Hà Giang (, ) was a province in the Northeast region of Vietnam. It was located in the far north of the country, and contains Vietnam's northernmost point. It shared a 270 km long border with Yunnan province of southern China, and thus was known as Vietnam's final frontier. It covered an area of , comprising 1 city and 10 rural districts, with a population of 899,900 in 2023.
The provincial capital, also called Hà Giang, was connected by Highway 2 and is 320 km away from Hanoi. The border crossing was at Thanh Thủy, 25 km from the provincial capital. It was one of the poorest provinces of Vietnam as it had mountainous topography with the least potential for agricultural development.
In addition to Thanh Thủy, there were three smaller gates, namely the Phó Bảng, Xín Mần and Săm Pun.
On 12 June 2025, Hà Giang province was incorporated into Tuyên Quang province.
Geography Hà Giang is bordered by Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái provinces and has a common international border with China in the north. Hà Giang has many high rocky mountains, limestone formations and springs; the important mountains are the Cam and Mỏ Neo. The major rivers of the region are the Lô River (Hà Giang city is located on its left bank) and Miện River.
The topography of the province of Hà Giang is fairly complex: "temperate, but highly localized montane weather patterns create variable conditions among different regions". It has impressive limestone and granite peaks and outcrops. It has three regions. Climatically, it has two seasons, dry and monsoon, dependent on the altitude of the region. The two northern Indochinese climatic zones on the border influence the climate in the northern part of the province. The lower areas in the province comprise low hills, the Lô River Valley and Hà Giang city. In Cao Bồ district, the dry season lasts from mid-September until the end of May, and the monsoon season lasts from the beginning of June until mid-September. However, in Du Già district the wet season sets in one month earlier. The average annual temperature in the provincial capital of Hà Giang is ; the monthly averages range from a low of in January to a high of in July. The annual rainfall in Hà Giang city is ; the monthly average varies from a low of in December to a high of in July. The average annual humidity level is 84%.
Hà Giang has many mountains, including the two highest peaks, namely the Tây Côn Lĩnh () and the Kiều Liêu Ti (), and also has forests that provide lumber. It has about 1,000 species of herbal plants. The fauna includes tigers, peafowl, pheasants, and pangolin. Hà Giang city was heavily damaged during the 1979 war with China but has since been rebuilt.
Vegetation Cultivated fields and livestock are generally found in elevations below . Between and , grasses and wood shrubs (with a maximum height of ) are recorded. Patches of forest with trees ( high and in diameter) are found above with the canopy covering around 80% of the sky. The forest has dense undergrowth with large vines, tree ferns and rhododendrons. Banana, bamboo and secondary scrub grow on both sides of foot tracks in the forests. The forest also has an abundance of cascading streams, seepage streams from limestone formations, waterfalls, glides, and pools. The stiff limestone vertical rock face is seen above on the northeast face of Mount Muong Cha, while its southwest slope exhibits a much gentler gradient, and is converted into agricultural fields. Above , there is a montane mixed semideciduous and evergreen cloud forest. This forest has an understory of Ericaceae with shrubs and epiphytic species of rhododendron and vaccinium. Species of Lauraceae, with Ericaceae and Oleaceae (at higher elevations with taxa in the Fagaceae, Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae) and Araliaceae) are also recorded. Most of the tree trunks are covered with bryophyte mosses in this zone.
Fauna
16 reptile species (14 genera, five families) and 36 amphibian species (20 genera, seven families) have been recorded in the province.
Small mammals found on Tây Côn Lĩnh II include Cynopterus sphinx, Rousettus leschenaulti, Sphaerias blanfordi, Scaptonyx fusicaudus, Chodsigoa parca, Chodsigoa caovansunga, Blarinella griselda, Crocidura attenuata, Crocidura fuliginosa, Crocidura wuchihensis, Belomys pearsonii, Callosciurus inornatus, Leopoldamys edwardsi, Niviventer fulvescens, Niviventer langbianis, Niviventer tenaster, Chiropodomys gliroides, Ratufa bicolor, and Tamiops sp.Lunde, Darrin P., Guy G. Musser, Nguyen T. Son. 2003. A survey of small mammals from Mt. Tay Con Linh II, Vietnam, with the description of a new species of Chodsigoa (Insectivora: Soricidae). Methods, Vol. 46 (2003), pp. 31-46.
History
Archaeological excavations carried out near Hà Giang city at Đồi Thông (Pine Hill) have established the region's antiquity to about 30,000 years ago. During the Bronze Age Tày Yu tribes with culturally rich traditions ruled over the region; archaeological findings in the form of bronze drums of that age used for ceremonial purposes are used even to the present day by the Lô Lô and Pu Péo tribes of the region (Mèo Vạc, Hà Giang province).
What was later called Hà Giang province by the French was part of bộ Tân Hưng in ancient times, one of 15 bộ in the nation of Văn Lang. During the Ming dynasty occupation of Vietnam, at the start of the 15th century, it was known as the district of Bình Nguyên, before being later renamed to châu Vị Xuyên.
