70 kilometres from Sa Pa town and about 397 kilometres from Hanoi by way of Lào Cai city. It was once the provincial city with the smallest population in Vietnam. The city stands on a limestone plateau with an average height of nearly 1,000 metres, its lowest point near 895 metres and its highest near 1,300 metres, which makes it the highest provincial seat in northern Vietnam and the second highest in the country.