| Tay Bac | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Capital | Long Xuyen |
| Surface | 37 336.9 km² |
| Inhabitants | 2.565.600 (2005 estimate) |
Tay Bac (Tây Bắc) is one of the eight regions of the Vietnam.
To know
The North West of Vietnam is a mountainous region bordering on Laos is China. Its interest is above all in the landscape, although deforestation activities carried out on a large scale and the construction of imposing dams on several points of the Black River must be emphasized, which will certainly have negative effects on the environment. The North West is also a land of difficult access due to poor road conditions.
Like the neighbor Laos, the Northwest of the Vietnam it is populated by numerous mountain tribes who wear national costumes in the most remote villages. More than 50 groups have been surveyed but the most numerous are the Hmong and the Thais
When to go
The dates of your trip to the North West of Vietnam should be back in the spring season (March may) or in the autumn one (September-November)
Territories and tourist destinations
Urban centers
The region is crossed by a single road, the state road nº 6. Supposing you go along it exiting from Hanoi, we will meet the following locations (in brackets the distances from Hanoi):
- Hoa Binh - (74 km) Capital of a territory inhabited by various mountain tribes.
- Mai Chau - (160 km) Town inhabited by Thai people with the possibility of excursions to the villages of the surrounding valleys.
- Sơn La - (300 km) Capital of the province homonymous, Sơn La it also offers the possibility of magnificent excursions in the surrounding area.
- Điện Biên - (457 km) Famous for a battle in 1954 which cost the French a bitter defeat, Dien Bien Phu is on a branch of state 6 which then continues to the Tay Trang border crossing, on the border line with the Laos.
- Lai Chau - (450 km) Capital of the homonymous province, Lai Chau it is difficult to access, mainly due to the difficult condition of the roads leading to it.
How to get
By car
The conditions of the state road nº 6 are usually in bad conditions, especially due to landslides caused by the rains.
By bus
There is a bus service from Hanoi that touches the centers described above but the journey times are extremely long.