The French occupied this region in 1886, establishing their military garrison on the east bank of the Lô River and which later became one of the four major military establishments in French Indochina in North Vietnam in 1905. The Vietnamese Dao tribes rebelled against French colonial rule, first in 1901 led by Triệu Tiến Kiến and Triệu Tài Lộc, which was quelled, with the former being killed in the war. However, in 1913, Triệu Tài Lộc organized another rebellion with the help of Triệu Tiến Tiến, another member of his clan, which lasted for two years until 1915. Their slogan was "No Corvees, no taxes for the French; drive out the French to recover our country; liberty for the Dao." This revolt was known as the White Hat Revolt since the Vietnamese carried a white flag engraved with "four ideograms to Quốc Bách Kỹ" (meaning "White Flag of the Fatherland"). The rebellion spread to Tuấn Quang, Lào Cai and Yên Bái. In 1915 the French ruthlessly suppressed the rebellion, deporting many Vietnamese and hanging at least 67 "rebels".Hy V. Luong Tradition, Revolution, and Market Economy in a North Vietnamese Village 2010- Page 299 "By August 1945 the Vietminh had seized all Vietnamese provinces except for four provinces in the north: Vĩnh-Yên, Hà-Giang, Lào-Kay, and Lai-Châu (listed in Huỳnh-Kim-Khánh 1982:326)."
Before 1975, Hà Giang comprised the districts of Đồng Văn, Vị Xuyên, Xín Mần, Yên Minh, Hoàng Su Phì, Bắc Quang, Thanh Thủy, and Quản Bạ.
On November 18, 1983, Bắc Mê District was split from Vị Xuyên District; one commune from Xín Mần District was placed under Hoàng Su Phì District, two communes from Hoàng Su Phì District were placed under Xín Mần District, three communes from Bắc Quang District were placed under Xín Mần District, three communes from Bắc Quang District were placed under Hoàng Su Phì District, and one town and five communes from Bắc Quang District were placed under Vị Xuyên District.
On August 12, 1991, Hà Tuyên Province was re-divided into Tuyên Quang Province and Hà Giang Province. Hà Giang Province comprised Hà Giang city, Bắc Mê District, Bắc Quang District, Đồng Văn District, Hoàng Su Phì District, Mèo Vạc District, Quản Bạ District, Vị Xuyên District, Xín Mần District, and Yên Minh District—a total of one town and nine districts. The provincial capital was Hà Giang Town.
On December 1, 2003, Quang Bình District was split from Bắc Quang District, Hoàng Su Phì District, and Xín Mần District.
On June 23, 2006, the communes of Phú Linh, Kim Sơn, and Kim Linh in Hà Giang Town were placed under the administration of Vị Xuyên District; part of Quang Trung Ward in Hà Giang Town was placed under the Phong Quang Commune of Vị Xuyên District. The communes of Phương Độ and Phương Thiện in Vị Xuyên District were placed under the administration of Hà Giang Town.
On September 27, 2010, Hà Giang Town was upgraded to Hà Giang city.
On June 12, 2025, Hà Giang Province and Tuyên Quang Province were merged to form a new Tuyên Quang Province. The former province was restructured into 2 wards.
The province's name derived from the Sino-Vietnamese 河江.
H'Mông lords of Sà Phìn
The history of the Hmong lords of the northern region of the province, bordering China (Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc), is integral to the province, as the Hmong people have dominated the region from the late 18th century. The Vương family of the Huang clan established their rule at Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc, which was endorsed by the Nguyễn kings.
During French colonial rule, the French further supported the lords in their hold on the border territory. Vương Chính Đức was recognized as the king of the Hmong in 1900. A palace was built between 1902 and 1903 at Sà Phìn (16 km west of Đồng Văn town). The lord's loyalty to the French was evident in the support that they got from him during their campaign to put down a rebellion launched by the local tribes. In recognition, the lord was given the rank of a general in the French Army (a fully uniformed picture of the lord is seen in the interior rooms of the palace).
Increasing opposition by the Vietnamese to French rule saw the lord adopting a neutral stance. Vương Chú Sển, who succeeded his father after the latter's death in 1944, however, pledged support to Ho Chi Minh. The historical palace of the Vương lord was built in the traditional style of northeast Asian royal palaces. It has four double-storied wings, which are linked by three open courtyards. A moat surrounds the palace. Tombs of the royal family members, which are intricately carved in wood, are located outside the palace walls. Only the walls of the buildings are made of bricks, while the rest is made of wood.Boobbyer, p. 129
Administrative divisions Hà Giang was subdivided into 11 district-level sub-divisions:
10 districts: Bắc Mê Bắc Quang Đồng Văn Hoàng Su Phì Mèo Vạc Quản Bạ Quang Bình Vị Xuyên Xín Mần Yên Minh
1 provincial city: Hà Giang (capital)
They were further subdivided into 9 commune-level towns (or townlets), 181 communes, and 5 wards.
Table of local government divisions