Lạng Sơn province

Topography The province is set in karstic limestone mountains and valleys. Mountains and forests comprise 80% of the province's area. The province measures approximately 123 kilometres from north to south and 126 kilometres from west to east. The average altitude of the province is above sea level. The lowest point in the province is towards the south of Hữu Lũng District and the highest point is at Mount Mẫu Sơn, which is . Mẫu Sơn is to the east of the town of Lạng Sơn by , and is surrounded by a series of peaks; snow sometimes falls on these peaks in winter. The Bac Son Mountains are located in the province and are calcareous in nature. Fertile valleys are framed by mountain ridges. The most accessed is the Friendship Gate called the Hữu Nghị Quan crossing at Đồng Đăng connecting to Pingxiang town in China. This is the historical first land link in the north between China and Vietnam that connects Lạng Sơn and Guangxi, China. The border is open daily, from 07:00 to 17:00, and involves a walk of 500 m through the no man's territory between Vietnam and China. There is an international train service, an express route, opened in 1996 from Hanoi to Beijing (China), which operates twice a week on Tuesday and Friday that passes through Lạng Sơn Town and Đồng Đăng through this gate which has three-hour stop at the border town to complete formalities of entry from one country to the other. Passengers are not allowed to board the train at any intermediate station between Hanoi and Beijing. Population According to the General Statistics Office of the Government of Vietnam, the population of Lạng Sơn Province, as of 2019, was 781,655 Nungz dialects include Nùng Phan Slinh in eastern Lạng Sơn, Nùng Cháo around Lạng Sơn city, and Nùng Inh in western Lạng Sơn. ==History==

From four chronicles An Nam chí lược, An Nam chí nguyên, An Nam lai uy đồ sách and Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, its name Lạng Sơn (, Nungz: Phja-lủng) was originated from Tlủng-san in ancient Annamese language, which means "valleys (lũng) + mountains (sơn)" in modern Vietnamese. From the end of the 19th century, the name of the province has been written in international documents as Langson (English), Lang-Son (French), or sometimes Langland (in general literature and tourist posters). In some cases of Vietnamese spelling before 1977, it was sometimes written as Lạng-sơn (Kinh) or La̭ng-xơn (Mường). Ancient Ancient history is traced to the Bronze Age. This period is marked by the trade route that existed between China and India that passed from the Red River Delta through Nanning to Guangzhou. Middle Ages The Đinh emperors (968-980) encouraged the growth of trade in the region and requested the Sung emperors of China that they establish trade relations at Yong Zhou. Consequently, the Yongle Emperor (of Ming China) launched a punitive expedition against him due to this hostile act. discovered the Tham Kanh cave near Pho Binh Gia which he named the Ho Binh Gia. He unearthed unique stone implements and human remains. After Ho Chi Minh's communist government was established in September 1945, Japanese had surrendered to the British and Indian Army, under the terms of the Potsdam Conference, to the south of the 16th parallel. As strategy, Ho Chi Minh entered into an agreement with the French so that he could face any threat from the Chinese and a Franco-Vietnamese agreement was signed. This provided for a free Vietnam within the French Union and the Indochinese federation. The French launched an offensive against the Viet Minh in October 1947 with Lạng Sơn as their base. The Viet Minh managed to thwart the French Offensive and forced the French to withdraw to Lạng Sơn. The Viet Minh pursue the French Army, they had a decisive victory on Highway 4 and they had to finally withdraw from Lạng Sơn. This marked the beginning of First Indochina War. In 1950 the Viet Minh took control of the province and the town. During February 1979, the Chinese invaded Vietnam through the border town of Don Dong ( to the north of Long Son town). In this war, which lasted for five days, 600,000 soldiers had descended on Vietnam; Lạng Sơn town was the town that received the thrust of 200,000 soldiers from China and occupied the capital city of the Northern Province. The Vietnamese had the last say as the Vietnamese army was successful in defeating the Chinese army, which bid a retreat. This has achieved the status of a folk lore in the province. The frontier village has remnants of the war on display to the visitors. The border has been rebuilt and brisk trade flourishes between Vietnam and China through this town. During the Chinese invasion in 1959 the Lan Son town was also damaged, it has been rebuilt since then. On December 16, 1964, the district of Điềm He and six communes of Bằng Mạc were merged to form the new district of Văn Quan; at the same time, the district of Ôn Châu and eight communes of Bằng Mạc district came together to form the new district of Chi Lăng. From December 27, 1975, until December 29, 1978, Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng provinces were merged to form Cao Lạng Province, before being re-partitioned. At the same time, the district of Đình Lập in Quảng Ninh province was transferred to Lạng Sơn, and since then it has had its later 10 districts. Lạng Sơn province is bordered by Cao Bằng province, Bắc Giang province, Bắc Kạn province, Quảng Ninh province, Thái Nguyên province, and China's Guangxi province. The province covers an area of ==Environment==

