Lào Cai Province

Lào Cai Province (Vietnamese: Tỉnh Lào Cai) is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the North Western Region and is bordered by the provinces Hà Giang to the east, Yên Bái to the south, Lai Châu to the west, and China to the north. Its capital and largest city is Lào Cai, located in the north of the province, near the Chinese border on the Red River. The province is very mountainous, and is known for the hill station town of Sa Pa, and Vietnam's highest mountain, Fansipan.

Geography
The province is based around the Red River, which flows through the centre of the province in a south-eastern direction. A majority of the population lives near the river.

The province also has the highest mountains in Vietnam, the Hoàng Liên Mountains, in the west of the province, with the highest peak at Fansipan (Phan Xi Păng) at 3143 meters above sea level, near the popular tourist town of Sa Pa.

Transport
Lào Cai Province serves an important role in the transportation of goods to and from China. A major road crossing and the Red River Railway cross the Red River into China near Lào Cai city.

The Red River Railway officially terminates here, but continues to Kunming in the Yunnan Province of China.