Lai Châu (listen) is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital city of Lai Châu Province. The city borders Phong Thổ District, Sìn Hồ DistrictTam Đường District.

Lai Châu
Thành phố Lai Châu
Lai Châu City
Lai Châu City Lake
Lai Châu City Lake
Map
Lai Châu is located in Vietnam
Lai Châu
Lai Châu
Location in Vietnam
Coordinates: 22°23′57″N 103°26′21″E / 22.39917°N 103.43917°E / 22.39917; 103.43917
Country Vietnam
ProvinceLai Châu
Established town10 October 2004
Established city27 December 2013
Area
 • Total
92.37 km2 (35.66 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total
42,973
 • Density470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indochina Time)
ClimateCwa
Websitethanhpho.laichau.gov.vn
Lai Châu Town Square Monument, as seen in April 2014.

History

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Lai Châu town square in 2006

Lai Châu, or Muang Lay (Vietnamese: Mường Lay) was the seat of lords of the White Tai who were dominant over other Thai peoples of the area, though there was rivalry between the White Tai rulers of Muang Lay and Muang So.[2] During the 1870s Muang Lay was the base of lord Đèo Văn Trị of the White Tai who sought to unite and become chief of the 12 mường (Sino-Vietnamese: Châu / ) making up the Sip Song Chau Tai. This he partially achieved, with the help first of the Chinese Black Flags, then later the French. His authority, and the autonomy of the area, was recognised by the French in 1890.

Demographics

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As of 2020 the city had a population of 42,973, covering an area of 92.37 km².[1]

Administrative divisions

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Lai Châu City is officially divided into 7 commune-level sub-divisions, including 5 wards (Đoàn Kết, Đông Phong, Quyết Thắng, Quyết Tiến, Tân Phong) and 2 rural communes (San Thàng, Sùng Phài).[1]

Climate

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Lai Châu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), typical for northwestern Vietnam, with hot, oppressively humid, and wet summers and warm to very warm, dry winters.

Climate data for Lai Châu
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.3
(93.7)
38.0
(100.4)
39.6
(103.3)
41.9
(107.4)
42.5
(108.5)
39.8
(103.6)
39.8
(103.6)
38.9
(102.0)
37.0
(98.6)
36.4
(97.5)
34.3
(93.7)
32.9
(91.2)
42.5
(108.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)
26.2
(79.2)
29.9
(85.8)
32.5
(90.5)
32.8
(91.0)
31.8
(89.2)
31.4
(88.5)
32.1
(89.8)
32.0
(89.6)
30.0
(86.0)
26.6
(79.9)
23.6
(74.5)
29.4
(84.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.2
(63.0)
18.9
(66.0)
22.1
(71.8)
24.9
(76.8)
26.4
(79.5)
26.7
(80.1)
26.5
(79.7)
26.7
(80.1)
26.1
(79.0)
24.0
(75.2)
20.6
(69.1)
17.5
(63.5)
23.1
(73.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 13.8
(56.8)
14.7
(58.5)
17.2
(63.0)
20.3
(68.5)
22.5
(72.5)
23.9
(75.0)
23.9
(75.0)
23.8
(74.8)
22.8
(73.0)
20.5
(68.9)
17.4
(63.3)
14.2
(57.6)
19.6
(67.3)
Record low °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)
7.1
(44.8)
8.1
(46.6)
12.9
(55.2)
14.1
(57.4)
18.2
(64.8)
20.1
(68.2)
19.1
(66.4)
16.4
(61.5)
10.0
(50.0)
7.5
(45.5)
3.6
(38.5)
3.4
(38.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 31.4
(1.24)
33.2
(1.31)
62.3
(2.45)
137.7
(5.42)
276.8
(10.90)
426.7
(16.80)
478.7
(18.85)
363.5
(14.31)
150.8
(5.94)
86.1
(3.39)
52.4
(2.06)
27.2
(1.07)
2,126.6
(83.72)
Average rainy days 5.1 4.8 7.5 13.0 19.4 23.7 25.2 21.6 13.0 9.4 6.7 5.3 154.8
Average relative humidity (%) 80.6 76.4 74.5 76.5 79.9 85.3 87.0 86.0 84.0 83.8 83.8 83.1 81.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 129.4 148.2 179.3 198.2 178.1 118.0 123.3 152.2 162.7 151.6 140.7 131.1 1,823.6
Source: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology[3]
Climate data for Tam Dương District, Lai Châu, elevation 900 m (3,000 ft)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 28.7
(83.7)
31.2
(88.2)
34.0
(93.2)
34.7
(94.5)
34.5
(94.1)
32.4
(90.3)
32.7
(90.9)
33.4
(92.1)
32.2
(90.0)
31.0
(87.8)
29.5
(85.1)
28.0
(82.4)
34.7
(94.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)
21.0
(69.8)
24.4
(75.9)
27.0
(80.6)
27.5
(81.5)
27.0
(80.6)
26.8
(80.2)
27.5
(81.5)
27.0
(80.6)
25.1
(77.2)
22.1
(71.8)
19.3
(66.7)
24.5
(76.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 13.6
(56.5)
15.4
(59.7)
18.7
(65.7)
21.4
(70.5)
22.7
(72.9)
23.1
(73.6)
22.9
(73.2)
23.1
(73.6)
22.2
(72.0)
20.2
(68.4)
16.9
(62.4)
13.9
(57.0)
19.5
(67.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 10.1
(50.2)
11.4
(52.5)
14.3
(57.7)
17.2
(63.0)
19.3
(66.7)
20.7
(69.3)
20.6
(69.1)
20.4
(68.7)
19.2
(66.6)
17.0
(62.6)
13.5
(56.3)
10.3
(50.5)
16.2
(61.2)
Record low °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
3.2
(37.8)
2.9
(37.2)
7.9
(46.2)
11.9
(53.4)
15.0
(59.0)
16.9
(62.4)
17.0
(62.6)
12.7
(54.9)
7.2
(45.0)
4.0
(39.2)
−0.4
(31.3)
−0.4
(31.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 40.1
(1.58)
39.0
(1.54)
81.2
(3.20)
185.1
(7.29)
340.4
(13.40)
472.5
(18.60)
545.2
(21.46)
340.0
(13.39)
186.2
(7.33)
131.9
(5.19)
75.3
(2.96)
35.1
(1.38)
2,469
(97.20)
Average rainy days 7.2 7.0 8.4 14.0 21.9 25.2 26.3 23.0 16.3 12.5 8.2 5.1 175.0
Average relative humidity (%) 81.2 77.0 73.0 75.9 81.3 87.2 89.0 87.6 86.0 84.3 82.3 81.7 82.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 161.5 167.0 189.3 204.3 186.4 114.5 117.2 145.2 157.6 156.4 164.1 168.0 1,936.8
Source: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Nghị quyết số 866/NQ-UBTVQH14 năm 2020 về việc sắp xếp các đơn vị hành chính cấp huyện, cấp xã thuộc tỉnh Lai Châu". 2020-01-10.
  2. ^ Michael C. Howard, Kim Be Howard Textiles of the Daic peoples of Vietnam Page 75, 2002 "In general the White Tai nobles in the north were dominant, but even among them there was intense rivalry between the rulers of Muang Lay and Muang So. In the 1870s and 1880s Chinese bandits known as Haw (or Ho) moved into northern ..."
  3. ^ "Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology" (PDF). Retrieved 16 August 2023.