Until the 19th century, the settlement of
Vị Xuyên, to the south of Hà Giang (chu Han: 河楊), was the principal market town and the largest settlement in the area. Under the
Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945) the town of Hà Giang, in what is now
Trần Phú District, began to grow in size. In 1842, the town was included in the former
Tuyên Quang Province. In 1842, Hà Giang was incorporated into the new
Tuyên Quang Province, which at that time stretched north as far as the Chinese border. Following the French conquest of the area in 1886, Hà Giang became an important French colonial military outpost. On 13 August 1945, during the
August Revolution, the
Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng took power here. On August 12, 1991, the province of Hà Giang was re-established and separated from
Tuyên Quang Province. When separated,
Hà Giang Province contained 10 administrative units, and Hà Giang town became the provincial town of Hà Giang. On September 27, 2010, Hà Giang town was officially upgraded into a provincial city. In March 2014, the urban development project type II was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 190, which includes the provinces of
Vĩnh Phúc, Hà Giang, and
Thừa Thiên–Huế, thanks to a non-refundable aid package from the
Asian Development Bank (ADB). With regards to Hà Giang province, the project includes upgrading of roads, construction of 2 new bridges, and upgrading the sewage system. ==Administration==