View source for Lai Châu

{{Expand Vietnamese|topic=geo|date=March 2009|Lai Châu (thành phố)}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See Template:Infobox Settlement for additional fields that may be available-->
<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage-->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|name                   = Lai Châu
|official_name          = Lai Châu City<br/>{{nobold|{{lang|vi|Thành phố Lai Châu}} }}
|other_name             =
|native_name            = 
|native_name_lang = vi
|type = 
|nickname               = 
|settlement_type        = [[Provincial city (Vietnam)|Provincial city (Class-3)]]
|total_type             = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows -->
|motto                  =
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
|image_skyline          = Lai Châu City Lake.jpg
|imagesize              = 275px
|image_caption          = Lai Châu City Lake
|image_flag             = 
|flag_size              =
|image_seal             = 
|seal_size              =
|image_shield           = 
|shield_size            =
|image_blank_emblem     =
|blank_emblem_type      =
|blank_emblem_size      =
|image_map              = {{Infobox mapframe|zoom=11|frame-width=280}}
|mapsize                = 
|map_caption            = 
|image_map1             = 
|mapsize1               = 
|map_caption1           = 
|image_dot_map          =
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|dot_x =  |dot_y =
|pushpin_map            =Vietnam <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption    =Location in Vietnam
|pushpin_mapsize        =
<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = {{flagu|Vietnam}}
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Vietnam|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Lai Châu Province|Lai Châu]]
|subdivision_type2      = 
|subdivision_name2      = 
|seat_type              =
|seat                   =

<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes   =
|government_type        =
|leader_title           =
|leader_name            =
|leader_title1          =  <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1           =
|established_title      =  Established town<!-- Settled -->
|established_date       = 10 October 2004
|established_title1      =  Established city<!-- Settled -->
|established_date1       = 27 December 2013
<!-- Area    --------------------->
|area_magnitude         = 
|unit_pref                = <!--Enter: Imperial, to display imperial  before metric-->
|area_footnotes           = <ref name=NQ866>{{cite web|url=https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Bo-may-hanh-chinh/Nghi-quyet-866-NQ-UBTVQH14-2020-sap-xep-cac-don-vi-hanh-chinh-cap-huyen-cap-xa-thuoc-tinh-Lai-Chau-434044.aspx|title=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|date=2020-01-10}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 92.37<!-- ALL fields with measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
|area_land_km2            = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on unit conversion-->
|area_water_km2           =
|area_total_sq_mi         =
|area_land_sq_mi          =
|area_water_sq_mi         =
|area_water_percent       =
<!-- Elevation -------------------------->
|elevation_footnotes    =  <!--for references: use <ref> tags-->
|elevation_m            = 
|elevation_ft           =
|elevation_max_m            = 
|elevation_max_ft           =
|elevation_min_m            = 
|elevation_min_ft           =
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of               = 2020
|population_footnotes           = <ref name=NQ866/>
|population_note                =
|population_total               = 42,973
|population_density_km2         = auto
|population_density_sq_mi       =
|population_urban               = 
|population_density_urban_km2         = <!--For automatic calculation, any density field may contain: auto -->
<!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone               = Indochina Time
|utc_offset             = +7
|coor_type              = <!-- can be used to specify what the coordinates refer to -->
|coordinates            = {{coord|22|23|57|N|103|26|21|E|region:VN|display=it}}
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type       =  <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code            =
|area_code              =
|website                = {{url|http://thanhpho.laichau.gov.vn/ }}
|footnotes              = 
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cwa]]
}} 
[[File:Lai Châu Town Square Monument (2014).jpg|200px|left|thumb|Lai Châu Town Square Monument, as seen in April 2014.]]
'''Lai Châu''' ({{audio|Lai_Châu.ogg|listen|help=no}}) is a city in the [[Northwest (Vietnam)|Northwest]] region of [[Vietnam]]. It is the capital [[Districts of Vietnam|city]] of [[Lai Châu Province]]. The city borders [[Phong Thổ District]], [[Sìn Hồ District]] and [[Tam Đường District]].

