It also has common international border with Guangxi Province of China. The province covers an area of 6, The province is in the region where the Vietnamese people lived thousands of years ago before their southwards expansion. The Kings fortified their territory around the 10th century due to its proximity to the Chinese border.
Still, the war for control of the region continued and Mac family had the upper hand as they declared it an independent region and ruled for 75 years. As witness to this period, here lie ruins of a temple, which was also the palace of the Mac Kings.
They fortified the town with a fort on a hill overlooking the town ruins of this fort are seen even now. The significant history of the peninsula to the present regime is recorded from the s when it became the "cradle of the revolutionary movement in the north". Many pro-independence groups based themselves in the mountains. The Communist Party of Vietnam chose the province as a base, using the rough terrain as protection. The geographical setting of the province is mostly mountainous, with land available for habitation thus being limited.
Winter temperatures in some areas occasionally experience freezing conditions and some amount of snowfall. The two rivers confluence to the northwest of the town. In the war with China the town was damaged in and has been since rebuilt. It is one of the least populated provinces in the Northern midlands and mountain areas of Vietnam. They are further subdivided into 14 commune-level towns or townlets , communes, and 4 wards. Most of the province's economy is centered on agriculture and forestry , although other industries exist.
Facilities such as schools and hospitals tend to be in poor condition, but are gradually improving. Transportation, once a major problem, has been improved considerably by new road construction.
