Bắc Giang

Bắc Giang is a former provincial city in the former Bắc Giang province of Vietnam. Its name, deriving from that of the province in Sino-Vietnamese, means north of the river. It lies 50 kilometres north of Hanoi on major transportation routes, road and the international railway connecting Hanoi with Lạng Sơn City and the Đồng Đăng international border gate, and the Thương river runs through the southern part of the town heading for Haiphong. Although the province of that name is very old and was established in its first form in 1466, there was historically no town of that name; the town was created out of the old Láng Thượng District after independence. The Suối Mỡ thermal springs area is 37 kilometres from the town centre, and Bắc Giang Peace Park was a sister city project with Madison, Wisconsin, United States.