Sơn La province
Sơn La is a province nestled in the Northwestern region of Vietnam.
In 2018, Sơn La ranked 31st among Vietnam's administrative units in terms of population, 40th in Gross Regional Domestic Product, 49th in GRDP per capita, and 63rd in GRDP growth rate. With a population of 1,242,700 people, its GRDP reached 47.223 trillion VND, GRDP per capita was 38 million VND, and the GRDP growth rate was 5.59%. Sơn La is also the largest province by area in Northern Vietnam.
History
Middle Ages
By Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, before the 15th century, the area where Sơn-la Province is now belongs to a kingdom called as Muaeng Ngõu-hỡu. However, in Tai epics, this land was called Muaeng-mol. Because before the Tai tribes migrated, it was home to a group called Xá people.On May 24, 1886, the French provisional protection government in Tonkin decided to divide Hưng Hóa province into many parts. Accordingly, Sơn-la Province has been established based on the area of a part of Hưng-hóa Province with some rugged lands without people living in the eastern area of Lao kingdom. The reason it was called Sơn-la is because the capital of the province was located in Muaeng-la. However, although called the province, but in reality, this area was operated like a military zone. The head of the province was also called the commander, with the rank of captain. In particular, all administrative activities used French language.
By February 27, 1892, Sơn-la Province was separated into two small military zones, Phong-thổ and Vạn-bú. On October 10, 1895, Vạn-bú Province was officially established, with the headquarters located at an address called Tạ-bú. The position of the head of the province at this time was the minister plenipotentiary.
XX century
On August 23, 1904, Vạn-bú was renamed to Sơn-la Province, the provincial capital transferred to the place called as Sơn-la Town. From then until 1946, the province did not have any special developments, except for some prisoners' protests at Sơn-la Prison.After chasing Việt-minh forces from government agencies, the French provisional government in Indochina for the first time allowed a native person as the Governor of Sơn-la Province. Mr Bạc Cầm Quý was a Taykhao man. In 1948, three provinces Lai-châu, Phong-thổ and Sơn-la were merged into the Tai Union.
In 1953, after France went bankrupt in Nà-sản, the Vietminh forces basically controlled Sơn-la. This province was temporarily merged into Việt-bắc Inter-zone. From 1955 to 1975, Sơn-la belonged to the South of the Northwest Autonomous Region.
In 1975, when the Autonomous Region was dissolved, Sơn-la Province re-established what based on the former Sơn-la Province and two communes of Nghĩa-lộ Province.
XXI century
On September 3, 2008, Sơn-la Town was upgraded and expanded to Sơn-la City.On February 1, 2025, Mộc-châu District was changed to Mộc-châu Town.
Culture
Customs
Sơn-la is recorded as the place with the highest number of ethnic groups in Vietnam's provinces, so it possesses a surprising diversity of cultural identity, especially ancient writing.According to epics such as Táy pú xớc, Quắm tố mướng and Phiết mướng, Sơn-la used to be a border dispute between the Tai tribes and Xá people. The Xá men was expelled by the Tai forces to Mai-châu. The Tai people celebrates the event with an annual horse racing festival. This is considered the most bustling cultural activity in Sơn-la in every spring.
Tourism
Sơn La Province renowned for its stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage. This area is characterized by rolling hills, lush valleys, and terraced rice fields. The province is home to diverse ethnic communities, including the Tai, Hmong, and Muong people.Besides, Sơn La Dam was the largest hydroelectric power station in Southeast Asia. It is located in this province.