Geography

Son La is a highland province in the north-west of Vietnam. It is bounded in the north by the provinces of Yen Bai and Lao Cai, in the east by Phu Tho and Hoa Binh, in the west by Lai Chau, and in the south by Thanh Hoa. The province has 250 km of borderline with the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. Son La Town, the provincial capital, is 320 km northwest of Hanoi Capital.

Son La’s land area is 14,055 sq. km, accounting for 4.27 per cent of Vietnam’s total area and being the fifth largest province among 64 cities and provinces.

With such a strategic geographical position, Son La Province is of significance to the country’s economy, society, security, and defense. Combined with the provinces of Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau, Son La is regarded as a green roof of the northern delta.

Topography

Son La Province is at an elevation of 600-700 m. Its terrain is divided into three ecological zones, including National Highway 6 Zone, Da River Zone, and Border Highland Zone. It is marked by two big plateaus of Moc Chau and Na San with different ecological characteristics.

Moc Chau Plateau (Elevation: 1,050) has a sub temperate climate. The mean annual temperature in the plateau is 180C. Its fertile soil is suitable for growing industrial crops, such as tea and fruit trees, and raising dairy cows and other livestock, as well as developing tourism.

Na San Plateau (Elevation: 800 m) stretches along National Highway 6. Its rich soil enables the development of industrial crops, like sugarcane, mulberry, and other fruit trees.

Climate

Son La, whose climate is sub temperate, has two seasons: the dry and the wet. The average annual temperature is 21.40C, with highs peaking at 270C and lows being 160C. Annual rainfall averages 1,200- 1,600 mm and average humidity is 81%. The number of days with the dry west wind in a year increased to 4.3 in Son La Town and 37.2 in Yen Chau. However, the climate in the plateaus of Moc Chau and Na San is cool, fresh, and advantageous to the development of agriculture and tourism.

Natural resources

Land resource

Son La’s land area is 1,405,500 hectares, of which 39.08 per cent or 549,273 hectares are in use. Its rich soil with a thick layer of cultivation and a wide range of soil is favored for the farming of crops and animals of high economic value.

Idle land, rivers and streams cover an area of 856,227 hectares, representing 60.92% of the provincial area. Out of that, 734,018.29 hectares are distributed in the highlands, which need to be covered with the green by a forestation and planting fruit trees and perennial industrial crops.

Son La’s arable land is very limited. Per capita average area is 0.2 hectare, including 0.16 hectares for growing food crops. The area destined for planting perennial crops, such as coffee, tea, and fruit trees, is 23,520 hectares while 1,167 hectares are set aside for developing grasslands.

The water surface area for farming fisheries is 1,627 hectares but has been not well utilized yet. Only 991 hectares or 60.9% of the area have been used. Once the Son La Hydropower Plant is put into operation, it is estimated that there will be another 25,000 hectares of lake surface for farming and catching fisheries.

Water resource

As its terrain breaks up, Son La has a thick network of rivers and streams with 1.8 km of rivers and streams per sq. km. In the territory of the province, there are 2 big rivers (Da River and Ma River), 35 streams, hundreds of rivulets, and many waterfalls. This is a potential water resource for developing new small and medium-sized hydropower stations, excluding Son La Hydropower Plant.

At present, Son La has nearly 9,000 hectares of water flowed from the reservoir of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, of which around 8,000 hectares are favored for the operation and farming of fisheries. Once the construction of Son La Hydropower Plant is complete, the area of water reservoir in the province is expected to increase to nearly 20,000 hectares. It is an enormous potential for the operation and farming of fisheries.

Forest resource

Son La is one among the provinces with a large area of forestry land. Its forestry land accounts for 73% of the natural area. The soil here is suitable for growing many plants and building a protective forest system, as well as for setting up commodity-based high-value economic zones. The forests are home to rare species of flora and fauna. Also, there are special forests for the purpose of scientific research and eco-tourism.

Forests in Son La Province cover an area of 357,000 hectares, including 25,650 hectares of planted forests. The forest coverage in the province is estimated at more than 25%, lower than 35.17% in the whole country and 36.58% in the northern mountainous midlands.

In addition to the protective and specific-purpose forests, Son La has 340,000 hectares of production forests, including 72,900 hectares of newly-planted forest and above 26,700 hectares need to be zoned and planted in order to provide raw materials for making exportable cardboard, pulp, and wood. That is advantageous to the provincial socio-economic development.

Natural forests in Son La Province have a reserve of nearly 87.053 million cubic meters and 554.9 million bamboos while planted forests hold 154,000 cubic meters of wood and 221,000 bamboo.

Natural minerals

Son La has various kinds of natural minerals. But it is difficult to tap them because most mines are small and scattered throughout the province.

There are more than 150 mines and quarries throughout Son La Province. They include Ban Phuc Copper Nickel Mine in Muong Khoa, Bac Yen District; Ta Phuc Butane Mine in Moc Chau District; Ban Phung Magnetite Mine in Song Ma District; Suoi Bang Coal Mine in Moc Chau District; Quynh Nhai Coal Mine and so on. That enables the operation and development of mining industry in the foreseen future. Moreover, the large reserves of quality limestone and kaolin help Son La develop the advantageous industry of building materials, including cement, high-grade sand, construction stone, unbaked bricks and ceramic tiles.

Son La’s major natural minerals include:

Coal: There are various kinds of coal, including fat coal, lean coal, brown coal, and peat, with a combined reserve of 400 million tones, of which the proven reserve is more than 3 million tons. The big mines are Suoi Bang, Quynh Nhai, Hang Mon, Muong Lum, and Suoi Lua. Son La’s coal production is seen to reach 20,000 –30,000 tons per year.

Limestone & clay: Son La has a significant reserve of limestone and clay. The deposits are widely distributed, enabling the development of production of cement, bricks, and ceramic roof tiles for local consumption and construction of Son La Hydropower Plant. Na Po Cement Clay Mine is Son La’ biggest deposit, with a reserve of 16 million tones and is followed by Chieng Sinh Mine (760,000 tons).

Copper nickel: There are 8 copper nickel mines and quarries in the province, including Ban Mong, Ban Khoa, Ban Phuc, Ban Chang, Van Sai, Suoi Ba, Suoi Don, and Hua Pang. Ban Phuc Nickel Mine in Bac Yen District is the biggest one, with a reserve of 984,000 tons and 3.55% nickel and 1.3% copper.

Gold: Son La has 4 small mines of placer gold and original gold. Pi Toong Place Gold Mine in Muong La District and Mu Lu Mine in Mai Son District are seen potential.

Butane: There are many mines of butane in Son La, like Ta Phu Mine in Moc Chau District with a reserve of 23,000 tons for domestic use and export.