==History==
[[Image:Laichautown.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Lai Châu town square in 2006]]
Lai Châu, or '''[[Muang]]''' Lay (Vietnamese: Mường Lay) was the seat of lords of the [[Tai Dón people|White Tai]] who were dominant over other [[Thai people in Vietnam|Thai peoples]] of the area, though there was rivalry between the White Tai rulers of Muang Lay and Muang So.<ref>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 wars|Haw]] (or Ho) moved into northern ..."</ref> 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: {{lang|vi|Châu}} / {{lang|zh|{{linktext|州}}}}) 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==
As of 2020 the city had a population of 42,973, covering an area of 92.37&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name=NQ866/>

==Administrative divisions==
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).<ref name=NQ866/>

==Climate==
Lai Châu has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cwa''), typical for northwestern Vietnam, with hot, oppressively humid, and wet summers and warm to very warm, dry winters.
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = 
|location = Tam Đường station, Lai Châu, elevation {{convert|900|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Jan high C = 18.8
|Feb high C = 21.0
|Mar high C = 24.4
|Apr high C = 27.0
|May high C = 27.5
|Jun high C = 27.0
|Jul high C = 26.8
|Aug high C = 27.5
|Sep high C = 27.0
|Oct high C = 25.1
|Nov high C = 22.1
|Dec high C = 19.3
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 13.6
|Feb mean C = 15.4
|Mar mean C = 18.7
|Apr mean C = 21.4
|May mean C = 22.7
|Jun mean C = 23.1
|Jul mean C = 22.9
|Aug mean C = 23.1
|Sep mean C = 22.2
|Oct mean C = 20.2
|Nov mean C = 16.9
|Dec mean C = 13.9
|year mean C = 19.5
|Jan low C = 10.1
|Feb low C = 11.4
|Mar low C = 14.3
|Apr low C = 17.2
|May low C = 19.3
|Jun low C = 20.7
|Jul low C = 20.6
|Aug low C = 20.4
|Sep low C = 19.2
|Oct low C = 17.0
|Nov low C = 13.5
|Dec low C = 10.3
|year low C = 16.2
|Jan record high C = 28.7 |Jan record low C = 0.8
|Feb record high C = 31.2 |Feb record low C = 3.2
|Mar record high C = 34.0 |Mar record low C = 2.9
|Apr record high C = 34.7 |Apr record low C = 7.9
|May record high C = 34.5 |May record low C = 11.9
|Jun record high C = 32.4 |Jun record low C = 15.0
|Jul record high C = 32.7 |Jul record low C = 16.9
|Aug record high C = 33.4 |Aug record low C = 17.0
|Sep record high C = 32.2 |Sep record low C = 12.7
|Oct record high C = 31.0 |Oct record low C = 7.2
|Nov record high C = 29.5 |Nov record low C = 4.0
|Dec record high C = 28.0 |Dec record low C = -0.4
|year record high C =   |year record low C = 
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 40.1
|Feb rain mm = 39.0
|Mar rain mm = 81.2
|Apr rain mm = 185.1
|May rain mm = 340.4
|Jun rain mm = 472.5
|Jul rain mm = 545.2
|Aug rain mm = 340.0
|Sep rain mm = 186.2
|Oct rain mm = 131.9
|Nov rain mm = 75.3
|Dec rain mm = 35.1
|year rain mm = 2469.0
|Jan rain days = 7.2
|Feb rain days = 7.0
|Mar rain days = 8.4
|Apr rain days = 14.0
|May rain days = 21.9
|Jun rain days = 25.2
|Jul rain days = 26.3
|Aug rain days = 23.0
|Sep rain days = 16.3
|Oct rain days = 12.5
|Nov rain days = 8.2
|Dec rain days = 5.1
|year rain days = 175.0
|Jan humidity = 81.2
|Feb humidity = 77.0
|Mar humidity = 73.0
|Apr humidity = 75.9
|May humidity = 81.3
|Jun humidity = 87.2
|Jul humidity = 89.0
|Aug humidity = 87.6
|Sep humidity = 86.0
|Oct humidity = 84.3
|Nov humidity = 82.3
|Dec humidity = 81.7
|year humidity = 82.2
|Jan sun = 161.5
|Feb sun = 167.0
|Mar sun = 189.3
|Apr sun = 204.3
|May sun = 186.4
|Jun sun = 114.5
|Jul sun = 117.2
|Aug sun = 145.2
|Sep sun = 157.6
|Oct sun = 156.4
|Nov sun = 164.1
|Dec sun = 168.0
|year sun = 1936.8
|source 1 = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology<ref>{{cite web|title=Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology|url=https://datafiles.chinhphu.vn/cpp/files/vbpq/2022/10/02-bxd.pdf | access-date =16 August 2023}}</ref>
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Cities in Vietnam}}
{{Districts of Northwest Vietnam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lai Chau}}
[[Category:Provincial capitals in Vietnam]]
[[Category:Districts of Lai Châu province]]
[[Category:Populated places in Lai Châu province]]
[[Category:Cities in Vietnam]]
[[Category:Long stubs with short prose]]

{{LaiChau-geo-stub}}