Forests In the karstic limestone formations (also known as carbonate karst), which occupy 5% of the natural forest area of Vietnam, Long Son and Cai Bang have a place in the floral and faunal wealth of the forests. Northeast Vietnam has 36% of the country's 1.15 million hectares of rocky mountains out of which Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng provinces account for a part of limestone formations. According to forest statistics of Vietnam these limestone formations have 69 mammal species; five of them are endemic and 26 are rare species. Village people value these formations as they are sources of water for agriculture. They also are sources of fuel wood, medicinal plants and housing materials for the villagers. In Lạng Sơn province they are source of water for irrigation of paddy crops. The limestone formations also permit growth of annona trees which provide revenue to the villagers in Lạng Sơn; the average annual net yield from annona is reported to be about 12 million đồngs (US$775). ==Culture==

Historical sites Apart from the war-ravaged Đồng Đăng Border town, which has a war history that attracts visitors, the other historical places of interest in the province are two limestone caves located near Lạng Sơn town, and a 16th-century citadel of the Ming dynasty. The two caves contain Buddhist altars, are illuminated and are called the Tam Thanh Cave and the Nhi Thanh Cave. The Tam Thanh Cave has three chambers, a water pond, and has a window opening which provides views of rice fields outside. The outer chamber of the cave on the right contains the Tam Giao Pagoda (built in 1777) with six shrines. The second chamber of the cave on the left also has shrines. The Ngoc Tuyen River flows through this cave into the mountain. The Nhi Thanh Cave, about 700 m away from and Tam Thanh Cave, were discovered in the 18th century by Ngô Thin Sy, a military commander at the Lạng Sơn garrison. His poems have been inscribed at the entrance to the cave. A plaque erected near the cave depicts a French resident of Lạng Sơn in full European dress. The Ngoc Tuyen River flows through the cave. The Ming dynasty citadel, a 16th-century monument located in a desolate area on a rock outcrop, is bounded by the east–west facing walls and can be accessed using the Tam Tinh road from Lạng Sơn city. A series of steps from the roadside lead to the ruins of the citadel. Tourism Lạng Sơn is known for its mountainous landscapes, limestone caves, and historical sites. Attractions include Mẫu Sơn; Tam Thanh Cave and Nhi Thanh Cave, and Đồng Đăng Temple. Lạng Sơn city also has walls built in the 18th century. ==Economy==

Lạng Sơn's economy is 80% based on agriculture and forestry. The province has mining reserves of bauxite, phosphate and coal. It also has reserves of gold, silver and lead. Crops include rice, which accounted for 40,000 hectares out of a total of 55,000 hectares grown in 1986, and sweet potato, maize and manioc. It is also known for its commodities of tea and yellow tobacco. Animal husbandry is developed in Lạng Sơn Province; in 1986, 140,000 buffalo and oxen were recorded in the province and 150,000 pigs. The number of cooperatives is 32 as against 7,592 cooperatives in the country. There are 26 farms as against the national number of 120699. The output value of agriculture produce at constant 1994 prices in the province was 1,076.5 billion đồngs against the national value of 156,681.9 billion dongs. ==See also==

Notes References ==Further reading==