Lạng Sơn () is a city in far Northern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and the capital of
Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on
National Route 1.
History
Due to its geography as Vietnam's gateway to China (being located just across from
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
), Lạng Sơn (諒山) and its ancient citadel have been in the path of many invasions, and were the site of three French defeats during the colonial era. Occupied by Qing forces during the military buildup that preceded the
Sino-French War
The Sino-French or Franco-Chinese War, also known as the Tonkin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885 between the French Third Republic and Qing China for influence in Vietnam. There was no declaration of war.
The C ...
, the city was occupied by
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
after the two-week
Lạng Sơn Campaign in February 1885. However, the French brigade there conducted a hasty retreat after launching a failed attack at the
Battle of Bang Bo into
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
; the "
retreat from Lạng Sơn" became the most controversial aspect of the war and led to the fall of
Jules Ferry's ministry. Outnumbered French colonial forces clashed with the Japanese 5th Division in the Battle of Lạng Sơn during the Japanese
Vietnam Expedition on 22 September 1940. The French were again compelled to retreat hastily. In 1945 it was again the scene of heavy fighting during the
Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina
The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as , was a Empire of Japan, Japanese operation that took place on 9 March 1945, towards the end of World War II. With Japanese forces losing the war and the threat of an Allies of World War I ...
.
After the end of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
, the French colonial army established a permanent garrison there, which served as the logistics hub for the French border fortresses. It was evacuated in 1950 during
Võ Nguyên Giáp
Võ Nguyên Giáp ( vi-hantu, , ; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general, communist revolutionary and politician. Highly regarded as a military strategist, Giáp led Vietnamese communist forces to victories in wars agains ...
's
offensive against the French border forts, considered a turning point in the
Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between France and Việt Minh ( Democratic Rep ...
. The city was the
center of fighting during the
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a brief conflict that occurred in early 1979 between China and Vietnam. China launched an offensive ostensibly in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia in 1978, whi ...
of 1979, and fell to the Chinese military who briefly occupied it.
Geology and climate
The surface rocks in the area are a
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...
limestone, overlain by the early
Triassic
The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
Lang Son Formation, consisting of
flyschoid beds with interbedded sandstones, siltstones and clay shales and some
felsic
In geology, felsic is a grammatical modifier, modifier describing igneous rocks that are relatively rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz.Marshak, Stephen, 2009, ''Essentials of Geology,'' W. W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed. It is contrasted ...
volcanics. This place even can experience snow in the coldest moments of winter although Vietnam is basically snow free, it and the whole of
Northern Vietnam
Northern Vietnam or '' Tonkin'' () is one of three geographical regions in Vietnam. It consists of three geographic sub-regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sôn ...
is in an area of the
subtropical climate.
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Lạng Sơn has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa''). It had been snowed in the city on 24 January 2016.
Topography and geology
The city has diverse topographical and geological features, including hill, mountainous, half mountainous, coastal plains and coastal sand dunes.
The hilly region is in the west, stretching from north to south (in parts of communes: Dong Son, Thuan Duc) with an average elevation of 12–15 m, with total area of 64.93 km
2, 41.7% of the city total area. Residents here live on agriculture, forestry, farming. The soil in this area is poor in nutrition, infertile and subject to continuous erosion due to its slope of 7-10%.
The half hilly region surrounds a plain with an average elevation of 10 m from north-east - north to north-west – south-west and south – south-east. This region covers communes and wards of Bắc Lý, Nam Lý, Nghĩa Ninh, Bắc Nghĩa, Đức Ninh, Đức Ninh Đông, Lộc Ninh and Phú Hải with total area of 62.87 km
2, or accounts for 40.2% of the city total area. Residents here lives on industrial, handcraft, trading and a small percentage lives on farming. This region is not very fertile, subject to alum. However, thanks to the heavy distribution of rivers and lakes, ponds and pools, it's better for agriculture than the hilly region. The plain with the average of 2.1 m, with little slope, accounting for 0.2% of the city area (5.76 km
2). Most of the city's commercial, administrative and main streets concentrate in this narrow regions. Coastal sand dune area is on the east of the city, with an area of 21.98 km
2, making up 14,3% of the total area.
Gallery
File:Chợ Đông Kinh.jpg, Đông Kinh market of Lạng Sơn city.
File:Lạng Sơn 1.jpg, Kỳ Lừa Bridge spans across Kỳ Cùng River
File:Đền Kỳ Cùng.jpg, Kỳ Cùng Temple (also known as Quan Lớn Tuần Tranh Temple)
File:Bến đá Kỳ Cùng.jpg, Kỳ Cùng stone wharf[Kỳ Cùng stone wharf is located on the right bank of Kỳ Cùng river, near Kỳ Cùng Bridge and opposite Kỳ Cùng temple. Around in 1778, the temple was listed by Governor Ngô Thì Sĩ as one of the eight beautiful landscapes of Lạng Sơn Town) (Bát Cảnh Town). In 1993, Kỳ Cùng Stone Wharf was recognized as a national monument.] belongs to Lạng Sơn city. In 1993, the temple was recognized as a national monument.
File:Chùa Tam Thanh.jpg, Tam Thanh Pagoda
File:Lạng Sơn1.jpg, Hilly area.
File:Thành Nhà Mạc.jpg, Lạng Sơn hills and mountains viewed from Mạc citadel.
See also
*
Pingxiang
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang Son
Provincial capitals in Vietnam
Districts of Lạng Sơn province
Populated places in Lạng Sơn province
Cities in Vietnam
Lạng Sơn province