Yen Bai

YEN BAI PROVINCE

Square: 6899,5 km2.
Population: 746,4 thousand people (2010)
City: Yen Bai City.
Districts: Luc Yen, Van Yen, Mu Cang Chai, Tran Yen, Yen Binh, Van Chan, Tram Tau.

OVERVIEW

Yen Bai has artificial Thac Ba Lake, a scenic spot as well as a historical place. The lake consists of 1,331 hill-islands, varies vegetation cover and a diverse ecological setting. In the middle of the lake stands the Mong Son Grotto, home of the Yen Bai Party Committee during the anti-American resistance. Coming to there, tourists are able to relax in the lake, climb the mountain and explore the forests. Visitors are attracted to Dong Cuong and Dai Cai temples. Archaeologists have found many remains of the Son Vi culture in the Dong Cuong Temple area. Dai Cai Temple was built on a large area covered with many green trees and beautiful riverside roads.

HISTORY

The area was occupied in ancient times, given the favourable communications along the Hong and Chay Rivers. Several archaeological digs in the province have unearthed ancient temples and other sites. Stone tools have been excavated in Mù Cang Chải District. In 1285, the Battle of Thu Vat took place under the command of Tran Nhat Duat against Mongolian invaders at Thac Ba Lake.

Vietnam had gradually become a French colony between 1859 and 1883. Initially, military resistance to French rule came through the Can Vuong movement led by Ton That Thuyet and Phan Dinh Phung, which sought to install the boy Emperor Ham Nghi at the head of an independent nation. However, with the death of Phung in 1895, military opposition effectively ended. The only other notable incidents after this came in 1917 was the Thai Nguyen rebellion. The lack of militant activity changed in the late 1920s with the formation of the VNQDD, or Vietnamese Nationalist Party. The VNQDD attempted clandestine activities to undermine French rule, which resulted in French scrutiny of their activities. This led to their leadership group taking the risk of staging a large scale military attack in the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. It was only on 10 February 1931 that VNQD could, in collaboration with civilian supporters, launch the Yên Bái mutiny, an uprising of Vietnamese soldiers in the French colonial army. Thus, Yen Bai was the first of the battles during the First Indochina War. Yen Bai and Thai Yugyen were key military posts of the Viet Minh, which were supplied with arms from China to fight the French during this War.

GEOGRAPHY

Situated on the gateway to North-West Vietnam, Yen Bai Province borders Lao Cai, Ha Giang in the north, Son La Province in the west, Tuyen Quang in the east, and Phu Tho in the south.

Terrain includes mountain, hill and valley. The network of rivers is complex with many falls and waterfalls

CLIMATE

Climate in lowland is different from highland. Annual average temperature is from 18ºC to 28ºC.

TOURISM

Yen Bai's large forest ranges supply valuable pomu, lat hoa, cho chi wood. Van Yen cinnamon, Suoi Giang tea, Tu Le glutinous rice are special products. The province owns well-known stone-pit in Luc Yen, too.

Yen Bai has artificial Thac Ba Lake, a scenic spot as well as a historical place. The lake consists of 1,331 hill-islands, varies vegetation cover and a diverse ecological setting. In the middle of the lake stands the Mong Son Grotto, home of the Yen Bai Party Committee during the anti-American resistance. Coming to there, tourists are able to relax in the lake, climb the mountain and explore the forests.

Visitors are attracted to Dong Cuong and Dai Cai temples. Archaeologists have found many remains of the Son Vi culture in the Dong Cuong Temple area. Dai Cai Temple was built on a large area covered with many green trees and beautiful riverside roads.

TRANSPORT

Yen Bai City is 180km from Hanoi. The province is on the railway from Hanoi to Yen Bai then Lao Cai. There is National Highway No.32 linking to Lao Cai and National Highway No.37 connecting to Tuyen Quang. Buses leave daily for Yen Bai from My Dinh Bus Station (Hanoi)

CULTURE

Located in the northwest gateway of the country, Yen Bai is a mountainous province with 30 ethnic groups living together. Each group brings a unique culture identity blended together to create a vibrant Yen Bai culture with many uniqueness, costums and habits. Muong people in Yen Bai live mainly in districts of Van Chan, Tran Yen and Van Yen. Muong ethnic people have the tradition of rice cultivation, so they often live in valleys, near the rice fields and along the streams. The cultural treasure of Muong people is very diverse and unique with traditional dances as Moi, Trong Tu, fairy dance, mua sap and mua ong. Particularly, Moi dance in Ao Luong II village, Son A commune, Van Chan district is considered the most typical dance for Muong ethnic people and is a scared dance because of the appearance of shaman. Thai ethnic people are very creative in house design. The stilt houses not only are the living space but also hold the mua sap to welcome the guests. This is a beautiful custom of Thai ethnic people in Northwest Vietnam expressing their hospitality. Moreover, other ethnic groups in Yen Bai also have distinct cultural identity and dances presenting for their pure souls. They are one of the most special features making people unforgettable experiences when visiting the city.