Hà Giang (Vietnamese pronunciation:[haː2zaːŋ1],listen^ⓘ) is a city located on the banks of theLô River inNortheastVietnam. It is the capital ofHà Giang Province. The city has an area of 135.33 km² and had a population of 55,559 inhabitants as of the 2019 census.^[1] The population is composed of 22 different ethnicities, of which 55.7% areVietnamese people (Kinh) andTày people. The area has been referred to as "the most beautiful place in all of Vietnam".^[2]

Hà Giang
Provincial city (Class-3)
Hà Giang City Thành phố Hà Giang
Hà Giang Location of in Vietnam
Coordinates:22°50′N104°59′E / 22.833°N 104.983°E /22.833; 104.983
Country	Vietnam
Province	Hà Giang
Area
• Total	135.33 km2 (52.25 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	55,559[1]
Climate	Humid subtropical climate

The city is a popular starting point for circumventing the Ha Giang Loop, a route along the QL4C commonly traversed by motorbike that includesLũng Cú,Lung Cu Flag Tower,Đồng Văn district,Sà Phìn, andMèo Vạc.^[3][4]

Until the 19th century, the settlement ofVị Xuyên, to the south of Hà Giang (chu Han: 河楊), was the principal market town and the largest settlement in the area. Under theNguyễn dynasty (1802–1945) the town of Hà Giang, in what is nowTrần Phú District, began to grow in size. In 1842, the town was included in the formerTuyên Quang Province.

In 1842, Hà Giang was incorporated into the newTuyên Quang Province, which at that time stretched north as far as the Chinese border. Following the French conquest of the area in 1886, Hà Giang became an important French colonial military outpost.

On August 12, 1991, the province of Hà Giang was re-established and separated fromTuyên Quang Province. When separated,Hà Giang Province contained 10 administrative units, and Hà Giang town became the provincial town of Hà Giang.

On September 27, 2010, Hà Giang town was officially upgraded into a provincial city.

In March 2014, the urban development project type II was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 190, which includes the provinces ofVĩnh Phúc, Hà Giang, andThừa Thiên–Huế, thanks to a non-refundable aid package from theAsian Development Bank (ADB). With regards to Hà Giang province, the project includes upgrading of roads, construction of 2 new bridges, and upgrading the sewage system.

The following administrative units are recognized as part of Hà Giang city:

• Trần Phú Ward
• Minh Khai Ward
• Nguyễn Trãi Ward
• Quang Trung Ward
• Ngọc Hà Ward
• Phương Thiện
• Phương Độ
• Ngọc Đường

Hà Giang Province is a highly mountainous region. Much of the province is too mountainous for agriculture, leaving much of the land covered by forests. Hà Giang's central plateau is good for growing plums, peaches, and persimmons, which the province exports. Tea is also grown.

Hà Giang Province is one of the poorest provinces of Vietnam. Traditionally, the vast majority of its economic activity revolved around agriculture and forestry, but in recent years, there have been attempts to establish a manufacturing industry. Infrastructure in Hà Giang has seen improvement, but remains poor – roads, schools, and health services are less developed than in many other parts of Vietnam. Since the designation ofDong Van Karst Plateau Geopark in 2010, the tourism industry has been growing.

Many people inHà Giang Province belong to one of Vietnam's ethnic minorities. Aside from the Viet (orKinh), the most numerous ethnic groups in Hà Giang are theTày, theDao, and theHmong.

Like most of northern Vietnam, Hà Giang has a dry-winterhumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa).

22°50′N104°59′E / 22.833°N 104.983°E /22.833; 104.983