Lao Cai

Town and capital of Lao Cai province in northern Vietnam, lying 260 km/160 mi northwest of Hanoi; population (2000 est) 34,100. It is situated at the junction of the Nam-thi and Song Huong rivers on the Chinese frontier, and is a market centre for timber from the surrounding mountains. There is also a carbide factory.

The railway at Lao Cai, which runs from Hanoi to Yunnan province (China) was damaged during the French Indochina War (1946–54), and the frontier crossing was closed in 1979 during the war between China and Vietnam when the town was destroyed. Lao Cai was subsequently rebuilt and the railway reopened in 1993.