Lai Châu province

Lai Châu
Clockwise from top left:
Interactive map of Lai Châu
Coordinates: 22°0′N 103°0′E / 22.000°N 103.000°E / 22.000; 103.000
Country Vietnam
RegionNorthwest
Government
 • TypeProvince
 • BodyLai Châu Provincial People's Council
 • Chairman of People's CouncilGiàng Páo Mỷ
 • Chairman of People's CommitteeLê Văn Lương
Area
 • Province
9,068.73 km2 (3,501.46 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)
 • Province
595,500
 • Density65.67/km2 (170.1/sq mi)
 • Urban
90,000
Ethnic groups
 • Thái31.05%
 • Mông23.97%
 • Vietnamese15.91%
 • Dao12.79%
 • Hà Nhì3.47%
 • Others12.81%
GDP
 • ProvinceVND 14.998 trillion
US$ 0.654 billion
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Area codes213
ISO 3166 codeVN-01
HDI (2020) 0.600
(34th)
Websitelaichau.gov.vn

Lai Châu (Vietnamese pronunciation: [lāi cʌ̄w] ) is a mountainous province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Lai Châu was a semi-independent White Tai confederation known as Sip Song Chau Tai, was absorbed by France into French Indochina in the 1880s and became part of Vietnam following Vietnamese independence in 1954. It became part of the Northwest Autonomous Area of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975, when Lai Châu province was formed. Điện Biên province was carved out of Lai Châu in 2004. The province covers an area of about 9,069 km2 (3,501 mi2) and as of 2022 it had a population of 482,100 people.